The Girl of the Golden West

easy for him, and there had been a moment when he was ready to throw everything to the winds and follow it. But wh

hand resignedly in the direction that the stage had taken and, calling to his vaquero, he gave his

m the recent rains. In the case of the young man every foot of the way to his father's rancho was familiar. All hours of the day and night he had made the trip to the highway, for with the exception of the few years that had been given to his education in

nterest to the point of enthusiasm, but there was something irresistibly attractive to him in her lack of affectation and audacious frankness. Over and over again he thought of her happy face, her straightforward way of looking at things and, la

ense did the chaparral presently become that it would have been utterly impossible for one unacquainted with the way to keep on it. Animal life was to be seen

er mile or two and vertical walls of rock rose on each side of them; while great ravines, holding mountain torrents, necessitated their making a short detour for the purpose of finding a place whe

was a break in the chaparral, a v

com

d sentinel spurred his horse out from behind an overhanging rock and closed in behind them. And as they were challenged thus

ructure which proved to be a corral, and finally they made their way through a gate and came upo

ittle mustangs stood saddled and bridled and ready for any emergency. In colour, one or two were of a peculiar cream and had silver white manes, but the rest were greys and chestnuts. It was evident that they had great speed and bottom. All in all, what with the fierce

was well and that the persons approaching belonged to the rancho, they returned to their former position by the fountain-all save an Indian servant, who caught the bridle thrown to him by the

on a heap of stretched rawhides which raised him a few inches from the floor. This simple couch was not necessarily an indication of poverty, though his property had dwindled to almost nothing, for in most Spanish adobes of that time, even in some dwellings of the very rich, there were n

had been piled up there. In former times the old Spaniard had possessed these in profusion, but little was left now. In

, and his opinion carried great weight in the councils of the Spaniards. Later, under the Mexican regime, the respect in which his name was held was scarcely less; but with the advent of t

who had visited the coast, and for many years he had held her memory sacred. And, curiously

vish entertainments at which the wonderful richness and fertility of California could be exploited. At one time it seemed as if his efforts in that direction would meet with success. His plan had met with such favour from the authorities in the City of Mexico that Governor Pico had bee

last, with the exception of himself and son, of a proud, old, Spanish family. It was a terrible blow, and increased, if possible, his hatred for the Americans. Later the old man took part in the battle of San Pasquale and the Mesa. In the last engagement he was badly wounded, but even in that condition he announced his intention of fig

er his son had ridden off the rancho early that morning. Yet he relied once more on his iron constitution, and absolutely refused to die until he had laid upon his next of kin what he thoroughly believed to be a stern duty. Deep down in heart, it is true, he was vaguely conscious of a feeling of dread lest his cherished revenge should meet with opposi

was a relief, therefore, to see his father, who had lain still, husbanding his little remaining strength, open his e

y son?" said the old man

e as soon as I rec

to you, and I have not long to live. Ha

couch and kissed his father's h

evelation that must presently be made to him. For a moment the dying man felt that, after all, perhaps it were better to renounce his vengeance, for it had been suddenly borne in upon him that the boy might suffer acutely i

promise to carry out my

w that I will. What

pointed to t

swear

wear

yes. The effort and excitement left him as white as a sheet. It seemed to the boy as if his father might b

gulped it down; t

was an angel. All the rest of these cursed gringos are pigs;" and

o reply; his f

d to them. And what did they do in return for our kindness? Where now are our extensive ranchos-our large herds of cattle? They have managed to rob us of our l

hastened to

he said with solicitude. "They are unscr

em all, I-" The old man was unable to finish. He gasped for breath.

st in Spain-none better! The curse of a long line of ancestors will be upon you if you tamely submit-n

in his mind that the end could not be far off. With great earnestness he implored him t

st education possible both at home and abroad. Then the gringos came. Little by little these cursed Americanos have taken all that I had from me. But as they have sown so shall they reap. I have ta

prang to

father, a Rame

when I am no more, and rob, rob, rob, these Am

tinctive way, he had known,-or rather, had refused to know, putting off the hour of open avowal, shutting his eyes to the accumulating facts that day by day had silently spoken of lawlessness and peril. Three years, his father had just said; well, that explained how it was that no suspicions had ever awakened until after he had completed his education and returned home from his travels. But since then a child must have noted that something was wrong: the grim, sinister faces of the men, constantly on guard, as though the old hacienda were in a state of siege; the altered disposition of his father, always given to gloomy moods, but lately doubly silent and saturnine, full of strange savagery and smouldering fire. Yes, somewhere in the back of his mind he had known the whole, shameful truth; had known the purpose of those silent, stealthy excursions, and equally silent returns,-and more than once the broken heads and bandaged arms that coincided so oddly with some new tal

les were turned and the so

of overwhelming grief and despair; but on that one, ashen grey as it was with the agony of approaching death, there was a