| Show E H T F 0 by FRANK H SPEARMAN frank H spearman service CHAPTER continued 14 11 A ray of light on the fate of the missing man came after a year or more from a least expected quarter pedro one morning brought in word that the missing sanchez had come back that he be had found the rascal and killed him and he was hiding somewhere hear bear mission santa clara and had mentioned to indians there news of bowie pedro was dispatched to the mission indians at once with instructions to bring sanchez back by fair means or foul to assure him that his old job was open for him and that while he had not been forgia en for killing the man who had tak en his sweetheart his conduct would be overlooked after two days of suspense at guadalupe pedro early the third morning walked into the office of don ramon to say he had sanchez with him dona maria and carmen joined don ramon and waited to hear sanchez story it was vivid and absorbing sor bing for sanchez told evereth ever everything mg but in the end the question mark of mystery still remained the two men had parted in the mountains sanchez to go north bowie to work his way over the inhospitable sierras and across the trackless desert and the staked plain into faraway texas it was a recital so convincing that none thought to question it surmise ise 1 fixed only on the possibilities of the outcome to undertake such a feat even in a stout company of frontiersmen tiers men at that early period of california travel was enough to give the hardy pause to attempt it alone was a challenge to the most reckless adventurer spanish thought would dismiss such an attempt as insanity yet the men who were to make california into a frontier empire did attempt the hazards of such endeavor and sometimes though by no means always got through much talk followed sanchez ne news ws don rmon ramon gave up at once all expectations of ever seeing bowie again the indians were divided in in opinion sanchez doubted whether bowie could survive the perils and hardships that lay ahead of him pedro could not argue or express himself eloquently on any subject but he knew bowie better than any other person at guadalupe he had seen him in many tight places he had seen him meet emergency and knew his resourcefulness he could only say and did say that he thought bowie would make it and return many moons passed at the r rancho ancho before anyone knew whether pedros prophecy or don ramons foreboding would prove right guadalupe affairs did not improve in the long interval rather they grew worse to make matters worse at guadalupe don ramon never robust ro bust a man of peace unfitted to cope with such conditions fell ill and the troubled management of the rancho fell on dona maria this in turn meant that carmen would have to assume a share of the burden and she did so pedro gradually came to look to her first for her mothers orders and at length for her own carmen of necessity became active in the saddle and under the wing of pedro and his husky vaqueros ros full of fight at the thought of marauders her mothers chief worry was that the burning eyed girl would become embroiled to her undoing in resisting minor raids on the rancho none of this round of anxieties and excitement diminished the interest of dona maria or her daughter in the affairs of mission santa clara its now rapid spoliation by the greedy mexican government served to sharpen the sympathies of dona maria and carmen for the patient padres who submitted without resistance to the outrageous pillage of their corrupt oppressors it is not for ourselves dear senorita said padre martinez to carmen that we mourn but for these poor neophytes our indian men and indian women whom we are forced to turn away to drift back so many of them into savagery with our cattle taken and our horses sold how can we buy grain to feed these poor people and it would break your heart senorita to see them plead with us for food they look to us as children to their mother they do not understand they only say we are hungry what can we do caimens Car mens eyes flashed 1 I know what we can do padre we have at guadalupe every promise of a bountiful harvest the wheat is almost ready to cut there is a granary full of last years wheat you shall have every bushel above our own needs for your poor indians this wretched robber mexican government ern ment what greedy beasts talk about Americ americanos anost they be worse I 1 such is our lot my child said padre martinez chankin thanking 1 h her 2 cease not to pray only to beav heaven can we turn for help in monterey dr doanes office was not far from the water front the doctor himself in the inner office was engaged one morning in reading when the outer door opened aad and a bearded man looked in on him the doctor glanced up bodiel Bo wiel he exclaimed where in texas did you come from sit down 1 I hardly expected to see you again in california said the doctor when the men had seated themselves so tell me all about it not much to tell countered bowie 1 I got a letter from captain sutter while I 1 was in san antonio making me a pretty good offer to join him as a partner so im on my way to san francisco as they call it now to get some money from nat spear and take a boat wednesday with my horses up the river its three months now since the captain wrote so he may have made different arrangements well see there was a natural bond of sympathy between the irish doctor and the gaunt texan they talked some time before the conversation turned to what bowie wanted to hear bear about but since both were pretty good at masking their inner thoughts and each waited on the other it took time to bring the talk around to rancho guadalupe how are things going out there echoed the doctor not very well but for that matter where are they going well in california everything is upset politics boiling lawlessness growing gringos cringos and these damned mexicans squabbling and then to cap everything else for me smallpox all over the coast bowie I 1 need an assistant better join up with me but bowie was serious wrong at Guadalupe he asked as casually as possible don ramon is down with smallpox they say an indian brought word from dona maria asking me to come right away and vaccinate everybody ery body and virus here is scarce in a panic naturally said bowie only part of it growled the surgeon fremont steals their horses bushwack ers steal their cattle the damned gringo squatters are stealing their land and the way things are going at all the ranchos ranches bowie im riding out to guadalupe right after dinner take dinner with me and ride out too sorry ive made an appointment with nathan spear he was here yesterday to meet him in san francisco tomorrow morning that will keep bowie shook his head hes going down to santa barbara tomorrow dr doane did not give up the fight to make bowie ride out with him but he failed in it the texan was stubborn 1 I shall tell them you were mean about it bowie raised his hand in quick protest tell them nothing about me not even that I 1 am in california said bowie im not joking doctor he added bluntly have it your own way sputtered the surgeon but on reaching the rancho dr doane was sorry he had assented to the texans injunction the whole atmosphere of the rancho was mournful two almost helpless women carmen was the only one with any courage left and she had more courage than the experience needed in managing and directing vaqueros ros but the doctor brought one great ray of sunshine to the gloom don ramon he announced definitely did not have the smallpox he pronounced his illness chicken pox dona maria and carmen drew deep breaths of relief that evening at supper the two women asked so many questions question s of the doctor and these were so pathetic in tenor that he was hard put to it to give them consolation dona maria sighed deeply when the doctor tried to offer cheer if only senor bowie Bowle were with usi us she said nothing has seemed to go right since he left why did he leave asked the doctor casually though he knew the answer he thought he could better himself up the river why mother exclaimed carmen me n crimsoning you know not the reason mother want to blame me doctor all alit ah smiled doane A heart affair but surely that would not send him away mackto texas countered dona maria gently sanchez tells us he went the surgeon had his ears open you can never tell fell dona maria said he as to how far these heart affairs will carry a man some men would think halfway around the world not far enough much would depend I 1 should think on how deep the wound 1 I think all this is very silly talk exclaimed carmen almost explosively up to this point she had maintained a reserve so even that her medical busybody could hardly formulate much of an inference as to her feelings but he had now A 8 the wheat Is almost cut worked his probe deep enough to excite resentment she rose impatiently to her feet senor bowie she went on is a gentleman of sense and intelligence 1 I thought him a cowboy purred the doctor da A cowboy who has attended georgetown university she spoke with heat senor bowie is a caballero not a vaquero I 1 if you had ever talked with him know he is a gentleman of sense not likely to be seriously upset because an insignificant girl declined his hand with the words she walked indignantly from the room senorita called the doctor after her but she did not hear please dona maria he continued tell her not to go riding for a 8 day or two with that arm senorita carmen has spirit dona M maria aria added the surgeon putting away his implements 1 I am glad she has said dona maria my own is pretty well cowed what with don ramons illness and all our other troubles I 1 seem unable to face things as I 1 used to I 1 hope carmelita will soon make up her mind to marry she seems interested at least I 1 sometimes think so in don sebastian of santa barbara who is crazy about her but the child is fickle she seems to blow hot and cold with him and even should she accept him she is keeping him waiting now that would not help me these dons have their own estates to look after no senor bowie was my only hope for our protection 1 I wonder mused the doctor whether he will ever come back he will never come back prophesied dona maria who can tell and if the senorita married and left the nest he might even come back here dr doane exclaimed dona maria what makes you say that just surmising on possibilities said the surgeon with an air of casualness but dona marias suspicions had been awakened 1 I believe you know something you are keeping back doctor she said flatly what is ii it out with it can you keep a secret continued the doctor women are not supposed to are they but she added as doane seemed about to close his confidence with his lancet case try me I 1 will do my best bowie is back dr doane what do you mean he is in monterey and heaven help met me I 1 he forbade me tell on your life dona maria dont tell carmen CHAPTER XIV the surgeon jogged bogged back to monterey feeling somewhat guilty about his breach of confidence he busied himself framing a story to break bowies anger he reached home late so late he thought there would be no danger of facing the texan before morning yet within ten minutes after he had lighted his lamp in his bedroom adjoining the office there came a tapping on his window henry he protested after he had carried the lamp into the office and let in the texan 1 I expect to see you before morning you dont sit up all night do you how did you find things at the rancho the doctor shook his head doubtfully not very bright henry has don ramon hamon got the smallpox behas he has not its chicken pox but hes pretty sick with it how is dona maria worried to death but not sick doane was amused at the way the questions came slowly and covering one person at a time senorita well seems to be yes she is lookin looking 9 a little peaked I 1 vaccinated vaccina ted everybody on the ranch from the lions up the news with you im tied up here for a few days spear sent a man down to say he had to go to santa barbara again and be back till the end of the week all right camp here with me theres an extra cot in the bedroom how are the vaqueros ros at guadalupe pedro is foreman with sanchez for a second what about the stock left is all right I 1 told you stealing it lets go to bed there was a big bunch of cattle there when I 1 left what the gringos cringos leave the mexicans help themselves to its too bad it the doctor shot the question to catch him unprepared and succeeded you see doane ran on as he turned out the light 1 I like those folks to me the very picture at guadalupe of the splendid spanish tradition that came to the new world from the old ever been in spain bowie there was no answer in the dark but a moment later the doctor listening in the dark heard a calm but distinct question not to his liking did you say anything about my being here doane in turn took his moment before answering 1 I was hoping you ask that tonight anyway well I 1 told nobody but dona maria and cautioned her against telling any of the rest of the family im dead tired henry ill tell you more about it in the morning if you had seen her face light up when I 1 told her you were here have forgiven me for breaking confidence you would indeed continued the doctor at breakfast in the morning she thinks a lot of you in fact everybody does at guadalupe the first question sanchez asked was whether I 1 had ever heard anything of you bowie off offered ered no comment on anything the doctor thought he was deeply offended but made up his mind it was better not to pay any attention to his mood after dinner bowie asked the doctor to lend him fifty dollars and the surgeon was surprised in the afternoon by the appearance in the street before the office of two pack mules with loaded hampers two mexicans rode up soon and one of them knocking at the office door asked for senor bowie bowie himself appeared within a few minutes casual as usual al he asked the boctor doctor for pa paper P er and pen wrote a short note addressed it to dona maria and handed it to one of the mexicans and bade him and his companion be on their way he then asked the doctor to lend him one hundred dollars more taking the gold without comment except a brief thank you bowie started he did not reappear till suppertime at the restaurant where the two took their meals well asked doane when th they ey had reached their coffee speaking as if he thought he had a right to know it all about since youve let the cat out of the bag anyway and don ramon is down sick I 1 thought I 1 ought to send a few little things out to guadalupe to show I 1 forgotten their past kindnesses and he added haltingly things like that what do you think 1 I think its fine replied the doctor TO BE CONTINUED |
