Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1911-06-09

By NOBLE 4. WETl4EREl
Copyright BY American Press Asso-
citation, 1911. 5Ssis u AZ

ss$ Pepfta was Mexican girl living
with an aunt In southern California;
8Pepita was an orphan and had inner.
tied 9 patch Of ground, on which the
two lived. Near by was another Mex
lean family consisting Of father. moth
4 er and one son, Enrique, just coming
Of age. Enrique and Pepita, being;
neigh bors and there being no other
young men and women near BY to di-&
vert them from each other, naturally
loved. = 7 5s! IT. :%@Ss
One day man was seen digging In
a patch Of ground adjoining Pepita's3
property. He was an American and.
though roughly dressed. gave evidence
Of being a gentleman Seeing Pepita$
standing looking at him curiously. he
went over to where she was and ask.
ed for drink Of water Pepitae got
1t for him from a spring back Of the
house, and the stranger chatted with
her. She asked him. what he was dig
cling the hole for, and he said he was
prospecting. There had been no hunt
ing for the precious metals there be-.
fore, and Pepita did not understand
what he meant. st 81: III. .;S n &t,
The stranger came over occasionally
after that for drink Of water or to-
borrow something. He said his name
was Thomas Burkhalter: that be, was
the son of gentleman In the east.
He hadn't got on we'll. with his father
and had come out west to shift FOR
himself. Pepita, thought him very
fine. After looking at his white face
Enrique's brown Visage5 was not at all
attractive, Enrique noticed a change
IN her. but was at a loss, to account
for5it. = s2s ys;ss$. .5..+gS u; N
u One day a man came to- Burkhalter's
hole! hole. BE was a well dressed man and
wore a diamond stickpin in his neck
wear. Pepita saw him and tsurk.
halter standing together talking AND
looking over~at her house The stran
ger went away, and that evening
Burkhalter came over to see Pepita.
She asked him about the man who had
visited him, but Burkhalter was I'm.
communicative on the subject. One
thing Pepita noticed that he was very
attentive and deferentiai to her. 5l:.
Burkhalter during the next four or.
five days did as much counting as is
usually done In months, sometimes in
years. He quite carried Pepita or her
feet. She discovered that Enrique;
knew nothing at all about making love.
Enrique was much distressed. What
could he do? But Enrique had more
sense than Pepita and knew a little;
more about the world, though not
much more. AT any rate, he had sense
enough to suspect that Burkhalter had
some motive lin deYoting himself Is
Pepita. 81 went to an old ranchert
who had always been kind to him and
told him his trouble One day Enrique
We1ntsto Grigsby. the rancher. and told
him that Burkha tier had asked Pepita
to marry him 5ss
That's all talk. z said Grigsby, ss5s5:s
"No. no, cried Enrique; ri hey are
to be married tomorrow Pepita does
not wish It so soon. but the man In,
sists, She would like to raise d little.
!: money SO: that she may get some new ,,,5
81, clothes TO make her appear worthy 81
so fine husband. n, M l5
]. Grigsby4 thought y He was turning
something oversi in his mind At last
he said: -, II II " 0 RI.
If Pepita is going to be married
she ne Will not need her farm. What she
4 T needs Is a little, cash will buy her
! property 7 Go and ask her for:@wpshat
she q. will sell It But say to her II hat
= will not buy II unless she KEEPS IL nv 4
offer secret. You may. tell heslr, III
wills give her 5000! 4 I Sy.s s.:l
enrique sorrowfully bore the mes.
sage and returned with Pepita. who
! was delighted ito get%so much money,
+ for what was real y not supposed to
Z be worth more than half the am ouInt
offered firigsby drew up. the pa pers
\ conveying co 1l''' the property 70 Enrique
and placed ' q mortgage on it payable
to himself
osy !. 4 he said to p pita, you may
! tell Ell & whom you like that you have sold
4 your II III III
IN the evening BurkhaI ter ca me ID
Essee bis fiancee and h asked her ifs she
VOL would be sread y for the wedding the
next. q 6 day. Pepifa said she would and
gleefu liy|sSt ID him she had sold ile,ir,
property for the !. enormous sum Of
$500 oso Then she showed him the money
she had got for u
He's stood looking at her With q blank
5expressio for some time, then TOLD
her to put her ma me On the back III tie
check and he would ride to al town town
ten miles distant and draw the money
/ She must be ready for the ceremony III
by the time Of his return. she did as
ne bade her. and. leaving her forget
ting the kiss. he depa ted.
Pepita waited all that day and the
next for her lover. but 81 a1ne lot
y Nor has ne co1ne u this ida Pepita,s
aunt AZ last told her that ile must ls,lstl
have gone saway with the money fo 81.
the farm, hat should they dot Their
home was sold. ana they had nowhere
to lay their head
MearsF bile srigsby l,ad gone to lie Tie
Z hole Ind laft MI i, 20 Ssyt;