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Show The House He Built Her. BY E. L. DITHRIDGE. (Copyright, W, by Dally Story Tub. Co.) "Yes," said tho oldor man, "you may, but only after you havo compiled with a certain condition." i Tho other leaned forward eagerly, hoping the condition would bo within his powers to perform. Ills oyes glowed; his Hps parted; his hnnds clasped, and his fingers twisted anxiously, anx-iously, during tho pnuso that ensued. Then tho condition came, short, forcible forci-ble and abrupt: "First build her a houso!" Well, It was a hard requirement nt best, and almost an Impossible) ono. Yet he mado up his mind nt onco that he would comply with the condition. Jnmes Burton wns a young engineer trying to mnke his fortune In tho mines of Moxlco. Ho had no money with which to start Independently, so ha had engaged as an assistant in tho employ of a largo company operating near Mexico City. Ho had now been In the country six months, and during that period had grown to lovo tho daughter of a wealthy rnnch owner. The "ranchero" had practically no English education himself, but had provided a way for tho education of his children In both English nnd Spanish. Span-ish. Hie eldest daughter, Aurora, had attended a boarding school In Philadelphia. Phila-delphia. Aurora was as scnslblo as slio was bright. Nono of tho flcklo, flirty character of tho Spanish rnco seemed to belong to her. Her dark oyes had jplenty of flro In thorn, but thero was 'never any duplicity back of it. Burton loved her, not merely bo-causo bo-causo sho was captivating, but bo-causo bo-causo sho combined thoso sterling qualities admired by every man of serious se-rious nature. When ho met her ho know at onco It was n enso ot "settle down and grow up with tho country," for here was not only his professional work, but his heart's Ideal also. Ho had not yet proposed to Aurora. He had a theory that It should not bo necessary, except as a matter of form, and that any man who was refused was a fool and ought to be. Ho claimed that lovers should learn to understand un-derstand each other In tho language-of language-of lovo before attempting to mako uso of any other language, r He know Aurora loved him, and all ho wanted wns tho parental sanction. Now ho hnd obtained It, but with a 'difficult condition Imposed. How could ho build her a house? Ho was drawing only $120 per month. Enough, you say? Hcmcmber that this Is the debased currency of Moxlco; Mox-lco; and that tho things that must bo purchased with It arc all marked away up to the standard of tho United States currency. A man who Is worth two dollars a day in tho United States get's only two dollars In Mexico; but a pair of shoes worth two dollars In tho United States costs eight or ten dollars In Mexico. How, then, you say, can tho native Mexicans live on from fifty cents to a dollar a day In Moxlcan monoy? They wear a shirt, a pair of overalls, a blanket nnd a pair of sandals no moro; and they cat pancakes and beans, pancakes and beans, pancakes and beans, and beans. So how was James Burton to support sup-port himself on $120 a month and build a houso besides? You don't know, nnd neither did ho; but ho determined de-termined to do it Just tho same. Finally ho got an Idea: Ho waited for a, good opportunity, nnd then broached tho subject to tho manager of the company, a Mr. Langdon. "Mr. Langdon," ho said, "If you'll build mo a llttlo three-room adobo house, I'll stand half tho cost." "You been getting married?" "Not yet, no. But I want to as soon as I can get a house." "Sorry, my boy; sorry; but tho company com-pany won't nllow mo to make such an expendlturo nt this tlmo. Later on, when our drifting roaches thoso rich veins that show on tho surfneo ot tho hill, and we get to running that rich stuff through tho mill hero, thero may bo a different story to tell; but Just now, I cannot do It." Ho went back to his work in tho assay as-say room. Ho thought about It nil day. Night camo, and ho crawled Into his bunk. What could ho do? Thero must bo somo way of solving this problem! Ho had solved other prob lems, mining promcms, many oiinom; why couldn't ho solvo this? By means of many Inquiries ho hnd satisfied himself that $250 Mexican was u. Bafo estimate of tho cost of a three-room adobo houso built so as to bo barely comfortable. A ridiculously low figure, to bo sure! Hut It would tako him n long tlmo to snve that much, and If tho adobes, weren't made during March, April nnd May, he'd havo to wait anothor year. It still lacked two wcoks to tho first of March tlmo enough to build the foundation and tho company had plenty of lime nnd stono on hand. Ma-bo Ma-bo Mr. Langdon would let him havo lima ami stono enough for tho foundation foun-dation If lio assumed tho responsibility responsibil-ity of paying tho wages. Thero wns a mason working on a small addition to tho mill building; muybo ho would work on the foundation of tho little houso during Bparo tlmo.. Burton figured that tho wages on tho foundation would cost him twenty dollars, that tho adobes' would coat him forty dollars, and that ho could get half tho quantity delivered In March and tho other half In April. Then ho could get about twenty dollars' dol-lars' worth of work done each month until tho houso wns completed. As a 8lto for her houso he selected tho brow of a llttlo 1 1 11 1 about a mllo fiom tho reduction plant nnd about halt a mllo from tho line of tho com pany's property. There ho started man excavating, for ho hnd dccldod to davlato from tho Mexican custom mid have a llttlo cellar. Every evening ho would trot out on horsebnek and tako a look at tho progress prog-ress being made. Ho was rather disappointed dis-appointed at the slow rate ot advance, btit couldn't blamo tho workman, for tho causo of tho trouble was self-evident. Illght In tho mlddlo ot the holo stuck n point of rock formed In n perfect per-fect cone. Tho workman had tried to dig It out; but ns ho dug tho rock seemed tti grow; and by this tlmo It was "a plain case of blast." Getting this big rock out of tho way meant more expense; nnd tho thought of it made Burton blue. As ho stood thero musing on how much extra tho rock would cost him, ho kicked at It absent-mindedly and vindictively. The sun was Just setting, nnd Its rays struck squarely on tho place whore his boot had scraped off tho earth from tho stone. "My! That's a mighty bright sort of Btonol" thought Burton to himself. "Guess I'll knock off a bit nnd seo what It looks llko Inside." The house ho built her was not finished fin-ished till two years Inter; but It was located in tho American section of tho City of Mexico, instead of out in tho wilderness. It was built of cut stono Instead of baked mud, and contained thirty rooms Instead ot three. Its lights wcro electric Instead of tnllow. Its windows wero trimmed with onyx, nnd its mlr- . rorcd halls with marble. Many an opal decked Its boudoirs; many n guest adorned Its dining-room; for Its hostess entertained with a lavish hand and was never called on to economize. Ono of theso functions I was permitted per-mitted to attend; and I heard her father say: "Burton, you've mado a flno success!" suc-cess!" "I owo It nil to you," ho replied. "You made mo attempt to build her a houso; and 'twas then I struck the mine." |