The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-04


 ity. Many of the chapters are of a high order. Plot and construction aside, the book presents vivid, forceful and bril- liant pictures of the California of 1S4S and the years immediately following the rush of the 'F'orty-niners."
 NN March 15, 1s4S, snow lay every
 where over the California sierras. O It had been showing for 10 days. No bird fitted, no beast moved. Every where lay the unstained whiteness, the unbroken silence of death.
 In the very center of the desolation rudefy shaped wooden hand was nailed to tree and pointed up a canyon. Under it was canvas strip bearing the inscription. Captain Conroys party of emigrants are lost in the snow and camped up this canyon. Out of provisions and starving!" Then followed a list of those who had died since the placard was nailed up.
 It was a strangely assorted little party that lay dying there, huddled in rough burrows like beasts. Most of them were rude country people from the Mississippi yelley, but one member of the party was famous scientist and explorer, Dr. Paul Devarges. Then there were Gabriel Con- roy and his two sisters, Olympia, still small child. and Grace, young woman of rare beauty. They were the children of Captain Conroy, who had died on the plains, leaving the band without guide.
 Another of the party was an army lieu tenant, Arthur Poinsett. who hid his identity under the name of Philip Ash ley. He had joined the expedition on the
 anH had won the innocent girls heart.
 Gabriel Conroy and Philip Ashley were the only men who retained their strength and courage Philip secuted through the snowy wilderness day by day looking for help. Gabriel remained in camp, nursing the dying, comforting the women and di- viding the greater part of his share of the food among the weakest ones.
 On March 15 pr. Devarges died after giving Grace deeds for rich silver mine that he had discovered a year before to the westward He barely had time to gasp that the Spanish grant to 1t lay buried at the head of the canyon before his life de- parted.
 The next day Philip Ashley and 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 settle- ments.
 Two days afterward Gabriel Conroy, his face white and bloodless and his eyes staring, snatched up his sister Olympia and fled without caring where he went. He had seen the starving survivors hud- 0 their number who had just died.
 On April 1, 1S4S. silent party of res- cuers rode into the canyon. Something came to meet them. At times it walked upright, then 1t fell on all fours again and shuffled like a bear. It was the only survivor in the canyon, Peter Dunn phy.
 A year afterward so far as the world knew, there were only three who had es- capped alive from the camp of death. They were Peter Dumphy, who had op- ened a bank in San Francisco, and had become suddenly rich through mining speculations; and Gabriel Conroy and his sister Olympia, who lived in cabin on a hill in One-Horse gulch, whither 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 her alive with nuts and roots grubbed 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 settlement. Nobody dreamed that the clever young lawyer, Arthur Poinsett, of San Francis co, might throw any light on the mys- tery.
 Nor did any one imagine that the beau tiful adopted daughter of Don Jose Salva- terra. commandante of the Preside of San Geronimo, could tell what had be- come of Grace Conroy.
 Those two had made theiP way to a settlement after a week of wandering. Shortly afterward Philip Ashley deserted her and she applied to the old com- mandante for help in finding her family. The fine old Spaniard, unable to discover the whefeabouts of any of the party, took pity on the deserted girl and announced that she was his daughter by an Indian wife.
 When he died soon afterward he left to .her all his great estate, and as Dona Do- lores Salyatierra, Grace Conroy of Star yation camp became the mistress of the immense rancho of the Holy Trinity.
 By the wild chance that rules rne world, Gabriel Conroy took up a claim in One-Horse gulch. over the very spot des- ignated in the deeds that pr. Devarges 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 1t either. Just like that thar Conroy to locate claim in no-aooount spot like that" said One-Horse gulch, looking upward with good-natured con- tempt at the cabin perched among the pines.
 Gabriel, to tell the truth, was not suf- ficiently greedy of wealth to be much of a miner. as measured by the standards of the eager adventurers of the guloh. He was content to get enough to support Olympia and to enable him to help every sick or unfortunate fellow within miles.
 The soft-hearted. yellow-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 the child.
 The little girl addressed him patroniz- mgly as "dear old Gabe" and amazed him freshly each day with her worldly wis., dom. He shook his head in profound as- tonishment at all the things she knew