OCR Text |
Show McjoocnooDCaooorooaooooi3oootjoooeaoBooioQri IHKfflMHlEILl ly. .&am BY-jmes-QHWT (1 Og300CieCoocaoccjoaoia0fXE3cxyr:iooc,nr,, fl U CopyrlRht, 1S95, by Tho Shortsto.y Pub. Co. fAll rlirht mprved.) Crawford and I had gono up Into tho foothills of tho Slorras to shoot It was autumn; yet tho sun unscrewed un-screwed us so Immediately whon wo wnlkod abroad that wo wore forced to scok tho shelter of pines and dusty Scrub oaks, as often aB they fell across our path. Wo wero lying, ono afternoon, un-dor un-dor a row of young flrs on tho creBt of a rldgo, whon tho gaunt figure of an old man labored up tho slopo toward us. "If all tho world 'd lay about In tho shado you 'uns and mo not interfer-in' interfer-in' with Nature sho'd got hor hand ,In again on her own hook," ho said, throwing himself down beside us. "I'm an Archangol," ho said, sweetly, sweet-ly, nnd smiled at us. Crawford shrugged hlmsolf a trlflo nearer his gun and smiled back again. "There's no crack," ho nssured us immediately. "That's been my tltlo for threo years. I got it becauso I hold my hand from gorin' a man under un-der false provocation." "Tell us about It," wo said. Ho found a stono to-rest his back agulnst, nnd threw open his shirt at tho throat. "Thoso hot summer dayn stzzlo Just as they did then crisp your throat liko coal3 curl bacon. I'd rained 11 this country In tho gold days, and Hiold my own with tho dizziest dog of ''em all ln flndln' tho coloc anilAopl-curing anilAopl-curing tho liquids. I run1 h drinking fountain in opposition to tho Dead Fails, up Mokolumno way, and counted count-ed on Joaquin and his band for makln' n Fot for mo regular onco a week but t'nlnt what I started out to say." Tho old man fell into a roverio. Ho seomed to soo only tho onds of his toes. "About tho Archangol," Crawford prodded. This gentlo old mnn stood up, nnd hitched savagely at his trousor band boforo ho sat down again. "Adolphc his namo'd toll you. wouldn't It? Chin beard Juicy voice and hands a-curvln' through tho nlr. Well, Adolpho and mo sat up backin' and rainln' together flvo years aback. I stayed on and on with him becauso his brcad'd mako you hungry In your sleep. " 'Twas flour for that vory bread that I went a-rldln' into town for, ono summer day. Thoro wa3 a real estate dudo 'd coino up. Ho tucked a folded newspaper under my saddle-flap, Just as I was tightening up to go homo. " 'Read that,' says he. 'It's time all you toilers settled down to raisin' families, so's wo could havo a population, popu-lation, and school districts, and ouch. Never no hopo of doln' anything any-thing with a lot of bacholors.' "I'm tho Archangel." "Later, whon tho smoke went out of tho chimney, curlln' through tho trocs, "Adolpho and mo sat on tho saw-bucks a-rcadln' of that paper, the Matrimonial Messenger. "By your names, sirs, thoro was threo pages of 'um eaylng how on-chantln' on-chantln' they was! Every blamed ono of 'em willin' to send tholr photograph, photo-graph, swoarln' their faces was tholr fortunes all their life! " 'Twasn't long boforo wo'd settled between two of 'em, but Adolpho, ho was for one, and mo for the other. "'What's it to you?' sez I. 'You aint marryln' of her, are you?' "Ho couldn't but admit the fact. " 'Still thoro's my Uvln' round hor,' ho says. "Anyway, soeln It was my business, and I was set liko a Jumpor on a claim, Adolphe, ho give In. Tho woman wom-an what made ray heart feel empty said sho was eighteen. Sho wa3 doc-orated doc-orated with yollow hair and eyes Hko cepper-oro. She cOuld talk French, and understood German, and could piny tho planner. Sho'd marry a man that wanted a companion and not a cook. "Soz I to mysolf continual: 'That's you, Daniel.' "Woll, Adolphe and mo, wo talked nmWi "'Haiti I cried." this thing, wakln' nnd sleepln'. I'd more plans than a cow has capers. "Wo got up a lettor'd molt snow, and then wo waited. "First, nuthln' was Bald to tho boys, but whon they caught on to my hang-In' hang-In' round tho postofllco thoy began to Josh. After awhllo it grew so's nono ol 'cm turned up or paid any attention. atten-tion. Even Adolphe ho took to goin' to sleop when I talked hor. "Then n wholo year ran out to summer sum-mer again, and I couldn't unthrono her that reigned In my heart "Ono day I said to Adolpho, a-work-in' away: "'Blamed if I can forget hor, tho ornament,' I said. "Adolpho ho wont In for grub that day and came out lato, a-holdln' of a envelope " 'Hero's your lottor ho called. "Suro enough! I went out on tho saw-buck and road it nlono. Then ho sat down by mo and wo read It over again. " 'Twas only that sho'd arrlvo on tho afternoon train on tho fifth, and to have a Methodist minister. "Well, sirs, it meant n good deal for mo to supply tho necessaries for a sparklln' Jewel lot alono tho set-tltn' set-tltn' down for her to sparklo on! but luck como my wny. Thero'd been a milliner up from Snn Francisco and fitted her a elegant place. She'd failed, and quick's a winkln' I bought hor lookln' glass and red plush easy-chair. easy-chair. You'd ought to seen that cabin! cab-in! "On the fourth, Adolpho revenlod ho'd business in ft llttlo town n mile up tho railway. Ho sufforod a crampy kind of desperation not to bo on hand to support mo, ho said, but ho'd como in with tho girl. Then ho baked up broad and a cako and rodo away. "Sun como up on tho fifth Hko n buil's-oyo lantorn. Whon 1 rodo my I I I i J mulo up to tho depot the boys was out, to tho puniest scrub of 'cm all. Thoy glvo mo cheors that 'd blast rock. "And thovo was an arch, sirs nil flowered! My logs wanted to sit down moro than mol "Tho train whistled In tho dlstnnce. Thoro was no slaknln' oft round tho corner, for tho boys braced mo everywhere. every-where. "Out sho stepped, sirs, and whoth-er whoth-er sho was tho sorriest or tho likeliest lookln' crlttor. I couldn't 'a' told for tho flunk I was In! "After tho blackness I see her long yollow hair and red cheeks. All tho conqucrln' of my youth rose up within with-in mo, and I up and held her to mo for a kiss. "By tho great snako mine, but women wom-en don't shave beards oft and drink whisky! "I droppoti her Hko a nottlo, but sho wont forward with tho crowd, smllin an' smlrkln' through tho cheerln' an' tho uproar. "'To tho pnrson's,' tho boys yelled. "I was forced off my feet, but out came my gun. "'Haiti' I cried, in a volco that brought 'em nil on their haunches and still as colts raised on tho spur. " 'I mean to shoot tho wig off your head and tho paint off your faco, Adolphe Lefevro, and leavo you for tho slimiest viper that crawls without legs.' "Tho sight of my gun lay between his oyes an tho crowd was as still as tho barrel. "Of a sudden camo a volco in my oar. To this day God only knows from where. " 'Be Hko unto tho archangels.' "My arm fell to my side. Thoy lifted mo onto their shoulders. "'Tho Archangel,' thoy sent out a-ccholn' In tho hills. "And it stuck, sirs, from that day to this, though I've lived alono, sirs, ever since." |