The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 26, 1901, Page 7

THE SUNDAY OALL. hours’ weeding and trimming the boun- daries of the garden, they unanimously ir opinion that it would be more im to employ Chinese la- ou see,” sald Ned Wyn- se naturally take to this ness. Why, you can’t take te or saucer but you see ‘em pictured working at jobs like this, and then they live on green things and rice that cost nothin’, and chickens— you'll keep chickens, of course?” Jackson thought that his hands would be full enough with the garden, but he 1l get a pair—you m or ant two to begin with,” continued W e cheerfully, “‘and in a month or tw ou've got all you want and eggs enough for market. On second thoughts I don’t know whether you hadn't better with eggs first. That is, you bor- ome eggs from one man and a hen other. Then you set ‘em and e chickens are hatched out you the hen to the second man, gs, when your chickens begin the first man, and you've got kens for nothing—and there you chi ingenious proposition, which was red on the last slope of the domain ere the partners were lying exhausted from their work, was broken in upon by the appearance of a small boy barefooted, sunburnt and tow-headed, who, after a ‘s hurried scrutiny of the group, a letter with unerring precision f Jackson Wells and then Jackson instinctively he was connected with the out- rage on his fence and gatepost, but as he had avoided telling his partners of the incident, fearing to increase their bellig- erent attitude, he felt now an awkward consciousness mingled with his indigna- tion, &8 he broke the seal and read as fol- low: “Sir—This is to inform you that, al- gthough you have got hold of the property by underhand and sneaking ways, you ain’t no right to touch or lay your vile hands on the Cherokee Rose alongside the honse, nor on the Giant of Battles, nor on the Maiden's Pride by the gate— the same being the property of Miss Jose- iinda Wells, and planted by her, under penalty of the law. And if you, or any of your gang of ruffians, touches it or them, or any thereof, or don’t deliver it up when called for in good order, you will be persecuted by them. AVENGER. a Chinaman, Brown can do any cussin’ or back talk through him!” he added. The afternoon wore on; the tall Doug- las ‘pines near the water pools wheeled their long shadows round and half way up the slope, and the sun began to peer into the faces of the reclining men. Sub- tle odors of mint and southernwood, stragglers from the garden, bruised by their limbs, replaced the fumes of their smoked-out pipes, and the hammers of the woodpeckers were busy in the grove as they lay lazily nibbling the fragrant leaves like peaceful ruminants. Then came the sound of approaching wheels along the invisible highway beyond the buckeyes, and then a halt and silence. Rice rose s v bright pin polnts in the pupils of his gray eves. “Bringin’ a wagon with him to tote the hull shanty away,” said Wyngate. “Or fetched his own ambulance,” said Nevertheless after a pause the presently rolled away again. *d better go and meet him at the said Rice, hitching his revolver nearer his hip. “That wagon three gate,” holster stopped long enough to put down Jackson had been astonished. He would have scarcely recognized in this willful beauty the red-haired girl whom he kad boyishly hated and with whom he had often quarreled. But there was a recollection—and with that recollection came an instinct of habit., He looked her squarely in the face and to the horror of his partners said: “Say please!” They had expected to see him fall—smit- ten with the hairpin! But she only stopped and then in bitter irony said: “Please, Mr. Jackson Wells." “I haven't dug them up yet—and it would serve you just right if I made you get it for yourself. ~But perhaps friends here might held you—If you wers civilL.” The three partners seized spades and hoes and rushed forward eagerly, “Only show us what you want,” they said The young girl stared at Then with a swift determination, she turned her back seorn- fully upon him and with a dazzling smile which reduced the three men to absoluts 1dio in one voice. them and at Jackson. id to the others, “I'll s G marched away to the cab!n.how beie ve musin’'t mind- Jacksy,” sald Rice, sycophantically edgIng to her side, “he's so cnt up with losin' your father, that he loved like a son, he isn't himself, ang N e ———— e ~ Mou DONT SUPPOSE | WAS TRESPASSING ON YOUR WRETCHED PATCH AGAIN, Do You ? It 1s to be feared that Jackson would have suppressed this also, but the keen eyes of his partners, excited by the abruptness of the messenger, were upon him. He smiled feebly, and laid the let- ter before them. But he was unprepared for their exaggerated indignation, and with difficulty restrained them from dash- ing off in the direction of the vanished herald. “And what could you do?" he said, “the boy’s only a messenger.” “I'll get at that skunk, Brown, who's back of him,” said Dexter Rice. “And what then?” persisted Jackson, with a certain show of independence. *“If the stuff belongs to the girl, I'm not certain I shan't give them up without any fus Lord! I want nothing but what the old man left me—and certainly nothing of hers.” Here Ned Wyngate was heard to mur- mur and Jackson was one of those men who would lie down and let coyotes crawl over him if they first presented a girl's visiting card, but he was stopped by Rice demanding paper and pencil. The for- mer being torn from a memorandum book and & stub of the latter produced from another pocket, he wrote as follows: “Sir—In reply to the hogwash you have kindly exuded in your letter of to-day, I have to inform you that you can have what you ask for Miss Wells, and per- haps a trifie on your own account, by call- ing this afternoon on yours truly.” “Now sign it,” continued Rice, handing bim the pencil. “But this will look as if we were angry and wanted to keep the plants,” protested Wells, “Never you mind, sonny, but sign! Leave the rest to your partners, and when you lay your head on your pillow to-night return thanks to an overruling Providence for providing you with the right gang of ruffians to look after you!” ‘Wells signed reluctantly, and Wyngate offered to find a Chinaman in the gulch who would take the missive. “And bein’ or four men.” They walked leisurely but silently to the gate. It is probable that none of them belfeved in a gerious collision, but now the prospect had enough_ possibility in it to quicken their pulses. They reach- ed the gate. But it was still closed; the road.beyond it empty. aked round to “an’ are holdin® the it inside.” ~They were turning quickly in that direction, when Wpyngate said: “Hush! Some’ o there in the brush uhder the buckeyes.” They listened; there vas a faint rustiing in the shadows. ome out o' that, Brown—into the open. Don’t be sh called out Rice in cheerful irony. “We're waitin’ for ye.” But Briggs, who was nearest the wood, here suddenly uttered an exclamation, “B'gosh!” and fell back open mouthed, s companions. They, too, in anoth- ment, broke into a feeble laugh, and against each other in sheepish si- . For a very pretty girl, handsomely dressed, swept out of the wood and ad- vanced toward them. Even at any time she would have been an enchanting vision to these men, but in the glow of exercise and sparkle of anger she was bewildering. Her wonderful hair, the color of freshly hewn redwood, ha escaped from her hat In her passage throtigh the underbrush, and even as she swept down upon them in her majest: she was jabbing a hairpin into it wit! a dexterous feminine hand. The three partners turned quite the color of her hair—Jackson Wells alone re- mained white and rigld. She came on, her very short upper lip showing her white teeth with her panting breath. Rice was first to speak. “I beg—your pardon, miss—I thought it was Brown— you know,” he stammered. But she only turned a blighting brown eye on the culprit, curled her short lip till it almost vanished in her scornful nostrils, drew her skirt aside with a jerk, and continued her way straight to Jack- son Wells, where she halted. “We did not know you were—here alone,” he said apologetically. “Thought 1 was afraid to come alone— didn’t you? Well, you see, I'm_ not. There!” She made another -dive at her h?tkagil hair a.m:I brought ;he hat down wickedly over her str: t eyebrows. “Gimme my plants.” e i 3 don’t seem to know whether to ante up or pass out. And as for yourself, Miss— why—what was it he was sayin’ only just as the young lady came?” he added, turn- ing abruptly to Wyngate. “Everything that Cousin Josey planted with her own hands must be took up care- fully and sent back—even though it's kii- in’ me to part with it,”” quoted Wyngate unblushingly, as he slouched along on the other side. Miss Wells' eyes glared at them— though her mouth still smiled ravishingly. “I'm sure I'm troubling you.” In a few moments the plants were dug_up and carefully laid mgether; in- deed, the servile Briggs had added a few that she had not indicated. “Would you mind bringing them as far as the buggy that's coming down the hill?"" she said, pointing to a buggy driven by a small boy, which was slowly nr. proaching the gate. The men tenderly lifted the uprooted plants, each carrying one, and proceeded solemnly, Miss Wells bringing_ up the rear, toward the gate, where Jackson Wells was still surlily They passed out first. Miss Wells lingered for an instant, ‘and then, ad- vancing her beautiful but audaclous face within an inch of Jackson's, hissed out, “Make believe and hspocrkez" “Crosspatch and Baucebox!” returned Jockson readily, stll under the malign influence of his_boyish past, as she flounced away. Presently he heard the buggy rattle away with his persecutor. But_ his partners still lingered on the road in earnest conversation, and when they did return it was with a singular awkwardness and embarrassment which he naturally }zut down to a guilty con- sclousness of their foolish weakness in succumbing to the girl's demands. But he was a little surprised when Dexter Rice a %ronched h‘l‘m gloomily. “Of course,” he began, ‘it ain't no " call of ours to interfere in family affairs, and ou've a right td keep ’em to yourseif, but {t you'd been fair and square and above board in what you got off on us about this an— o P What do you mean?’ demanded the astonished Wells. 3 “Well—callin’ Tier & ‘Ted-haired gal’ " “Well—she is a red-haired girl!” said ‘Wells impatiently. “A man,” continued Rice, pityingly. that 18 so diced as to . _ply such language to & baautifal orphan—torn with grief at the loss of a beloyed but md construing parent—merely because she begs a few vegetables out of his potato patch—ain’t to be reasoned with. But when you come to look at this thing by and large, and as a far-minded man, son- ny. you'll agree with us that the sooner you make terms with her the better. Considerin’ your interest, Jacksy—let alone the claims of humanity—we've eon- cluded to withdraw from here until this thing is settled. She’s sort o' mixed us up with your feelings agin her, and natu- rally supposed we object to the color of Her halr, and bein' a less orphan, rejected by her reiations— ¥ “What stuff are you talking?” burst in Jackson, “why you saw she treated you better than she did me.” “Steady! There you go with that tem- per of yours that frightened the girl! Of course she could see that we were fair- minded men, accustomed to the ways of soclety, and not upset by the visit of a lady oF the givin' up of a few green sticks! But let that slide! We're goin’ back home to-night, sonny, and _when you've thought this thing over and are stralghtened vp and get your right bear- in’s, we'll stand by you as before. We'l ut a man on to da your work on thy edge—so you needn’t worry about that.” They were quite firm in this decision— however absurd or obscure their conclu- sions—and Jackson, after his first flash of indignation, felt a certain rellef in their departure. But strangely enough while he had hesitated about keeping the property when they were violently in favor of it, he now felt he was right in retaining It against their advice to com- promige. The sentimental idea had van- ished with his recognition of his hateful cousin in the role of the injured orphan. And for the same o0dd reason her pretti- ness only increased his resentment. He was not deceived—it was the same capri- cious, willful red-haired girl. The next day he set himself to work with that dogged steadiness that belonged to his simple nature and which had en- deared him to his partners. He set half a dozen Cklnamen to work—and followed —although _ apparently directing _their methods. The great difficulty was to re- strain and control the excessive vegeta- tion and he matched the small economies of the Chinese against the ogulsnce of the Californian soll. The “garden patch’ prospered; the neighbors spoke well of it'and of him. But Jackson knew that this flerce harvest of early spring was to be followed by the sterility of the dry season—and that irrigation could alone make his work profitable in the end. He brought a pump to force the water from the little stream at the foot of the slope to the top—and allowed it to flow back through parallel trenches. Again Buck- eye applauded! Only the gloomy bar- keeper shook his head. ‘The momeni you get that thing to pay, Mr. Wells, youw'll find the hand of Brown somewhere, getting ready to fqueeze it dry!” But Jackson Wells did not trouble him« self about Brown, whom he scarcely knew. Once, indeed, while trenching the slope, he was conscious that he was watched by two men from the opposite bank, but they were apparently satisfied by their scrutiny and turned away. Still less did he concern himself with the move- ments of his cousin, who once or twice ed him superciliously in her buggy on he road. Agaln, she met him as one of a cavalcade of riders mounted on a hand- some but ill-tempered mustang—which sne was managing with an {ll-temper and grace equal to the brute’s—to the alter- nate delight and terror of her cavalier. He could see that she had been petted and spoiled by her new guardian and his friends far beyond his conception. But Why she should grudge him the little gar- den and the pastoral life for which she was so unsuited puzzled him greatly. One afternoon he was working near the road, when he was startled by an outery from his Chinese laborers, their rapid dis- per from the strawberry beds whers they were working, the splintering crash of his fence rails and a cortmotion amon: the buckeyes. Furious at, what seeme to him one of the usual wanton attacks upon coolle labor, he seized his pick and Tan to their assistance. But he was sur- grlsed to find Jocelinda's mustang caught y the saddle and struggling between two trees, and its unfortunate mistress lying upon’the strawberry bed. Shocked but cool headed, Jackson re- leased the horse first, which was lashing about and destroying everything within his reach, and then turned to his cousin. But she had already lifted herself to her elbow, and with a trickle of blood and mud on one fair cheek was surveying him scornfully under her tumbled hair and banging hat. ““You don't suppose I was trespassing on your wretched patch again, do you? she said in a voice she was trying to keep from breaking. “It was that brute —who bolted.” “I don’t suppose you were bullying me this time,” he said, “but you were your horse—or it wouldn't have happened. Are you hurt?” She tried to move: he offered her his hand, but she shied from it, and strug- gled ‘to her feet. She took a step for- ward—but limped. “If you don’t want my arm, let me call a Chinaman,” he suggested. b She glared at him. *“If you do I'll scream!” she said in a low voice, and he knew she wouid. But at the same mo- ment her face whitened, at which he slip- ed his arm under hers in a dexterous, usinessifke way, so as to support her weight. Then her hat got askew and down came a long brald over his shoul- der; he remembered it of old—only it was two or three feet longer and darker than then. *If you could manage to limp as far as the gate and sit down on the bani, 1'd get your horse for you,” he said. hitched it to a sapling. “T saw you did—before you even offered to_help me,” she sald scornfully. “The horse would have got away—you couldn’ ¥ “If you only knew how I hated you, she sald with a white face—but a tremb- ling lip. “] don't see how that would make things any better,” he said. ‘“‘Better wipe your face: it's scratched and muddy, and ycu've bcen rubbing your nose in my bed.” r X atched his proffered handkerchief , applied it to her face and said, pose it looks dreadful.” 1 pig’ he returned cheerfully. She walked a little more firmly after this until they reached the gate. He seated her on the bank and went back for the mustang. That beautiful brute, astounded and sore from its contact with the top rail and brambles, was cowed and subdued as he led it back. She had finished wiping her face and was hurriedly disentangling two stinging tears from her long lashes before she threw back his handkerchief. ~Her sprained ankle obliged him to lift her into the saddle and adjust her little shoe in the stirrup. ~He remembered when it was still smaller. “You used to ride astride,” he said, a flood of recollection coming over him,’ “and it's much safer with your temper and that brute.” “And you,” she said in a lower voice, “used to be—''_But the rest of her sen- tence was lost In the switch of the whip, and the jump of ber horse, but he thought the word was “kinder.” Perhaps this was why, after he watched her canter away, he went back to the gar- den, and from the bruised and trampled strawberry bed gathered a small basket of the flnest fruit, covered them with leaves, added a paper with the highly in- genious witticism, ‘“Picked up with you,” and sent them to her by one of the China- men. Her forcible entry moved Li Sing, his foreman, also chief laundryman to.the settlement, to reminiscence: “Me heap knew Missy Wells gnd ole man who go dead. Ole man allee time make chin music to missy. Allee time jaw, jaw—allee time make lows—allée time cuttee up missy! Plenty time lookee up missy top side house; no can walkee—no can talkee—no hab got—how can get?— must washee, washee allee samee China- man go dead—Missee all lightee Plenty fun. Plenty stay in Blown's big house, top side hill; Blown first chop man.” Had he inquired .he might have found this pagan testimony for once cor- roborated by the Christian neighbors. But another incident drove all this from his mind. The little stream—the lifeblood of his garden—ran dry. Inquiry showed that it had been diverted two miles away into Brown's ditch. Wells' indignant protest _elicited a formal reply from Brown, stating that he owned adjacent mining claims, and reminding him that mining rifht.l to water took pre- cedence of the agricultural claim—but of- fering, by way of compensation, to pur- chase the land thus made useless and -temta .ucr xh;on )!uflufllry .ncan-d u:: rophecy of t! loomy barkeeper. Zod had Ccomdr® ‘But what could the scheming capitalist want with the land— equall{ useless, as his uncle had proved, for mining purposes? Could it be sheer malignity, incited by his vengeful cousin? But here he paused. rejecting the idea as quickly as it came. No, his partners were right. He was a trespasser on his cousin’s heritage—there was no luck in it— he was wrong, and this was his ?un}lh- ment! Instead of ylelding gracefully as he might, he must back now, and she would never know his first real feel- ings. Even now he would make over the property to her as a free gift, but his partners had advanced him money from their scanty means to plant and work it. He Ctelleved that an lgp&l to their feel- ings would persuade them to forego even that: but he shrank even more from con- fessing his defeat to them than to her. He had little heart in his labors that day and dismissed the Chinaman early. He again examined his uncle's old min- ing claim on the top of the slope, but was satisfled that it had been a hopeless en- terprise and wisely abandoned. It was sunset when he stood under the buckeyes, gloomy lookrng at the glow fade out o the west as it had out of his boyish hopes. He had grown to like the place. It was the hour, too, when the few flowers he had cultivated gave back their pleasant odors as if grateful for his care. And then he heard his name called. It was his cdusin standing a few yarde from him in evident hesitation. She was quite pale, and for a moment he thought she was still suffering from her fall, until he saw in her nervous half-embarrassed manner that it had no physical cause. Her old audacity and anger seemed gone, vet there was o queer determination .o her pretty brows. “Good evening,” he said. She did not return his greeting, but ily at her gloves said hesi- ncle has asked you to sell him this land?” “Yeu.” “Well—don’t!” she burst out abruptly. He stared at he: “Oh, I'm not trying to keep you here,” she went on, flashing back Into her oid temper, “so you needn’t stare like that. y, ‘don’t’ because it ain’t right—it ain't he 1= fair hy—he’s left me no alternative,’ sald. “That's l;unt it—that's why it's mean and low. I don’t care if he {8 our ungle.” Jackson was bewildered and shocked. “I know it's horrid to say it," she said, with a white face, “but it's horrider to keep it In! Oh Jack! when we were little d used to fight and quarrel—I never mean—was 1? I never was under- handed—was 1?7 T never lied—did I? And I can't lie now, Jack,” she looked hurrfed- ly around her, “‘he wants to get hold of the land—he thinks there’s gold in the slope and bank by the stream. He says Dad was a fool to have located his claim so high up. Jack, did you ever prospect the bank?"” A dawning of intelligence came upon Jackson. * * he said, “but.” he added, bitterly, “what's the use? He owns the water now—I couldn’t work it.” “But, Jack—if you found the color, this be a mining claim! You could claim the water right—and as it's your land your claim would be first!” Jackson wag startled. “Yes, if I found the_color.” “You wduld find 1t.” “Would? “Yes! I dld. On _the sly! Yesterday morning on your slope by the stream— when no one was up! I washed a pan- ful and got that—' She took a plece of tissue paver from her pocket, opened it and shook into her little palm’ three tiny pin points of gold. “And that was your own idea, Jo:sv?’: our very own?’ “Honest Ingin!" “Wish you may dle? “True, O King!" He opened his arms and they mautually embraced. Then they separated, taking hold of each other’s hands solemnly and falling back until they were at arm’s length. Then they slowly extended their arms sideways at full length until this ac- tion naturally brought their faces and lips together. They did this with the utmost three times, and then embraced again, rocking on pivoted feet like a met- ronome, Alas! it was no momentary in- spiration. The most casual indifferent ob- server could see that it was the result of long previous practice and shameless ex- perience. And as such—it was a revela- tion and an explanation. s suspected that Jackson was about that red haired cousin,™ Rice two weeks later, “but I can't allow that purp stuff about her puttin’ im up to that dodge about a new gold ~overy on a fresh claim just to knoek Brown. No, sir. He found that gold openin’ these irrigatin’ trenches—the al nigger luck—findin’ what you're not lookin® arter.” ‘Well, we can’t complain, for he’s of- grpd to work it on shares with us.” said riges. until he’s ready to take in an- other partner.” *“Not—Brown?" sald his horrified com- panions. “No! but Brown's adopted daughter— that red haired cousin!”