12 TJtTE OatAIIA DAILY JEE ; TUTJIRSDAY. DECEMBER 19 , 181)5. )
! HI3gESS3E13Sra2I33SL { 33SES SH
IN THE TULES.
By BRET
Author of "The Luck of Itoarlns Onlnp , " "Two Men of Handy Bar , " Etc.
y&f m ? 3Rmmrsrj
1S95 , hr Dret Hnrle. )
Tic had never teen a steamboat In his
life. Horn and reared In one of the west
ern territories , far from a navigable river ,
he had known only the "dug out" or cano
across the scant
as a moans of conveyance
streams whose fordahle waters made even
ll.oso tcircsly a necessity. The long , narrow
drawn by swaying
row , hooded wagon ,
oxen , familiarly known as a "pral-
rlo schooner , " In which he jour
neyed across the plains to California In
53 , did not help his conception by thnt
nautical figure. And when at last he dropped
upon the land ot promise through ono of
the flouthcrn mountain passes , ho halted
nil unconsciously upon the low banks of a
grtat yellow river amidst a tangled brake of
strange , reed-like grasses that were unknown
to him. The river broadening as tt do-
touched through many channels Into a
lordly bay sccme < l to him the ultimate
thule of his Journeylngs. Unyoking his
luxuriant -meadows
oxen on the edge of the
which blended with scarcely any line of
Oemarcatlon Into the great stream Itself , ho
found the prospect "good" according to his
llghtu and prairie experience ? , and convert
ing his halted wagon Into a temporary
cabin , ho resolved lo rest litre and set
" llttlo dlniculty In ro doing.
tle. There was
The cultivated clearings he had passed
were few and far between ; the land would
und occupation , his
be his by discovery
habits of loneliness and belt-reliance made
him Independent of neighbors. He took hIs
Jlrst meal In his new solitude under a spread
ing willow , but so near his natural boumlaiy
thnt the waters gurgled and oozed In the
reeds but a few feet from him. The sun
souk , deepening thu gold of the river until
It m.ght have been the stream of Taclotus
Itself. Hut Martin Morsa had no Imagina
tion ; ho was not oven a gold seeker ; no
had simply obeyed the roving Instincts of
hither. The
the fron'icr man In coming
land wan virgin and unoccup ed ; It was His ,
These questions stilled ho
ho was alone.
smoked his plpo with less concern over his
3.000 miles' transference of habitation than
the man of cities who has moved Into the
next street. When the sun sank ho rolled
hlimclf In his blankets In the wagon bed
and went quietly to sleep.
by something
Hut he was presently awakened
thing which at first he could not determine
sensation. It
to be a nolss or an Intangible
through the silence or
deep throbbing
was a
seemed even to be
that
the night ; a pulsation
he
communicated to the rude bed whereon
Itso f
lay. As It came nrarer It saparatsd
Into a labored monotonous panting , continu
ous , hut distinct from an equally monotonous
but fainter beating of the waters , as If the
whole .track of the river were being coursed
and trodden by a multitude of swiftly tramp
ling fctt. A strange foMlng took possession
of him. half of fear , half of curtoua expecta
tion. It was coming nearer. He rose , leaped
hurriedly from the wagon and ran to tnc
bank. The night was dark. At first he saw
nothing bsfore him but the Btrel black sky
plcrcfd with far-spaced , Irregular scattered
stars. Then there seemed to be approaching
him from the left another and more sym-
motrcal : constellation ; a few red and blu ?
stars high above the river , with thref com
pact lines of larger planetary lights flashing
toward him and apparently on his own level.
H was almost upon him ; he Involuntarily
drew back as the strange phenomenon swept
abreast of whore he- stood and resolved Itself
Into a dark , yet airy bulk , whose vagueness ,
topped by enormous towers , was yet Illu
minated by those-open squares of light that h ?
had taken for stare- but which he saw now
jvere brilliantly lit windows. Their vivid
fays shot ( hrough the reeds and sent broad
bands across the meadow , the stationary
. But all
wagon and the slumbering-oxen.
this was nothing to the imur life they dls-
closed through lifted curtains and open blinds
which was the crowning revelation of this
strange- and wonderful spectacle. Elegantly
dressed men and women moved through bril
liantly lit and elaborately gilt saloons ; In one
a banquet seenvid to bo spread , servd by
whlted Jackettc-J servants ; In another were
playing cards around marble topped
men
iiipu i i _ , . hiok
laOlES in HUUinUl ltu * > blfc . .wo.- ' * . . * . .
again , from the mirrors and glistening glasses
und decanters of a gcrgsous wfrsshment
saloon ; In smaller openings there was the
shy disclosure of dainty white curtains and
velvet lounges of more Intimate apartments ,
Martin Morse- stood enthralled and mystified.
It was as If , some Invisible Asmo-Jeus had
revealed to this simple frontier man a world
Of which he had never dreamed. It was the
world a world cf which he knew nothing In
his simple rustic habits and profound western
Isolation sweeping by him with the rush of
nn unknown planet. In anothsr momsnt It
Was gone ; a shower of sparks tihot up from
one of the towers and fell all around him and
then vanished even as he remembered the
set piece of "Fourth of July" fireworks had
Vanlshsd In his own rural town , when he was
a boy. The darkness fell with It , too. nut
such was his utter absorption and utter
breathless preoccupation that only a cold chill
recalled him to himself , and he found ho was
standingmidleg deep In the surge cast over
the low banks by this passage of th first
steamboat ho had ever st-enl
Ho waited for It the next night , when It
appeared a llttlo later from the opposite di
rection , on. Its return trip. Ho watched It
the next night and the next. Hereafter he
n-ever missed It coming or going whatever
the hard and weary preoccupations of his new
and lonely llf ? . He felt he could not have
slept without seeing It go by. Oddly enough
his Interest and desire did not go further ;
even had ho the time and money to spend
In a passage on a boat and thus actively
realize the great world of which he had only
these rare glimpses , a certain proud rustic
shynets kept him from It. It was not his
world , he could not affront the snubs that
Ills Ignorance and Inexperience would have
provoked , and he was dimly conscious , as so
many of us are In our Ignorance , that In
mingling with tt he would simply lose the
easy privileges of alien criticism , For there
was muclf that ho did not understand and
tome things that grated upon hla lonely In
dependence.
Ono night , a lighter one. than those pre
vious , ho lingered a little longer In the moon
light to watch the phosphorescent wake of
the retreating boat. Suddenly It struck him
that there was a certain Irregular splash
Ing In the water quite different from the reg
ular , diagonally crossing surges ( hat the
boat swept upon the hsnk. Looking at It
moro Intently ho fa\v a black object turning
In the water Hko a porpolso and then the
unmistakable uplifting of a black arm In
on unskillful swimmer's overhand stroke. It
was a struggling man. Hut It was quickly
evident that the current was too strong and
the turbulence of the shallow water too great
for his efforts. Without a moment's hesita
tion , clad as ho was In only his chlrt and
( routers , Morse strode Into the reeds and
the next moment , without a call of warning ,
was swimming towards the now wildly strug
gling flguro. Hut from some unknown reason
as Morse approached htm nearer , the man ut
tered fornu Incoherent protest and desperately
turned away , throwing off Morse's extended
arm. Attributing this only to the vagus con.
vulslons of a drowning man Morse , a skilled
Bwimmer , managed to clutch his shoulder
and propelled him at arm's length , still
struggling apparently with as. much reluct
ance aa Incapacity , towards the bjnh. As
their feet touched the reeds and slimy bottom
tom , the man's resistance ceased and he
lapsed quite listlessly In Morse's arms. Half
lifting , half dragging his burden , ho suc
ceeded at last In gaining the strip of meadow
mid deposited the unconscious man beneath
the willow tree. Then he ran to his wagon
for whisky.
But to his surprise on his return the man
way already sitting up and wringing the
voter from his clothes. He then saw for
the first time , by the- clear moonlight , that
the Birang-sr was elegantly dressed und of
striking appearance , and was clearly a | nrt
of that bright and fascinating world Morse
had been contemplating In his solitude. He
eagerly took the proffered tin cup and drank
the whisky. Then ho rota to his feet , stag
gered a few steps forward and glanced
curiously around him , at the still motion-
lets wagcn , the few felled trees and evidence
of "clearing" and even at the rude cabin
of Ice * and canvas just beginning to rise
from the ground a few parrs distant , and
talil Impatiently :
"Where the devil am I ? "
Hone heiiuttd. He wai unablt lo came
the locality of his dwelling place. He
answered briefly :
"On the right bank of the Sacramento. "
The stranger turned upon him a look of
'mp.c."ln nt > ,1 , unmlnK' ' < ! < > with resentment.
Oh ! he said with Ironical gravity , "and I
suppose that this water you picked me out
of was the Sacramento river. Thank you ! "
.l.h 8low weslern Patience explained -
plained that he had only w.ntled there
three weeks ago , and the place , had no
name.
"What's your nearest town then ? "
Thar ain't any. Thar'o a blacksmith's
shop and grocery at the cross roads twenty
miles further on , but it'a got no name as
I ye heard on. "
. .tT.he. " ' " "IT81' ' ' ' look of suspicion passed ,
well , he said In an Imperative fashion ,
which , however , seemed as much the ro-
fult of habit as the occasion , "I want a
horse , and pretty d d quick , too' . "
"Hnln't got any. "
"No hornc ? How did you get to this
d < 1 place ? "
Morse pointed to his slumbering oxin.
The stranger again stared curiously at
him. After a pause he said with a half
pitying , half humorous smile !
"Pike aren't you ? "
Whether Morse did or did not know that
this current California slang for a denizen
of tire bucolic west Implied a certain con
tempt , ho replied simply :
"I'm from Pike county , Mlzzourl. "
"Well , " said the stranger , resuming his
impatient manner , "you must beg or steal
a horse from your neighbors. "
Thar ain't any neighbors nearer than
fifteen miles. "
"Thsn send fifteen miles , d n 111 Stop ! "
Ho opened his still clinging shirt and drew
mt u bslt pouch which he throw to Morse.
'There ! there's $2flO In that. " Now I want
a horse. Sabe ? "
"Thar ain't anyone to send , " said Morse
quietly.
"Do you. mean to say you are all alone
here ? "
"Yes. "
"And you fished me out all by yourself ? "
"Yes. "
The stranger again examined him curiously.
Thru he suddenly stretchej out lils hand and
grasped his companion's.
"All right ! If you can't send , I reckon I
can manage to walk over there tomorrow. "
"I was goln' on to say , " said Morse simply ,
"that If you'll lie by tonight I'll start over at
sun up aftcc pultln * out the cattle and fetch
you back a horse- afore noon. "
"That's enough. " Ho. however , remained
looking curiously at Morse. "Did you never
hear , " ho said , with a singular smile , "that
It was about the meanest kind of luck that
ecu Id happen to you to save a drowning
man ? "
"No , " raid Morse , simply. "I reckon It
bucolic virgin. And this reserved and * hy
frontier man found himself that night sleepless -
less , and hovering with an abashed timidity
ncl consciousness around the wagon that
ftheltered hl guest , as If he had been & very
Corydon watching the moonlit couch of some
slumbering Amaryllis.
He was off by daylight after having placed
rude breakfast by the ride of the still sleep
ing guest and before midday h had returned
with a horse. When he handed the stranger
his pouch less the amount he had paid for tti-e
horse , the man Mid curtly :
"What's that for ? "
"Your change. I paid only $30 for the
horse. "
The stranger regarded him with his peculiar
smile. Then replacing the pouch In his belt
he shook Morse's hand again and mounted the
horse , .
"So your nimo'a Martin Morse ! Well-
goodbye , Morseyl' 5
Morse hesitated. A blush rose to his dark
cheek.
"You didn't tell me your name , " he paid
"In case "
"In case I'm wanted ? Well , you can cal
me Captain Jack. " Ho smiled and nodded
his head , put spurs to his mustang and can
tered away.
Morse did not do much work that day , fall
Ing Into abstracted moods and living over his
experiences of ths previous night until he
fancied he could almost sec his strange guest
again. The narrow ptrlp of meadow was
haunted by him. There was the tree under
which he had first placed him , and that was
whtre he had seen him sitting up In his
dripping but well fitting clothes. In the
rough garments he had worn and returned
lingered a new scent of some delicate soap ,
overpowering the strong alkali flavor of his
own. He was early by the river sld ? , having
a vague hope , ho knew not why , that ho
should ngaln see- him nml recognize him
among the passenger ? . He was wading out
among the reeds In the faint light of the
rising moon , recalling the exact spot where
he had first seen the stranger , when hu was
suddenly startled by the rolling over
In'tho water of some black object that
had caught against the bank but had
been dislodged by his movements. To
hla horror It bore n faint res-smblince
to his first vision of the -pricedlng - night.
Uut a second glance at the helplessly floating
hair and bloated outline showed him that It
was a dead man , and of a typ ? and bu'ltl far
different from his former companion. There
was a bruise upon his matted forehead and
an enormous wcund In his throat , already
' '
washed bloodless , white and waxen. 'An
Inexplicable fear came upon him , not at the
sight of the corps ? , for he had been In Indian
massacres and had rescued bodies mutilated
beyond recognition but frbm some moral
dread that strangely enough quickened and
deepened with the far off pant of the ad- '
var.clns steamboat. Scarc'ly knowing why ,
he dragged the body hurriedly ashore , con
cealing It In the reeds , as If he was disposing
of the evidence of his own crime. Then , to
his preposterous terror , he noticed that the
panting of the steamboat and the beat of Its
paddles were "slowing" as thevagus bulk
oime In sight , until a huge wava from
the suddenly arrested whscls sent a surge
like an enormous heart beat pulsating through
- \ .
\J t . v
FREE WITH A BULLET IN HIS HEART.
orter be the meanest If you didn't. "
"That depends upon the man you save , "
said the stranger with the same ambiguous
smile , "and whether the saving him Is only
putting things off. Look here , " he added ,
with an abrupt return to his Imp3ratv2 !
style , "can't you give me some dry clothes ? '
Morse brought him a pair qf overalls and a
"hickory shirt , " well worn , but smelling
strongly cf a recent wash with coarse soap
The stranger put them on while his com
panlon busied Mmself In collecting a plU o
p'.lcks and dry leaves.
"What's that for ? " said the stranger , sud
denly.
"A fire to dry your clothes. "
The stranger calmly kicked the pile aside.
"Not any fire tonight If I know It , " he
said , brusquely. . Before Morsj could resent
his quickly changing moods he continued In
anothr tcne , dropping to nn easy reclining
position beneath the tree : "Now , tell me al
about yourself and what you're doing here. "
Thus commanded Mors ? patiently repeated
his story from the- time ho had left his back
woods cibln to Ms selection of the river
bunk for a "location. " He pointed out the
rich quality of this alluvial bottom and I'.s
adaptability for the- raising of stock which
ho hope.l soon to acquire. The ptranger
smiled grimly , raised himself to a sitting
pos'tlon and taking a pnknlfe from his damp
clothes began to clean his nails In the bright
mocnllght an occupation which made the
simple Morse wander vaguely in his narra
tion.
"And you don't know that this d d hole
will give you chills and fever , till you'll shake
yourself out of your boots ? "
Morse had lived before In aguclsh districts
and had no fear.
"And you never heard that some night the
whole river will rise up and walk over you
and your cabin and your stock ? "
"No. For I reckon to move my t'lmnty
further back. "
The man shut up his penknife with a click
and rose. "If you've got to get up nt sunrise
we'd better bo turning In. I suppose you
can give me a pair of blankets ? "
Morse pointed to the wagon. "Thar's a
shake-down In the wagon bed ; you kin He
there. " Nevertheless he hesitated , and with
the Inconsequence- abruptness of a shy
man continued the previous conversation ,
"I shouldn't like < o move far away , for
them steamboats Is povv'ful kempany n'
nights. I never seed one afore I kem here , "
and with the Inconsistency of a reserved man
and without a word of further preliminary
he launched forth Into a confidential dis
closure of his late experiences , The stranger
listened with a singular Interest , and with a
quietly searching eyo.
"Then you were watching the boat very
cloy ly Just now , when you siw mo. What
clso did you see ? Anything bsfore that be
fore you saw me In the water ? "
"No the boat had got well off before I
saw you at all. "
"Ah. " said ths stranger. "Well , I'm going
to turn In , " Ho walked to the wagon ,
mounted It , and by the time that 'Mors : had
reached It with hla wet clothes , he was al
ready wrappsd In theblinkets. . A moment
later he secmtd to be In a profound slumber.
It was only then , when his guest was
lying helplessly nt his mercy , that ho began
to realize his strange experiences. The dom
ination of this man had liein so complete
rhnt Morse , although by nature Independent
and self-reliant , had not permitted himself
to question his right or to resent his rude
ness. Ho had accepted his guest's carelew
or premeditated silence regarding the partic
ulars of his accident as a matter of course ,
and had never dreamed of questioning him ,
That It was a natural accident of that great
world so apart from his own experi
ences ho did not dojbt , and thought no more
about It. The advent of the man himself
was greater to him than the causes which
brought him there. He was 03 yet quite un
conscious of the complete fascination this
mysterious stranger held over him , but be
found himself shyly pleased with even the
flight Interest he had displayed In his affairs ,
and his hand felt yet warm and tingling
from his. sudden soft but expressive graip , as
If It had been ft woman's. There Is a wimple
Intuition of friendship In some lonely wlf-
abstracted natures that Is nearly akin to love
at first sight. Even the audacltlep and Inso
lence of this stranger affected Mors3 , as he
might have been touched and captivated by
the coquet rlei or loiperloutces * of tome
the sedge , that half submerged him. The
flashing of thre ? or four lanterns on deck
and the motionless line of lights abreast of
him dazzled his eyes , but he knew that the
low fringe of willows hid his house and
wagon completely from view. A vague mur
mur of voices from ths deck was suddenly
o\crrldden by a sharp order , and to his relief
the slowly ravolvlng wheels again sent a
pulsation through the water and the great
fabric moved lo\vly away. A sense of
relief came over him , he knew not why , and
ho was conscious that for the first tlmthe
had not cared to look at the boat.
Wh-.n the moon rose he again examined
the body and took from Its clothing a few
articles -cf Identification and some papers of
formality and precision which he vaguely
conjectured to b ? some law papers from
tl-clr semblance to th3 phrasing of sheriffs'
and electors' notlors which he had seen In
the pape-rs. He then buried the corpse In a
shallow trench which he- dug by the light of
the moon. He had no question of responsi
bility ; his pioneer training had not Included
coroner's Inquests la Us experience ; In giving
the body.a speedy and secure burial from
predatory animals he did what , on ? frontier
man would do for another ; ' what he hoped
might be done for him. If his previous un
accountable feelings return ! * ] occasionally
It was not from that , but rr.ther from some
uneasiness In regard to his I&te guest's possi
ble feelings and a regret that he had not
been here at the finding of "the body. That
it would In some way have explained his
own accident , he did not doubt.
The boat did nol "slow up" the next night
but passed as usual , yet three or four days
elapsed before he could look , forward to Us
coming with his old extravagance and half-
exalted curiosity which was the nearest ap
preach to Imagination. He was then able to
examine It more closely for the appearance
of the stranger whom ho now began to call
"his friend" In his verbal communions with
himself but whom he did not seem destined
to again discover , until one day , to his as
tonishment , a couple of fine horses were
brought to his clearing by a stock drover.
They had been "ordered" to be- left there.
In vain Morse expostulated and questioned
"Your name's Morse , ain't ? ' said , the
drover with business brusqueness , "and I
reckon there ain't no other man o' that name-
around here ? " "No , " said Morse. "Well
then , they're yours. " "But who sent them ? "
Insisted Morse. "What was his name and
where dos bo live ? " "I don't know es I
was called upon to glvo the pedigree o' buy
ers , " said the drover drily , "but the horses
Is 'Morgan , ' you kin hot your life , " he
grinned as ho rode away.
That Captain Jack had snt them and that
It was a natural prelude to his again visitIng -
Ing him , Morse did not doubt , and for a
few days ho lived In that drearn. But Captain -
tain Jack did not come. The animals were
of great service to him In "rounding up" the
stock he now easily took In for pasturage
and saved him the necessity of having a part
ner or a hlHd man. Tha Idea that this su
perior gentleman In fine clothes might over
appear to him In the former capacity had
oven flitted through his brain , but he had
rejected It with a sigh. But the Idea that
with luck and Industry ho hlmsilt might In
course of time approximate to Captain Jack's
evident station , did occur to him , and was an
Incentive to energy. Yet It was quite dls.
tlnct from -the ordinary working man's am-
ittfon of wealth und state. It was only that
t might make him more worthy of his
'rlend , The great world was etlll as It had
appeared to him In a pissing boat a thing
to wonder at to be above and to criticise.
For all that he prospered In his occu-
latlon , But ono day he awoke with list-
ess limbs and feet that scarcely carried him
hrough his dally labors. At night his
Istlesaness changed to active pain and a
evorlshness that seemed to Impel him toward
he fateful river , as If bis one aim In life
was to drink up Its waters and bathe
n Its yellow stream. But whenever ho
seemed to attempt It strange dreams us-
ailed him of dead bodies arising with
swollen and distorted lips to touch his own
as he strove lo drink , or of his mysterious
guest battling with him In Its current and
Irlvlng him ashore. Again when ho essayed
o bathe his parched and crackling limbs In
ts flood he would be confronted with the
lazzllng lights of the motionless tcam-
loat and the glare of stony eyes until he
fled In aimless terror. Hew long this lasted
Here's the War Talk- *
It's to uphold the "Equity Doctrine' '
which is to clean out the entire line of
Suits , Overcoats and Furnishings Only
another week to do it in We want an
army of 2,000 men to come and aid us
in mowing down what's left of this great
stock We have smitten the prices hip
and thigh ,
Here's the Way the Clothing Carnage Goes On :
$10.00 choice all wool men's winter suits , $4.50
$8.00 choice all wool men's winter overcoats , $3.75
$10.00 choice all wool men's winter overcoats , $5.00
. all wool men's ulsters ,
$12.00
choice. , $6.50
$15.00 all wool men's suits ( think of it ) ,
only , $6.75
$18.00 all wool men's suits ,
only 123 left , $8.5O
$20.00 and $25.00 imported clay worsteds ,
$12.50
fancy worsteds , etc -
Words will not convey the marvelousness of these values It needs an examination
to convince.
WIAII Furnishings at Half Price.
EQUITY CLOTHING CO.
Quitting Business. 13tti and Farnam.
ho knew not , until cue morning he awoke
In his new cabin with ; a strange man sitting
by his bsd and a negrcss In the doorway.
"You've h ad a sliarpt.\attack of Jtub
fever , ' " said the straugsiv dropping Morse's
llutless wrist and answering his questioning
.eyes , "but you're all right now , and you wll
pull throueh. "
"Who are you ? " stammered Morse , feebly
"Dr. Deukesno of Sacramento. "
"How did you come here ? "
"I was ordered to come to you and brlnf
a nurse , as you were alone. There she Is. '
He pointed to the' smiling nsgress.
"Who ordered you ? "
The doctor Emlled with professional tel
erance. "One of your friends , of course. "
"But what was his name ? "
"Really I don't remember. But don't dis
tress yourself. He. has settled everything
right royally. You have only to get strong
now. My duty Is ended and I can safely
leave you with the nurse. Only when you
are slrong again , I say and he says keep
back further from the river. "
And that was all he knew. For even the
nurse who attended him through the first
days of his brief convalescence , would tel
him nothing more. Ho quickly got rid o ;
her and resumed his work , for a now and
strange phase of his simple , childish
affection for his benefactor , partly superin
duced by Illness , was affecting him. He
was beginning to feel the pain of an unequal
friendship ; he was dimly conscious that his
mysterious guest was only coldly returning
his hospitality and benefits , while holding
aloof from any association with him and In
dicating the Immeasurable distance that had
withheld any kind message or sympathetic
greeting , he had kept back even his name.
The. shy , proud , Ignorant heart of the
frontiersman swelled beneath this fancied
slight , which left him helpless alike of reproach
preach or resentment. He could not return
the horses , although In a fit of childish In
dignation he had resolved not to use- them *
ho could not reimburse him for the doctor's
bill , although he had sent away the nurse.
He took a foolish satisfaction In not moving
back from the river , with a faint hope thai
his Ignoring of Captain Jack's advice might
mysteriously be coiyreyed to him. He even
'
thought of soiling out his location and'aban
doning It that he- might escape the cold
surveillance of his heartless friend , All this
was undoubtedly childish but there Is on
Irrepressible simplicity 01 youth in all deep
feeling , and the worldly experience of the
frontier man left him as Innocent as a child.
In this phase of his unrequited affection ho
even went so far as ' 'a seek some news of
Captain Jack , of Sacramento , and following
out his foolish quest to uvn take the steam
boat , from thencs to Stockton.
What happened to him then was perhaps
the common experience of ruch natures.
Once upon the boat the Illusion of the great
world It contained .for him utterly vanished.
He found It noisy , formal , Insincere , and had
ho ever understood or used the word In his
limited vocabulary , vulK c > " nattier perhaps ,
it seemed to him that tbo prevailing senti
ment and action of 'those ' who
frequented It and for- whom It was
built were of a lower- grade than
his own. And strangely enough this gave
him none of his former ssenss of critical su
periority , but only ofibltf utter and complete
Isolation. He wanderedf In his rough fron
tiersman's clothes , frcmideclc to cabin , from
airy galleries to Ions-saloons , alone , unchal
lenged , unrecognlzsd , as If he were again
haunting It only In spirit , as he had so often
done Inhis dreams.- fills presence on the
fringe of somq voluble crowd caured no Inter
ruption ; to him this epascli was almost for
eign In Its allusions to 'things he did not un
derstand , or wars ? , seemed Inconsistent with
their eagernev * and excitement. How differ
ent from all this wni. recollection of the
slowly oncoming teams. uplifted above the
level horizon of the plains ; In his old wanderIngs -
Ings ; the few Hiunterlng , < flgurea that met him
as man to man and exchanged the- chronicle
of the reid , the record of Indian tracks , the
finding of a spring , the discovery of pastur
age with -the lazy , restful hospitality of the
night. And how fierce hero this continual
struggle for dominance and existence , even In
( his lull of paisage. Kor above all and
through oil ho wau conscious of the feverish
haste of epeed and exertion , The boat trem
bled , vibrated and shook with every stroke
of the ponderous piston. The laughter of the
crowd , tl.c exchange of gossip and news , the
banquet at the long table , the newspapers
and books In the reading room , even the
luxurious couches In the state rooms , were
all dominated , thrilled and pulsating with
perpetual throb of the demon of hurry and
unrest. And when , at last , a horrible fas
cination dragged him Into the engine room
and he raw the cruel , relentless machinery at
work , ho seemed to recognize and understand
some Intelligent but pitiless Moloch who was
dragging this feverish world at Its heels.
La'er bo was seated In a corner of the
hurricane deck whence he could view the
monotonous banks * of th river , yt-t perhaps
by certain signs unobservable 'to others , he
knew ho was approaching his own locality.
He knew that 'his cabin and clearing would
bo undlscernlb'le--behlnd the fringe of willows
on the bank-b'ut'hyalready ; distinguished ths
points where a few' cottonwoods struggled
Into a promontory of lighter foliage beyond
them. Here voices fell upon his car and he
wan suddenly aware that two men had lazily
crossed over from the other side of the boa
and were standing before him looking upo
the bank.
"It was about here , I reckon , " said on
listlessly as If continuing a previous laggtn
conversation , "that It must have happenst
For It was after wo were making for th
bend we've Just passed that the deputy , goln
to the state room just below us , found th
door lockeJ and the wlr.d&.v open. But hot
man Jack Despard and Seth Hall the sheriff
weren't to be found. Not a trace of 'em
The boat was searched , but all for nothing
The lda Is tint the sheriff arter gettin' Mi
prisoner comf'ble In the state room took ol
THAT IT WAS A DEAD MAN.
Jack's handcuffs and locked the- door ; thai
Jock , who was mighty desp'rat ? , ballet
through the window Into the river , and the
sheriff , who wasn't a slouch , arter him.
Others allow for the chairs and things was
all tossed about In the state room- that the
two men clinched thar 'and Jack choked Hall
and cliucited him out and -then slipped clar
Into the wat-sr hlmaelf. For the state room
window was Just ahpad of the paddle box
and the cap'n allows that no man or men
would fall afore thj' paddles and live. Any
how that was all they ever knew of It. "
"And there wasn't no trace of them found ? "
said the second man , alter a long pause.
"No , Cap'n tays them paddles would hev'
just catched 'em and ulung 'cm round and
round and burled 'em way down In the ooz ?
cf the river bed with all the silt of the cur
rent atop of 'cm and they mightn't com * up
[ cr agea , or else the wheels might have
waltzed 'cm way up. to Sacramento until
thar wasn't enough left of 'em to float , and
dropped 'em when the boat stopped , "
"It was a mighty fool risk for a man
Ike Despard to take , " resumed th second
epfaker , as ho turned away with n slight
rawn.
"Bet your life ! but he was desp'rate and
he sheriff had got him safe. And they do
say that ho was superstitious like all
him gamblers and allowed that a man who
was fixed to dlo bya rope or a pistol
vasn't to be washed out o' life by water , "
The two figures drifted lazily away , but
Morse cat rigid and motionless. Yet strange
o my only ono Idea came to him clearly out
of this awful revelation the thought that
ils friend was still true to him and that his
trarge absence and mysterious silence- was
ully accounted for and explained. And with
t came the more thrilling fancy that this man
vas alive now to him alone. He was the
wlo custodian of his secret. Th morality
f the question , while It profoundly ' disturbed
ilm , was rather In reference' to Its effect
upon the chances of Captain Jack and the
power It gave his oncmlts , than his own
conscience. He would rather that his friend
should have proven I ho prescribed outlaw
who retained an unselfish Interest In him ,
than the superior gntleman : who was coldly
wiping out his gratitude. He thought he- un
derstood now the reacon of his strange and
varying moods , even his bitter superstitious
warning In regard to tha probable curM
.entailed upon himself for saving n drown
ing mnh. 'Of this ht thought little , enough
that he fancied that Captain Jack's concern
in his illness was Heightened by that fear ,
and this assurvnc ? of his protecting friend
ship thrilled h'm ' with pleasure. There wayne
no reason now why he should not at least go
back to his farm where at least Captain Juck
would always find him and he did so , re
turning on the same boat. Ho was now
fully recovered from his Illness and calmer
In mind ; he redoubled hli ? labors to put him
self In n position to help the mysterious fugi
tive when the time should come. The remote
farm should always be a haven of refuge
for htm , and In this hope he foreborc to
take any outsldo help , remaining solitary
and alone that Captain Jack's retreat should
be inviolate. And so the long , dry season
patsed , the hay was gathered , the pastur
ing herds sent home , and the first rains
dimpling like shot the broadening surface
of the river were all that broke his unending
solitude. In this enforced attitude of waitIng -
Ing and expectancy he was exalted and
strengthened by a new idea. He was not
a religious man , but dimly remembering
the exhortations of some camp meeting of
his boyhood , conceived the Idea that he
might have been selected to work out the
regeneration of Captain Jack. What might
not come of this meeting and communing
together In this lovely spot ! That anyth ng
was due to the Injured reprewntatlves of
the murdered sheriff , whose bones were rot
ting In the trench he dally but unconcernedly
patpeil , did not occur to him. Perhaps his
mind was not large enough for tha double
consideration. Friendship and love and for
tlu matter of that religion are cml icntly
one-ldoied.
Uut ono night he awakened with a start.
Ills hand , which was hanging out of his bunk ,
was dabbling Idly In water ! He had barely
tljno to spring to the middle In what Burned
to bo a slowly-filling tank , before the- door
fll in as from an Inward presence , and his
whole Blmnty collapsed Ilk ? a pack of cards.
But It fell outwards ; the roof sliding from
over hla head Ilko a withdrawn canopy , and
he was swept from hl feet against It , ant
thcnco out Into what might have been an
other world ! For the rain had ceassd ani
the full moon revealed only one vast , Illimit
able expanse of water. It was not an over
flow , but the whole rushing river magnified
and reps-aUd a million times , which even as
ho gasped for brc-ath and clung to tha roof ,
was bearing him away he knew not whlthor.
But It was bearing him away upon Its center ,
for as ho cas't ono swift glance towards hlu
meadow's he paw they were covered by the
same sweeping torrent , dotted with his sailIng -
Ing hay ricks and reaching to the wooded
foothills , It was the Ereat lloo'J of 'Cl In Its
awe-Inspiring completeness It might have
sfeimil to him the primeval deluge ,
As his frail craft swept under a co'tonwood.
he caught at one of the overhanging limb ;
and working his way desperately along the
bough , at last reached a secure position In
the fork of the tree , Hire lip was for the
moment safe. But the devastation viewed
from this height was only the more appalling.
Kvery sign of his clearing all evidence of
Ills pist yiar's Industry had disappeared. He
wau now conscious .for the first time , of the
lowing of the few cattle he had kept , at *
huddled together on H slight eminence they
ono by one slipped owr , Btruggllng , Into the
flood. Th ' shining bodea | of his dead horses
rolled by him ns he gaze-J. The lower lying
limbs of the sycamore near him were bind
ing with Hio burden of th ? lighter articles
from his overturned wagon and cabin which
they had caught and retained , and a rake
was securely lolged In a bough , The habitual
BOlltude- his locality waa now strangely In
vaded by drifting shcdi' , agricultural Imple
ments and fence rails from unknown and r-
mcte neighbors , and he could faintly dear
th far-calling of some unhappy farmer
adrift upon a spar of his wrecked
and Bha tered house. When day brake
10 war ) cold and hungry. Hours
pasad : In hopeless monotony , with no
slackening nor diminution of the waters ,
IJven the drifts became less and a vacant
sea at last spread before him on which notli-
ng moved. An awful silence Impressed him.
n the afternoon rain again began to fall on
hl gray , nebulous expanse , until the whole
vorld stemed made of aqueoua vapor. Ho
iad but one Idol now th coming of the
evening beat , and ho would reserve his
trenglh to swim to It. He did not know un-
11 later that It could no longer follow the old
: hinnel of the river and pasted far beyond
ilu night and hearing. With his disappoint
ment and exposure that night came a return
f ) IB ! old fever , ills llmbj were alternately
acked with pain or benumbed and lifeless.
le could scarcely retain lila position. At
lines he scarcely cared to and speculated
pen ending his suffering by a quick plunge
ownwardi. In other moments of lucid misery
IB wis conscious of having wandered In his
nlnd , of having seen the dead face > of the
murdered nherlfT , washed cut of the shallow
rave by tbo floor , staring at him from the
water. To thlu waa added the ImlHicliutloi
of noises. He heard voices , his own nanu
called by a volcei he knew Captain Jack's !
Suddenly he started , but In that fatal mo
ment lost his balance and plunged downward.
But before the water closed above his head
he had had a cruel gllmpra of help near him ;
of a flashing light of the black hull of a tug
not many yards away of moving figures the
sensation of a sudden plunge following his
own , the grip of a strong hand upon hlo collar
and unconsciousness ! When ho cams to ho
was being lifted In a boat from the tug and
rowed thtough the deserted streets of a large
city until he was taken In through the. second
story window of a half-submerged ho
tel and cared for. But all his questionings
yielded only the Information that this tug a
privately procured one not belonging to the
Public Hellef association had been dis
patched for him with special directions , by a
man who acted as one of the crew , and who
was the one who had plunged In for him at
the last moment. The man had left the
boat at Stockton. There was nothing more ?
Yes ! He had left a letter. .Morse seized It
feverishly. It was only a faw lines.
"We are quits now. You are all right.
I have saved you from drowning and shifted
the wire to my own shoulders. Good-bye.
Captain Jack. "
The astounded man attempted to rise , to
utter an explanation , but fell back uncon
scious.
Weeks passed before he was able to leave
his bed , and then only as an Impoverished
and physically shattered man. Ho had no
means to restock the farm left bare by the
subsiding water. A kindly train-packer
offered him a situation as muleteer In a pack
train going to the mountains , for he knew
tracks and pat-sea and could ride. The
mountains gave htm back a little of the vigor
ho had lost In the river valley , but none of
Its dreams and ambitions. One day whlla
tracking a lost mule ho stopped to slake bin
thirst In a water hole , all that the summer
had left of a lonely mountain torrent. En
larging the hole to give drink to his Iwast
also ho was obliged to dlslodgo and throw
out with the red wll some bits of honey
comb rock , which were so queer-looking and
EO heavy as to attract his attention. Two of
the largest he took buck to camp with him.
Thsy were gold. From the locality ho took
out a fortune. Nobody wondered. To the
Callfornlan's superstition It was perfectly
natural. It was "nigger luck" the luck of
the etupld , the Ignorant , the Inexperienced ,
the non-seeker the Irony of the gods !
Hut thu simple , bucolic nature that had SUB-
talnetl Itself agalnet temptation with patient
Industry and lonely pelf-concentration , suc
cumbed to rapidly acquired wealth. Bo It
chanced that onu day with a crowd of excite-
mcnt-lovlng spendthrifts and companions ha
found himself on the outskirts of a lawless
mountain town. An eager , frantic crowd
liad already assembled there ; a desperado wan
to be lynched ! I'uslilng his way through the
crowd for a nearer view of the exciting :
spectacle , the changed a > id reckless Morse ,
was stopped by armed men only at the foot
'of a cart , which upheld a quiet , determined
man , who with a rojio around hlu neck was
scornfully surveying the mob who held < lm
other 1'iid of the ropj drawn across the limb
of u tree above him , The uyes of the
doomed man caught lliosj of Morte his ex
pression changed a kindly smile lit lilw
face he bowed his proud head for the first
time , with an easy gesture of farewell.
And then with a shriek Morse threw him
self upon the nearest armed guard and a
fierce struggle began. Ho had overpowered
hlu adversary and seized ano'.lier In his
hopeless fight toward the cart , when the
iinlf astonished crowd felt that Homethlnic
must he done , It was done , with a sharp
report , the upward curl of smoke and the
holding back of the guurd ax Morsu stag
gered forward free with a bullet In his
ioar ! . Yet oven then he did not fall until ho
reached the cart , when he leaped forward ,
lead , with his arms outstretched and bin
Head upon the doomed man's feet.
There was toinothlin ; so supreme and nil-
) owc-rful In this hopeless act of devotion that
ho heart of the multitude thrilled and ( hen
recoiled aghast at Its work , and a single
word or u gesture from the doomed man
ilmeeU might have set him free. But they
by und It lu credibly itcordcd that an
Captain Jack Despard looked down upon
he hopelcBS sacrifice at his feet his eye : *
> lazcd and he Hung upon the crowd a cursa
DO awful and sweeping that hardened a
they were their blood ran cold or else
leaped furiously to their cheeks. "And now,1'
ho sold coolly tightening the rope around hl
neck with a jerk of his head " ( Jo on , and
be d d to you ! I'm ready. "
They did not hesltata this time. And
Martin Morse and Captain Jack Despard
were burled In 'the same grave ,
A. Q. Hartley of Magic. I'a , , writes : "I
feel It a duty of mine to Inform you and the
public that DeWltt's Witch Hazel Halve cured
me of a very Ixid caeo of eczema , U also
cured my boy cf a running core on hit U *
