The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-04-04

Its lack OF quality. Many OF the chap
ters are Of o high order. Plot and con-
struction aside. the book presents vivid,
forcefui ana brilliant pictures OF the
mediateiy following the rush OF the.
'Torty-niners'
On the 18th day Of March. 1898. snow
lay everywhere over the California
6ierraa It had been showing for ten
days. No bird fitted. NO beast moved.
Everywhere lay the unstsined white
ness. the unbroken silence Of death.
IN the vefy centre OF the desoiation
. rudely shaped wooden hand was 4
nailed 10 . tree ami pointed up can
yon. Under Il {. was . canvss strip
bearing the Inscription: Captain Con-
roy's party Of emigrants are lost In
the snow and camped Up this canyon.
Out Of provisions and sstarving!' Then
followed . list Of the names. followed
again by List Of those who had died
since the placard was nailed. up. !.
II was . strangely assorted little
party that lay dying there. huddled In
rough burrows like beasts. Most Of
them were rude country people from
Der Of the party was famous scien-
fist ana explorer. DR.. Paul Devarges.
Then there were Gabriel Conroy and
his two sisters--olympia, still . small
child, and Grace, q young woman OF
rare beauty. They were the children
Of Captain conroy, who had died on
the plains. leaving the band without
Q guide. - 49,
Another Of the party was an Army
lieutenant. Arthur Poinsett, who HID
his Identity under the name Or Philip
Ashley. He had Joined the expedition
on the plains. lured--by the: beauty, OF
Grace, and had won the innocent girls
heart. 1919 ~
Gabriel conroy ana Phiiips. Ashley
were the on1y men who. retained their
strength and courage. Philip secuted
through the snowy wilderness day by
day looking for help. Gabriel remain
ed in camp, nursing the dying. COM
forting the women and dividing the
greater part OF his share OF the food
among the weakest ones.
On that fifteenth day OF. March DR..
Devarges< died after giving Grace deeds
for rich silver mine that he had dis
covered q year before TO the westward.
He barely had time to gasp that the
Spanish grant to II lay buried at the
Head Of the canyon before his life de-
parted.
The next day Philip Ashley ana
Grace were missing. He had induced
her to flee with him by saying that
the only hope for the others. lay In
their finding way into the valley
where there were settlsmentS
Two days afteFward Gabriel Conroy.
his face white and bloodless and his
eyes staring. snaxched up his sister
Olympia and fled without caring where
he went. He had seen the starving
survivors huddis for q fearful deed
around one OF their number who had
1ust died.
On the first day Of April. 1s4s. .
silent party OF rescuers rode into the
canyon. Something came TO meet
| them, At times it walked upright
then It fell on all fours again and shuf-
fled like Q bear. II was the only sur.
vivor in the canyon, Peter Dumphy.
A year afterward 80 far as the
world knew there were only three, who
had escaped alive from the camp Of
death. They were Peter Dpmphy. who
had opened q bank in San Francisco
and had become suddenly rich through
mining specuiations: and Gabriel Con-
S roy and his sister Olympia. who lived
1n q cabin on Q hill in One Hofss
Guich. whittier the young giant had
made his way with the child in his
arms after two weeks OF struggle In
the mountains. during which he kept
from the snow and occasional game
that he managed to catch.
Grace Conroy and Philip Ashley were
accounted among the dead, for none
of their name. had reached any settie-
ment Nobody dreamed that the clever
young lawyer Arthur Poiusett Of San
Francisco, might throw any light ON
the mystery. @ 81 e
Nor did any, one imagine that the
beautiful adopted daughter OF Don Jose
Saivatierra. conmandante OF the Presi.
do OF San Geronimo, could tell what
had become OF Grace Conroy.
Those two had made their way to q
settlement after a week Of wandering
Shortly afterward Philip Ashley de-
serted her and she applied to- the old
commandante for help in finding her
family. The fine old Spaniard. unable
10 discover the whereabouts of any of
the party. took pity on the deserted
girl and announced that she was his
daughter by an Indian wife.
When ne died soon afterward he left
60 her all his great estate. and as Dona
Dolores Saivatierra. Grace Conroy of
Starvation Camp became the mistress
Of the immense rancho Of the Holy
Trinity.
BY the wild chance that rules the
world. Gabriel Conroy took up claim
ysn One Horse ,Gulch. over the very spot
designated inN the deeds that Or. De-
varges had given to Grace. Gabriel
did not know he had struck one of
the richest silver veins In California
One-Horse Gulch did not know Il
either "Just like that thar Conroy to
locate O claim in no-account spot
like that" said One Horse GuIch, look
1ng upward with goed-natured con-
tempt at the cabin perched among the
pines.
Gabriel, to tell the truth. was. not
sufficiently greedy to wealth to be
much OF miner. as measured by the
standards OF the eager adventurers Of
the guIch. He was content to get
enough to support Olympia and to
enable him to help every sick or I'M
fortunate fellow within miles.
The soft-hearted, yeliow-haired giant
neither fought. gambled nor drank. but
spent all his evenings in his cabin with
Olympia, trying with clumsy but
patient hands to fashion dresses for
che child.
The little girl addressed him pat
~vonizingly as dear old Gabe" and
amazed him freshly each day with her
worldly wisdom. He shook his head In
profound astonishment at all the things
she knew. By the time she was nine
years old he had q respectful awe of
her.
1t was Olympia who warned him
against the matrimonial designs OF the
only eligible woman in the Gulch, Mrs
Markle, who kept the hotel. From that
moment Gabriel Conroy was a terri
fled man. He hid away at the mere
mention of a woman and trenbled
when he thought that some unEua rded
utterance might have given MRS. Mar
&le a legal hold ON him =.
there was e0pnfn& Skrot-Ak