Year: 1873

cried.


''Am I safe?"


'sYou are safe. We are watching
you You have been very sick, and
must go to Sleep she returned try
ing to conceal her own emotion.


Rose sank into profound slum-
Der, from which she did not wake
for hours. When she did, she was
too weak to talk, and it was many
days before they would allow her to
speak of the past, which they felt SO
interested to hear.


s'When / went into my room on
that day." she said in choked
voice, "some one threw something
over my face, and held me so tight
that I could not scream. [ felt my
senses failing me, and knew moth
ing until I awoke and found myself
in the mountains, surrounded by a
rude gang Of men. l was appalled,
with horror. until I heard some one
enter whom they hailed captain, and
whom [ recognized as the Claude
Duval whom we met on shipboard.
He had frequently sent me notes.
and made protestations oflove while
was here, to which I had returned
no answer, and now I knew need to
fear him. He told me that he had
stolen me, and that he intended to
make me his bride. I begged him
to return me home; but he laughed
at me, and gave me till next day to
make up my mind. Twas desperate.
| had nothing to hope for from the
forbidden set of lawless men-a
gang of mountain robbers-that sur
rounded me. | longed to commit
suicide but 1 was prisoner, with
nothing to take my life-for he had
anticipated that wish. That very
day relief came in the way I least
expected. He and most all of his
band had gone out, and q band of
Indians discovered our hiding-place.
They killed the few that were left in
possession, and took me captive.
Thus I was snatched from one dan
ger into another; but I preferred to
trust the Indians rather than the
banditti captain. l have been with
them ever since, until they began to
think that l was reconciled, and
probably would not have got away
at all, only they had a fight with a
neighboring tribe, and l stole away.
I have been wandering on foot,
starved, sore, weary, and hoping for
death, until 1 saw my old home


1t is useless to try to attempt to
describe the scene that ensued. The
old father wept to think that he had
judged her so cruelty while she was
suffering, and George Tracy felt
thankful that his trust had never
known a shadow of wavering.


They told her about the corpse
which Claude Duval had shown
Tracy, and she smiled.


"He had a great number of wax
figures in his dent must have
been one of them = she said. 81
wondered why he kept them; now /
know. 1t was to impose upon peo-
pie, as he did upon you, knowing
that any one, while excited, would
not be likely to discover the fraud"


Her return was kept as secret as
possible. for fear Claude Duval was
still lurking around, and in few
days she became the wife of George
Tracy. and returned to New York.


Her father settled up his business
removed the stone which marked
her supposed resting place, and fol-
lowed them.


That was quite number Of years
ago, when California was filled by
mountain robbers, and before the
railway was built through, and they
tell to their children now about the
disappearance of the
bride on her bridal morn-a story
they are never tired of listening to,
no difference how often related.