Gunnison news-champion., 1908-08-14

On co.rse fher, is no reason ~hs
ves shosid believe this story. Judzias
~ all rstioaai standards. the ta.s ~
quite Impossible ia this daS and age
NOa can hear the STORY told almost
sny SAMMY aay. II yos ~in hngeT IN
the listle aobe squares or along the
roads thai are in the victuage 81 iiae-
e,nse. ~here the air is dry and
hEbf thai there Is nothing 10 breathe
for. and there ~ sun. and saa. and
the ONLY material things are the aark-
cl.ar-cut shadows on the hight sand
san Misnel-a hundred dirty. red
aobo houses. an old mission. and q
great sqsare-lies to the south and
vest OF Ildeionse. on the very edge
OF the never-chanzing desert of yellow
sands. At ildefon-e there are boards
aud sidesalks and some OF the houses
have even floors in them. bat at Nj
sBel this IL all ieft behind and there
is only the atmosphere of the old
dohes with the clay floors. the crgm-
bling mission, and absolutely naugnt
10 suggest the year or the century.
Bradley the northern doctor came
TO Miguel because Of many things. ac-
cording 10 the people of the village.
lie was a bank robber. this blue-eyed
man of the north, he had killed
man; he had weak lungs; he was
there to write of the old mission, TO
let the modern world of the eastern
and northern states know how near
they were TO the seventeenth cen
fNr . k. - h.a Oh
The reason for Bradlcy's presence
in Miguel was quite incoBseauential
and trivial Miguel was 200 miles
from the railroad. So Bradley came.
There was peace and rest. long sun
ny days and cool nights. during which
there was nothing to do but sit in
long chair and soak In the joy of liv-
ing and this is what Bradley needed.
But the fact which is of importance
is that it was at Miguel that Bradley
met Meta.
Bradley had dreamed of Meta for
the better half of his life. He had
I dreamed of her while a boy al school;
she had followed him through his
medical studies. to Germany. where
D HIS tuUdtlou was tbnlIfltftus anu
through the rest of his 81 years He
went to balls where the women were
by all accorded the palm for beauty
and found himself wondering why
none of them we're like Meta He
was entirely practical WAS Bradley.
but Meta WAS in his dreams for a
good share of the time, else he would
/ have baou rriaN long ~Up
This discovery In itself was moth
ing so remarkable, for many a man Of
the north has found in the eyes of the
| girls Of Meta's people that for which
he searched long and vainly anon
the maids of his own north. MANY
men have done so-and forgotten
Bradley was different
In the daytime Bradley was one OF
the few Americanos of the new quarter
of the town as a matter of form. He
dressed for dinner and kept his face
clean and his clothes white But when
the shadows of the 'dobe houses
grew long in the plaza and the cool
hush Of night called the people from
within the doors, Meta and her lover
sat on the roof bench Of the 'dobe
house and communed In the tongue
which is peculiar neither to Saxon or
Castilian. Sometimes Meta sang the
love songs Of her own tongue, and
then the people on the roofs two
houses away heard a strong. subdued
voice 20 haltingly through the chorus
Then. one day. Bradley was called
away to professional duty. and Meta
Vas lo1t aloae to wait for the return
of her lover. 1t wAs to sangre De
Cristo that Bradley went Sangre De
Cristo IL On the other side Of the un-
traileA desert from Miguel. The road
around 10 hve days hong, and no man
vas there alive Who could say he
had journeyed through the sands
since the wells were dried up.
There was . distemper Of some kind
u Sangre De Cristo. Was 1t possible
that IL was the little plague Pray
the good saint whose picture hung
o. the missiOs wall that 1t was not
But would the great doctor from the
north come with his great wisdom and
bag OF medicines TO look MON the
faces of the sick At Sangre DE Cristo
aAd make them well! II Was the old
padre who sent the word The pro
fessional instinct was developed strong
In Bradley.
Il must go. dear heart" he said
to Meta. 1t will not be long II you
need me. call for me. and I will hear.
] know ] will
The coalitions At Sangre De Cristo
were much worse than the messen-
ger had told. There was much fever
there, the people were stark with
fright. and the sanitation was awful.
But the poems were SLOW to think
and slower to act. They were safe
now. OF course the senor Of The
Medicines vas here They had no fur
ther concern in the matter. the senor
be blessed a thousand times So they
vaeiCnoA ho- p;hz .A;1a-