Nogales international., 1936-09-19

II felt as safe as if. | was in
Gods pocket"
The courtroom smiled a little at
this homely but expressive miners
phrase.
Pete then told what had happened
up to the arrest of the accused men
in Dalton's camp.
u will ask you one more ques-
tion," said Wade, in the deep silence
that followed. "Do you love the
defendant, Maitland?"
Pete's gray eyes were shadowed.i
She bit her lip as she had done that
day when she recovered from the
throes of cold Two big tears!
rolled down her cheeks. Il have
told the TRUTH" she murmured.
II think, Your Honor" said
Wade, that the question has been
sufficiently answered"
Next morning, when the court re-
opened, Garnet produced an unex-
pected witness He looked toward,
the rear of the courtroom and sald,i
Rose Valery."
At the name, Fallon came upright
in his chair, startled out of the de-
tachment. He turned his head in
frowning unbelief.
But he was unnoticed by the
courtroom as Rose approached the
stand Though the river had car
ried many rumors of her beauty,
this was her first appearance in
Dawson.
Indifferent to the crowds stare,
she looked at the accused men and
then at Pete, with some inward, un-
readable thought Her dark eyes
showed a glitter of fire when they
crossed with Fallon's, who slouched
back now, carelessly, while she was
being sworn.
"Miss Va1ery," said Garnet,
where were you born?"
81 don't know" Rose answered.
Her low voice had the quality of
plucked harp strings.
"Where were you cared for as a
child?"
"In the convent school at Notre
Dame at the Mission Dolores in San
Francisco. I was taught music and
singing at the convent" Rose ven
tured, until 1 was Is, but I was
restless, and discipline only made
me unhappy I decided to run
away, and did, and so became a pro-
fessional singer.
Il had plan OF reaching the goiA
country A little after dark l
climbed over the convent wall at a
place where a sloping barn roof
touched it. l got on street car
at Guerrero Street. AS hadn't any
carfare the conductor put me off at
the second stop, two blocks below.
"a boy was singing in a high
soprano voice in front of an open
air bootblack stand next the saloon,
where the sports were getting
shined up for the evening.
at surprised me to see the men
at the shoe-stand throw him money
even one half-dollar piece-for
what wasn't really good song, or
very good singing, except for being
strong and clear. While he gath
cred up the coins, sang the refrain
of the song The boy was angry,
but the men encouraged me, and we
tried to sing each other down. AS
it was easier to chord with him, I
sang alto, and our duet stopped the
shoe-shining. When we finished,
the men gave me handful of sill
yer; one of them handed me a
dollar piece.
1 IT divided what I got with the
boy, and then he wanted US to throw
in together and play the corner, but
I said I was going to Nevada to
sing in the gold camps.
"The boy got excited and wanted
to 90. While we were talking il
over. a shadow fell between us from
the street lamp, and l found that the
man who'd given me the dollar was
standing there listening.
$50 you're headin' for Nevada?
he asked.
"When 1 agreed we were, he said
he knew all about the country; had
been there not so long before and
brought out heap of gold, and he
was going again, so he could give
us a steer and see that we were
treated right.
"On the car going downtown, he
said something to the boy [ couldn't
hear, and gave him gold coin. The
boy got off, telling me he was going
to buy some things and meet us later.
81 wasn't so sure about the mans
looks. He was big, rather handsome,
and sunburned. He said we couldn't
start till morning, and he got me a
room at a hotel near the Baldwin He
told me he wasn't going to Nevada.
He didn't need to, and didn't want to-"
81 was angry and disgusted. While
he was sleeping, l got out. | still
had some of the small change I'd sung
for, and soon found that money was
easy to earn that way,
Il bought guitar and some clothes,
and paid my own way to Nevada.
One night 1 was playing a camp
casino in Golconda when a woman
who was drinking with a fuddled
miner called me to their tab'e to sing
for them. She was half-dr unk her
self Her face must have beeu beau