Heart's Desire

age with Eastern Capital, to the Intere

icious kindness came into the air, sweet, although no flower was in all that land, and soft, though this was far from any sea, unless it were the waters immeasurably deep beneath this sun-dried soil. There was no cloud even at the falling of the sun, b

did not come thither. The world ran always in one pleasant and unchanging groove. But the breeze this evening brought no s

w," said Dan Anderson, "twelve miles away dow

a veil-oh, sacred spirits! that veil and its contents is now hatin' Carrizoso flats and all the inarticulate earth till fare-ye-well! Wrapped up to the topmast in a white veil,-or one of was-white,-gray travelling gown, common-sense boots. Gloves-ah, yes. And

t the time of the arrival of the Socorro stage, he was not conducting h

regrets for the lady and her dad. I reckon I will go, too, if I can ever get this faintness out of my legs. But somehow I

of Uncle Jim Brothers's hotel, a

"I want you for my second. You can go fo

ide hat; for in Heart's Desire wide hats were worn of right and not in affectation. He was a manly man enough, in a place where weak men were rare. The one most vitally concerned in all the population of Heart's Desire, he was now the one least visibly affected. All the rest of the settlement, suddenly smitten by the news that the stage was coming with Eastern Capital and a live Woman,

now that you've been ass enough to allow this girl to come on down in here? You'll have some one killed in this town bef

in a while? As for women folks, why can't Curly's girl take care of her? Does a chance lady caller in this city need a thousand women to entertain her? And blankets-why, you know

arrival of the infrequent stagecoach. But there, at the mouth of the ca?on, almost under the edge of the deepening shadow from the purple-topped mountain, appeared the dusty top of the cre

said he, in exasperation. "That's a nice thing, ain't it,

pare to meet thy God!" was the sign that Charlie Lee had painted there. It was the last thing he did on his way out of town. That was the day after certain outlaws had killed a leading citizen. Charlie's emotions, of necess

h a pot of white vaseline on her face and a consumin' vision of tarantulas in her soul! This'll be another case of New Jersey Gold Mill. Old Mr. Eastern Capital, why, he'll run out at the same door wherein he went; that's what he'll do. A

ant and unknown; but it had been satisfactory until now. Never before that moment had the scattering little one-sto

for the creaking, stage, white with far-gathered dust, to climb the last pitch of the road up from the arroyo and

rd. Another man might have smiled and stammered and nervously have offered

able sort, forty inches in girth, and of gray chin whiskers and mustache. He was well shod and well clad; so much could be seen as he climbed down between the wheels and stood stam

hand, "how are you? Got here at last-awful drive.

ily and courteously, hat in hand, to greet the daughter of Eastern Capital as though it were but yesterday that last they met. Moreover, and bitterest of all for a loyal man of Heart's Desire, was there not a glanc

ll, of course, Mr. Ellsworth," said h

ere agitation in her tones, agitation in Dan Andersen's heart, none might know it. This meeting, five years and two thousand miles from a parting, seemed the mo

warrant she's sick of the trip by now. A good climate has to have dust to season it. One of the mules went lame-thought we would never get here. And now tell me, where'll she stop?" The personification of Eastern Capital looked ab

my friend here, a prominent member of the bar, will go with Miss Ellsworth to the house of a nice little woman, wife of-er-a cow gentleman of our

ounsel found himself climbing up to the seat beside Eve; beside the Temp

ne but a woman might tell. A cool, gray veil was rolled about her hatbrim. Her hands, shapely and good, were gloved in gray. Her foot, trim and well shaped,-for even a desolate pariah might note so much,-was shod in no ultra fashion, but in good feminine gear with high and girlish heels, all unsuited to gravel and slide-ro

d put all at ease with a few words spoken in that manner of voice which is an excellent thing in woman. In a sort of dream the coach trundled on up the stre

nd which stood the house of the Kansas family, where Curly lived. The off mule l

e, unconsciously, down the street, as one who would gladly pity, or be pitied. But soon the coach was at Curly's house, and there came

he suddenly held out her arms; and Constance Ellsworth, from the East, lonely, perhaps grieved, walk