The daily Alaskan., 1905-06-28
The Humanity of It
toriginall


 tied to one who Is notoriously un- worthy. Nevertheless considerable proportion Of the other half go right on making the same blunders.
 Frank Rivard chose sheep raising for his vocation, and his father established and stocked for him ranch in Mon tana. One would suppose that Frank under the circumstances would take pride and pleasure in attending strictly to his ranch and his tlOckS and let other things alone. But there was a great deal of time that hung heavy dn his hands, and we all know that Satan finds work for idle hands to do. An old Mexican named Nuncz FuStado lived near, who supported very large family partly by cultivating a small vegetable garden and partly by keep ing a tavern. The oldest daughter, Blanca, possessed certain elements Of Spanish beauty. Rivard first saw her six months after he had parted with Julia woodbury, young lady of his own station. and tO whom he would have made a proposal of marriage just before his departure had he not lacked opportunity.
 The Spanish black eyes of Blanca, the red tint set in an olive cheek, not withstanding that her hair was frowZy and her apparel dirty, were very beau tiful to Rlvard-much more so, he thought, than the girl he had left be hind him. But only one who has seen no women for six months can realize how beautiful they are. Frank met Blanca and made love to her. of course. That he should not do so was not to be expected under the circumstances, Few people commit a great blunder all at once: there are usually successive steps. One morning after having been with Blanca the night before in moon light he woke up conscious that he was ! hetrothed. He was mortified at first and kept away from the girl for two days, at the end of which time they were sitting again in the moonlight wrapped in each others arms and both perfectly happy. From that time for ward the lover considered the Mexican girl necessary to his happiness. | Rivard was not the only fool of the two. The girl had everything her own way in a matrimonial point Of view. She would probably not be very happy | under such an unequal marriage but this she did not realize. It was plain to her that she would get the best Of | the bargain. Nevertheless she threw away the opportunity. She was consid- cred pretty in that region and could | have all the attention she desired. A cowboy came along and made love to her in such desperate fashion that she rather enjoyed it. Instead of telling him that she was engaged she tempo. | rized with him until he came to ConSid- CT that she belonged to hlm, Then | when the damage was done she was afraid to tell him that she was cngag ed to Frank Rivard for fear the cow boy would Kill him, so she dismissed him without any good and sufficient reason.
 The affair ended as such affairs occa- sionally do-in a tragedy. The cowboy sought her out so often and so fiercely that she began to fear Rivard would hear of his attention. One day the puncher told her that if she didn't marry him he would kill her, She look ed in his eye and saw that he meant what he said and tried to escape She was too late A pistol ball solved the problem for her, and another prevented trouble between her slayer and Rivard. The cowboy sent it into his own foolish | brain.
 When the catastrophe was broken to | Rvard he was CraZei. He spent a week trying to get over his loss, then decided to try change of scene. Leav- | ing his flocks in the care of others, he went home. The gradual approach to civilization interested him and crowd ed out his sorrow. There is nothing better to alleviate grief than travel | By the time he reached home he had so far recovered that he began to real ize the inequality of his intended union. 
 At any rate, he would say nothing | about it.
 The first VOman Rivard met after his return was Julia WOodbury. He was sitting on the piazza in the spring sun shine when she alled-oStensibly to see his sister Mary. When she came up the steps and saw him her face broke into a smile of pleasure. Some how a contrast between her ladyllke appearance and the slouchy Blanca came up before his eyes and he could not get rid of it, though the contrast annoyed hin. The image of Blanca did finally die away, leaving a real image of Miss WoOdbury winch was very pleasant to look upon.
 A week later a telegram came for Frank Rivard stating that his presence was needed on the ranch at once. He had seen a great deal in a short time of Miss Woodbury, and by mutual con sent of all parties they were left alone ! together on the evening before his in tended departure. It was moonlight, but Frank forgot that such was the case on the night he proposed to