The Ely miner., 1927-06-10

rel of -four and sack of green coffee.
commandeered for public need.
Not until he had assembled this
provender could the busy surgeon
landlord get away to interview the
padre, who, he was then told by Scott.
had gone up TO the railroad station
to visit the wounded.
Carpy opened the waiting-room door
TO look for his man and paused.
At the far end Of the room, sitting
on an up-ended keg, his back sup
ported against the wall, Carpy saw
one of his much-bandaged Vigilantes.
Bending over him with cup Of water
while the wounded man drank was
man of advanced years, whose dark
soutane easily identified him as one
Of that small but widely scattered
band of men known to the Indians of
every tribe Of the West, from the
Staked Plain to Hudson bay, as black
robes.
Padre" said the surgeon, coming
up with blunt raillery, I'm glad to
see you making yourself useful. If
you want job nursing, I'll hire you
right now: I'm doctoring this outfit"
When the back-robe smiled, his fea-
lures lost their stern repose. at would
not be new work." he replied in a
heavy foreign accent, ''but I'm sorry
to see such warfare, such bloodshed-
and what aboutT
Padre, some of this Sleepy Cat
blood needed to be shed-in fact,
good deal of it," observed the doctor
evasively. ''Fll tell you all about 1t.
First, though, / want TO ask you
few questions, Padre. about something
that happened in this country long,
long time ago-going on thirty years.
How long have you Travelled this
country, Padre%
Carpy was not a hard man to read.
Single-minded, bluntly outspoken, his
honesty OF intent was written on his
open countenance. and the expert
enced reader of men before him per-
ceived it all. The composed black
robe parried his question, all In good
part, with another: "How old are you,
Doctor"
Carpy laughed and shook his head.
"Doggon'd near forty, Padre-if 1
must say IT,"
'Then 1 crossed these mountains,
first, good time before you were
born"
"Why, you must remember old Fort
Pierce"
81 was here years before Fort
Pierce was built"
"Well and good Do you remember
an old fellow there named Colonel
Roper; he commanded there a long
time-of course" added Carpy apollo
getically, "he wasn't as old then as
he is now"
81 did not know him"
Ever know his son, Lieutenant
Roper?"
81 never knew any of the officers
at the fort"
"Were you ever thereT
"No."
The good-hearted surgeon began to
grow uncomfortably warm in his diff
ficulties. "Well, then, you never mar
ried anybody at the fort?"
Never"
"Was there any other black-robe
through this country thirty years ago,
PadreY' he continued, with oozing
hope.
The padre answered after careful
thought. NO" said he.
"Doggone it," exclaimed Carpy,
knitting his brows, but reduced in the
clerical presence to his one effeminate
epithet; Il can't see how 1t is-and
Bob Scott swears you are the man ]"
what do you mean, my Doctor?'
"Did you ever marry anybody out
here?"
MANY of the Indians, Of course. my
Doctor: sometimes a white mana
trader or trapper, and an Indian
woman-very rarely a white couple,
very rarely-usually on the steamboat
Once, camping on the river below
Fort Pierce, / married a young army
officer TO a young white woman. But
that poor man was killed soon after
ward"
''In the Roper massacre at Crawl
ing Stone wash My God! !" exclaimed
Carpy, the perspiration starting from
his forehead That's the very story
He seized the padre incontinently by
the arm. Gomez
Before the two men reached the
hotel the padre, urged to brisk pace
by his companion, had all of the story
the doctor had. Selwood had brought
Tracy up from the barn to the hotel,
made him comfortable In room, and
was walking down the stairs when
Carpy opened the front door of the
hall and ushered his companion In.
Hes got IT." cried Carpy to Sell
wood, loudly, and before any one else
could speak a word. Hes the mani
He married them" Carpy, In his ex-
citement, caught the PADRES arm with
one hand TO urge him forward, and
shot the other like semaphore out
at Selwood. Hes got it, John," cried
the doctor. ''This is the man. He mar
ried them. He knows everything.
Padre"-Carpy turned to his compan-
ion and pointed to his friend-"that's
their boy standing right there"
Selwood had need Of all his re-
straint. He stood, motionless, on the
lowest tread Of the stairs. The mis-
sioner scanned the serious features be-
fore him with composed and penetrat-
ing eyes. rs this. then," he said, for
Selwood made no attempt to break
black-robe slowly, 'the child of my