The Black Pearl

mooth progress through smiling foot hills and had begun a steep and winding asc

somber satisfaction, and, for the first time, accepted the mountains listlessly, almost gratefully, instead of rebelliously. In truth any change was grateful to her; she did not want to think of th

otion. So for once the Pearl's desire was for the hills. She who had ever exulted in the wide, free spaces of the desert, who had found the echo of her own heart in its etern

ly two streets, both of them continuations of the mountain roads, and surrounded by high mountains. Scattering lights showed here and there from lamps shining through cabin

r the road was rough and full of deep ruts. The velvety blackness of a mountain night was all about them and even the late spring air seemed icy c

ting for you,"

swered Gallito. "He's

had turned his horses down the hill that they heard a bolt withdrawn. Then

ithin the radius of that glow and a man was bending over a stove at one side of the fireplace, while two women, who had evidently been seate

ye was higher than the other and his nose was not in the middle, but set on one side; its sharp, inquisitive point almost at right angles with the bridge. He had the wide, mobile mouth of the born comedian, and his chin was as much to the right as his nose was to the le

ked Gallito, witho

ing from the pans, arranging it on various dishes and slipping them upon t

ium height, she was a powerfully built creature, her open flannel shirt disclosing the great muscles of her neck and chest. Rings of short, curly brown hair covered her round head; and small, twinkling blue eyes shone oddly bright in her deeply tanned face, while her fr

iles played about her soft, babyish mouth and a joyous excitement shone in her wide, blue eyes. Upon her head was a small, lop-sided bonnet,

always tangled up in some flirtation that her friends has got to sit up nights scheming to get her out of. That pink bow an' that crêpe veil shows she ain't got the right idea of her responsibilities as a widow

pretty plain that the gentleman," here she blushed and bridled, "that was courting me was awful anxious to get hold of the money and the cabin that my last husband, in his grave 'most six months now, left me." Sh

pindle-shanked, knock-kneed, mush-brained jack-rab

er from her pocket. "I got a letter from him to-day with an awful cute motto in it. Look!" She showed it proudly to Pearl, José and Gallito. "It's on

ecover herself. "Gosh a'mighty!" she murmured in an awed whisper, and allowed her glance to tr

l's attention to the bandit, who had been nudging

" he hesitated a

ick astonishment. "Gosh a'mighty," sh

bow to the Pearl, one hand on the heart, expressing gallantry, fealty, the humblest

eople, being a born linguist. His father had been a Frenchman, a Gascon, but his mother was a daughter of Seville. "But you have not said all." He drew hims

d from one to the other as if asking the question of all. She was not shocked, nor, to tell the truth, particularly surprised after the first moment of wonder. She had been used to strange company al

ered Gallito, glooming at her with fierce eyes. "You know

edly. "You needn't be afraid of me,"

Gallito, motioning her at

at all times are held to be lacking in that epicurean appreciation of good food which man justly extols; but

was expressed that his friends would sometimes take incredible risks in effecting the escape of this rogue after one of his reckless escapades. But José had certain positive qualities, had t

ided it were sufficiently heavy. A favor of a nature to put him under obligations for a lifetime he forgot as soon as it was accepted. He caricature

ile and fascinating gift of yarn-spinning-for he was a born raconteur, with a varied experience to draw upon-a readiness for hig

stream not far away from the cabin, and smoking hot from the frying pan; an omelette, golden brown and buttercup yellow, of a fluff, a fragrance, with sa

a snack of food," murmured Mrs. Thomas softly as she took a seat beside Pearl. "We got our own cabi

ted her heavy veil, removed her hat, José's eyes as well as Mrs. Tho

to roll cigarettes and

an his evening meal with every evidence of appreciation; "goo

hat it looks like we'd be kep' here even longer than I expected when we come." She drew some bits of quartz from her pocket

, as usual. Where-? Excuse me," a dark flush rose on his parchment skin

onplace beside this fascinating subject, presided over by the golden fairy of fortune and involving her. To-day she tempts and eludes, she tantalizes and mocks and flies her thousands of wooers who follow her to the r

e José, with noiseless deftness, cleared away the remains of food. Pearl had wandered to the windo

s. Nitschkan conversationally, filling a short and stubby black pipe wit

courtesy, although his raised eyebrows s

About a year ago Jack and the boys went off on a long prospectin' spell, the girls you know are all married and have homes of their own, an' there was me left free as air wit

elf some new clothes, like any other woma

enough for me," s

aning and cooked a little for a change, Sad

ito! I'll never forget the night I sat beside my dyin' fire and felt that I didn't even take no interest in winnin' their money from the boys; and then suddenly most like a voice from outside somep'n

ng delicately his glass of wine as if to taste to the full its ambro

e to change myself within and without and be like some of the pious folks I'd seen, it give me a gone feeling in the pit of my stomach. But you can't keep me down, and

ade duty the watch-word of yo

ans, José, is seein' the right path and makin' other folks walk in it whether they'r

nged into her self-appointed task with lusty enthusiasm. As soon as her conversion and the outlet she had chosen for her superabundant energy were noised abroad, there was an immediate and noticeable change in the ent

t a darkling eye. It was the recalcitrant, the defiant, the

triumphs, "it wasn't only a chance to hunt and prospect that brought me.

s sentimentally. "You see beneath that rough old jacke

ist." She stretched out her arm and drew it back,

or you." He smiled ingratiatingly at Mrs. Thomas, who grew deeply

. I got an idea that he's been right through the fiery furnac

ng in a low tone, after first glancing toward

, mordant smile. "The wind has roared through it all day

th a sardonic twist of the mouth,

t Harry'

ed as if content.

a great virtue and you should be willing to learn something even of the Devil, not set yourself up on a high, cold, sharp mountain peak, where you keep his fingers itching from morning to night to throw you off. I have observed these things through the years of my life, and the middle course is ever the safest. Give to the church, observe her laws as a true and obedient son, in so far as possible, and only so far. Let her get her foot on your

owned ominously. "That's enough of your talk, José," she said peremptorily. "It sounds like blasphemin' to me, talkin' about the Devil that l

play as high as yo

oo many long, sad winters in the mountains when gentl-, I mean friends, can't cross the trail

's movements. "Caramba!" he muttered. "How sprang that flower of Spain

n going to a cupboard in the wall drew from it a short, squat bottle, four glasses and a pack of cards. "Your room is just beyond th

e said sullenly. She threw herself in the chair that Gallito ha

ur or ten minutes passed while she sat there watching the brilliant, soaring flame of the pine logs Pearl could not have told, when suddenly the stillness of the night was

ewd fellow; when he can't manage a job himself, he always gets a woman to help him." His glancing, twinkling eyes sought Pearl

ave, come i

made preparations to lighten my loneliness. Then I saw the light in your w

in her chair and was gazing at him with the first show of interest she

" said José softl

ith me," said Gallito. "Pea

said José mor

nishment increased rather than abated at the sight of Pearl. As for her, she mere

pleasant English voice. "I had an idea from your telegra

man has been from home for a fortnight, and in the desert!" he raised his brows expressively, "Pah! He wishes to hear of everything which has happ

g across his forehead, and he had a habit of pushing it back from his brow; his eyes were of a vivid blue, peculiarly luminous, and his features, which were regular, s

arly yet, and if Miss Gallito isn't too tired, and if

her eyes. It was this question of age she wished to decide. In that first, quick glance of hers she had taken it for granted that he was twenty, but in a second stolen look she had noted certain lines about the

express her-this exotic, with Gallito, these two mountain women, a mountain cabin, and an equally unpretentious home in the desert. She lay listlessly in her chair, a long and slender shape in a dull black gown which fell about her in those statuesque folds which all drapery assumed immediately she donned it; beneath it showed her feet in black satin slippers and the gle

curiosity, of scrutiny. She, as usual, made no effort to begin a con

er been in C

he answered tonelessly, "not since you've

hsafed, "and I feel as if I would never go a

there, you can live there," there was a passionate vibration in her voice, "but these old, c

ned to the two men, and José, who saw everything, smiled faintly, mordaciously. "How strange

u feel?" she asked wearily, a

, and she was conscious of some immediate change in him, which she apprehended but cou

rest in the matter, but still following her instinctive and customary mode of thought, if he had not noticed that she was beautiful. Was he so stupid that he did not think her so? But there was no hint in his manner or look in his eyes of an intention on his part of playing the inevitable game,

o the desert, because so many have had to turn to it? I have only seen it from traveling

e cried. "It is the mountains that frighten me; but the desert is alw

looked up with a smile. "You must tell me all that you find in the desert and I will tell you all that I find

ully. Then she drew her brows together. "I don't want to learn anything about the mountains," she cried, all the heaviness and the dumb revolt of her spirit finding a voice. "A

h she struggled, and which she refused to accept. "You will not

outburst of her sullen sorrow. "Yes," her mouth worked, "I am unhappy, and I won't be, I won't be. I never was before. It is all in here, like a dea

"I am telling you the truth! That heals

é, bent over his cards, "say 'Saint Harry.' I remember now. I have heard Hughie often speak of you. They say that yo

they please as long as it amuses them. What difference does it make? I am glad

a bed of glowing embers. Then latent and feminine curiosity stirred in her thoughts

n his hand, his gaze too upon the fading embers. "I

till followed her i

miled at her-"from a far country where I

in conversation. At first she fancied that he might be chaffing her, but she was too intelligent to h

oned him: "From

ches swung gorgeous, ephemeral flowers; and then long stretches of yellow beach, where a brazen ocean tumbled and hissed. Then many cities, squalid and splendid, colorful and fantastic as the erection of a dream, and through a

her, for him to speak. At last she br

an to dream down there in the tropics, really dream at night of these mountains just as you see them here, and in the day time I thought of them and longed for them, as a man whose throat is dry with thirst longs for cool water. Then, present

ully, wondering if he was quite sane. "A

t say. Perhaps. I hope

"And life! You call this life

e blue, clear eyes that seemed to see t

herself and, presently, she began again. "I am like a coyote with a broken paw. It goes off by itself and hides until it can limp around. But life

this, smili

l life to yo

I came here, life meant to dance. I know, though, what it is to get tired of the very things you think you love the most. After I've stayed a while in the desert, I've just got to see the lights of the city streets, to

e and expression." And now there was a falling note in his

et you live

topped, evidently embarrassed, as if suddenly aware that he had been talking more to himself than

ing a little shyly, "at least not very old, and I feel, I am sure that you too have a broken paw, but wh

t she seemed weary, her lashes lay long on her pale cheek. "Oh," with a touch of compunction in his tone, "I have, as

g down his cards, "and prompts all you say. We have just

"Has José been wise?" he asked, ris

to be. He has been up to some of his antics, though. Th

ain rules of the game they had been playing, Mrs. Thomas sidled up to Pearl an

t her throat, "that it does look kind of queer to any one that's so up on the style

surprise. "It does seem que

earl to see the symbolism of her two incongruous adornments, but her listener was too genuinely bored and also too self-absorbed to make the attempt. "It's this," said Mrs. Thomas, determined to explain. "Th

hout a word to the rest of the parting guests, and with a mere

mountain stream not far from the cabin, its arrowy plunge and dash over the rocks softened by distance to a low, perpetual purr, and hearing the mountain wind sigh through the pines about the cabin: but not always did her great, da