Under the Andes

ugh, were of a similarity that would make their narration

earch of novelty, urged us away, and, since we really had nothing in view save the satisfaction of h

aid to Harry and me, and we imme

s disinclined to leave Harry in a position where he was so abundantly unable to take care of hims

d when you are allowed to study them at close range without being under t

ck and laughed at the performance, now and then applying a chec

had introduced himself into the highest circle of society, and in turn had introduced his friends, Senor

She accepted two or three and made the fortune of two drawing-rooms; then suddenly tired of the sport and insulted

or yourself, Le

r hotel. I had no idea what she meant to do; but gave the thing no thought, feeling certain that few

ire danced

dy holds no surprises for me. But the good people of San Francisco were shocked, astonished, and entranced. Not a man

admiration, and wonder. And one of the articles, evidently written by a man who had

e have always heretofore considered the exclusive property of just one woman in the world. But Desiree Le Mire is not in San Francisco; though we declare t

gazing idly from a window. It was about eleven in the morning; Harry had gone

esiree when sh

are being amused, and so, I confess, am I. But your name-that is, Le Mire-has bee

nd it ent

ess, we mu

I choose

ry would sta

hen-I wo

e, you

oment I half expected an explosion. Then,

ithout falling into the ocean,

ll take t

uestioningly, a

twenty foot steamer, with a daredevil captain

ingers to emphasize her incr

e necessary check. Dazzling white, in perfect order, a second Antoine f

d Le Mire with

all

San Fra

I saw her myse

end, you are perfection! I wan

enthusiasm as she spr

u shall have it. But you haven't had breakfast. We'll go out to see her t

." She paused and seemed to be searching for words; then

Mire, in or

e hesita

call me

aug

enora Ramal. And

ha

ha

e Le Mire-nor

ust address yo

me Des

at her wi

at was reserved for yo

it

ora, it would be i

I requ

out of reason. And, of cou

the onl

swered her somewhat dryly: "My dear

ou so-

I ch

d yet, on the ship-do you remember? Look at me, M.

was "worthy of a thought"-dangerously so; I felt my pulse stir. It was necessary to assume a stoicism I was far fro

you, but I won't." And I turned a

thers had surrendered to her; certainly none had ever been able to resist her. There was a satisfacti

s fully as eager about it as Le Mire had been. He wanted to weigh anchor that ve

said he. "

a hundred tho

uy her?" he demande

of routes. Harry was for Hawa

ssed

d Desiree, a

ble for the days during which it was necessary for us to rem

a small degree of composure. Harry was with her nearly every minute, though what they found to talk about was beyond my

sed through the Golden Gate. I had leased the yacht for a year, and had made alternat

s sea-foam; everything above decks of shining brass, below mahogany, and as clean and shipshape as a Dutch kitchen. There were five

t five o'clock in the afternoon of such a day as only southern Cal

o the shore as we stood leaning on the rai

red: "T

houlders. "Tourists? B

nta Catalina. In another minute the dingey was back on its davits, the anchor up, and w

er; but when she expressed an intention to take an Indian girl-about sixteen or seventeen years old-ab

hed, and visited sometimes an hour, sometimes two or three days. Le Mire was loading the yacht with all sorts of curious relics. Ugl

econd evening in port. We were dining on the deck of the yacht,

remained for some minutes lost in thought; then, suddenly, she

is Guay

at her in

finally, pointing to the shor

Mire impatiently; "but whe

he name of his native land between gasps, while Harry and

as made an important discovery, "I thought

ich-acknowledged the correctness of

ito, monsieur. It is a very intere

ccompanying us inland, and the thing would most assuredly have ended in a blood

n, we are not

h a look! Then she said in a

oing to

ling at her, whereup

ou I am going to Quito! In spite of yo

w Le Mire. She frowned for a moment in an evident attempt to maintain her ang

cried, "toss, m

ito, much to the disappointment of our guest

r we dropped a

s from Chile, the Spanish squadron, buccaneering expeditions from Europe and the Chilean invaders; not to mention earthquakes and tid

away, Callao no longer held any interest for her. We took an

r career. On our first afternoon we betook ourselves to the f

had come to the University of San Marcos some years before as a professor of climatology. He introduced us, with an air of importance, to several of the g

iation, for pallor is considered a mark of beauty among Lima ladies. But that could scarcely

e were two duels attributed to her within a week; t

e matador, while the eight thousand excited spectators seemed uncertain whether they were app

as to be expected. She greeted me

o. They have silver-thousands and thousands

he Andes?"

y n

ree, what shall we

e captain. Come-sh

telling him not to expect us for another month or so, a

e of note in Lima came to the

nough, did not like them. When we had passed out of the city she threw them out of the wi

rnoon, and departed for Cerro de Pas

, bottomless precipices, huge masses of boulders that seem ready to crush the tra

as for me, I was most grateful to her for having suggested the trip. You who find yourselves too well-acquain

r the

mining town, filled with laborers and speculators, noisy, dirty, and coarse. We had been there le

aid Le Mire. "Shal

here th

ugh the window

eler? Look! The snow! My friend Pa

n we toss

back? For the woman craved novelty and adventure, and the gameness of centuries was in h

d for us. We were laughing, I remember, as we left behind

days with mules, saddles, saddle-bags, boots, leather leggings, knickerbockers, woolen ponchos, and scores of other articles which he assu

oose-jointed fellow with an air of complete indifference habitually resting on his yellow, rather sinister-looking face. Le Mire did not li

ness, when Harry suddenly announced that he had

Paul, I don't like it. I've been talking to some of the min

r myself. You know me; I'll do anything that any one else will do, and mo

him

wn. And to talk of danger where she i

confessed with

m roughly on

awaits us-and see, the fairy,

I shall never forget the picture she presented. She wore white knicker

orehead, shimmered in the bright sun dazzlingly; her eyes spa

our own. Suddenly a recollection shot through my bra

you? It was in an electric brougham at the Gar

e you ready? See that stupid arriero! Ah! After all,

istle through his teeth. The mules pricked up their

, senora! Adi

e passed down the narrow little street of Cerro de P