The Storyteller THE MAYFLOWER AT THE GULCH

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 17, 30 April 1908, Page 3

The Storyteller

THE MAYFLOWER AT THE GULCH

Rutth) Mason descended from ■ the roof of the Clare- . Mont Fla/ts— the ■' loggia ' ' she called it when in a f acestioius mood— with' her arms full of freshly dried linen. On entering the combination kitchen and daning-room o"f x fourth, floor 'back,, she found her mother engaged ijn a frantic search for her spectacles. - * •' Another letter from Dick :-' cried Mrs. Mason. 1 Lamd's sakes,, where can those pesky glasses be ?' i l Let me have thie» letter, mother,' said Ruth, who was calm and, dignified," a great contrast to her fussy little parent. »' It is from U"cle Cal, mot from . Dick looking at" the superscriptions «' And, O mother, lisitenr to what he says.:' 'My dear Hester :— Dick' tells 'me that Niece Ruth has obtained a certificate as te&clier in York State, but ita-t she cannot find a situation. Now, we have built a fins little school-house here this summer, and we are looting for a sensible school-ma'am- train the young faiopefuls of Copper. Gulch in the way they should go. Society at the Guloh. is still in a crude state, and the scih'ooL-ma'am aforesaid will miss- the tea meet.mijTS, gossiping' .bees, and other social diversions of the effete East. However, if Niece Ruth accepts the job which I am authorised by the other trustees to otfer her, the pay is .sixty-five dollars a month, and she can hoard with her old uncle fre;e, gratis, and for nothing. As for yourself, you could go and visit at the homestead back in Vermont till we see how things pan out. Take time to think over it-— say a week' or ten' r days. •.-■' Your' affectionate brother, '^^^ .< P S — Ddck is as fit as a fiddle ;• he has gone into the foothills withl a party of prospectors.' Botli women were salenft for several minutes the Perusal of this characteristic epis+le. Mrs. Mason,, who had discovered, the truant spectacles between the leaves of her Testament, sat in the rockmg-chair, polishing their already brilliant lenses on to* g >***£. 'f' ron. As for Ruth', she stood 'by the table, thmkins iap< Their stock of, money was Retting low,; and, ■ although! she o'b+ained an occasional week's employment <as a substitute, a permanent engagement seemed no nearer than it did sax months > ago. Then there was DicW < the delicate young brother whom, on the doctors advice, they had sent out to, find Uncle Calvin some- two months (before. He was out-growin£ his strength',- amL his lungs were not up to the mark, tfce professional sjsntJemian bad) saifd.; A 1 trap to the We'sst Would do him the world of good. So the two loving women had let him go, though! with' many misgivings. He needed , a sister's care, thought Ruth; and her dtear mother ' woifld be all right - for a time with Aunt Mehit&,biel, visiting among the friends of her youth. c I have decided to accept, mother,' she said at last, breaking the silence. Mrs. Mason acquiesced. She, too, rejoiced- that her beloved Dick would have s o me one to look after him. ; -' But what will Thornton Best say to your got ing West, Ruthi ? ' she asked. \ < . ' The girl reddened. Thornton Best was her fiance, and she knew very well that her leaving New. York would be regaxded by him with disfavor. .' 'I can not help, what he "thinks, mother,' she replied. 'My mdnd is quite made up.' Miss Mason was not a person to let the grass grow under her feet, once she had taken a decision. She replied to her uncle at once, accepting his offer, and) set about disposing of thJair scanty stock of furniture— , not a very difficult task. She had a rather stormy interview with her ' betrothed, a slinu,' fair, . goody-goody young man, r who affected a "drawling manner of speaking, because he fancied "that dt gave his words ' more weight. -He taught a class in the Sabbath school of the First • Church, as also 'dRd Ruth;' and the two were members of- various societies for the distribution of free Bibles- and.- tracts to the Soutlf Sea Islanders and other amiable heathens. Their friends thought that they seemed well fitted "for' each other, as both took an interest in such r " serious matters. Rutb, however, . 'did not allow her fiance's re-presentations-to alter- h!er decision in the matter of goinig Xesty so perhaps 'these was a slight coolness between the " pair when they bade each other good-bye. Ruth saw her mother comfortably 'domiciled with!

her aunt before setting' out to ' seek her fortune,' as ] she laughjinigly "^called it. Five days later she felt little inclined to laugfi when she stepped- off the train at CoPr per GiAch, and noted the one long street, with its array of houses and shacks. Some were altogether devoid of paint i; others appeared as if the artist responsible for their decoration! had been on the lookout for the most startling combinations of color/ To the girl's eye everything seemed flat, stale, and i:npvcfitable. Dick was still away in the foothills i, w;d, though her uncle gave her a warm welcaaie, s!>e was utterly heartsick and miserable when they iarivod «»t thenondiescripit structure wWich - its owner dignified by the name of. i c Bentley's Bower.' " Here we are ! exclaimed Uncle Cal., in hiis bluff fashion. •', And here is Mrs. Luke with tea waiting for us, I'll be bound— Mrs. Luke Dillon, my dear, who runs the general store and bosses every man, woman and , child an the Gulch.' * Don't mind' Mm, Miss Mason,' said a soft, laughinc voice & and Ruth, found herself drawn gently into a pleasant, airy little mest of a room, with snow-white hangings in feeds ansd windows. • ' Uncle Cal. must be joking,' thought the girl ;," for certainly the little lady whom he called Mrs. Luke" looked anything! but masterful. She was fairylike as Ti-t-ania^ and., a s she removed Rutln's hat and -assisted her with her toilet, she chatted away gaily, chiefly about Dick and the improvement in his health. She felt very sorry for her companion , for she well" remembered her own feelings of utter desolation when she and Luke toad landed at Copper Gulch, some eight years previously. tBy the time tea had been disposed of, Ruth felt a little less home aick. She noticed that the table anDointments, though plain, were clean and homelike, and the living-room fairly comfortable. Inwardly she cave the credit for this to, the little lady sitting opposite to Ruth, was not to know for a long time how .much she really was indebted to Mrs. Dillon. When - ■ that Scod Samaritan 'had heard from Uncle Cal. of his niece's pending, arnvaH she had laid down -the law to her SSf°Sf«.°S»f i f8 d lll l % 2e2 c - ry positdve fashion - The c SU-SS -t f OIM ! f ! ecorati °ns of the ' Bower,' consist Ms mainly ofi empty tan cans of various sizes and cSr^S« S> ere dumped' into a neighboring ravine. TKe services ol a Chhinaman were cabled into realisation', and Wung Lee used whitewash and scrub brush with in SrT^w nd i- TKen , a C( ? Uch ' bookcafe; bedroom furotw£%? ' ii n ?'' d(ra P eries and' carpet besides m a ny other tWs whach Mrs. Luk e ~considered the necessary thlt the TStI V« m ' UnCle . Cal - Protested SSSSSr^ioic^d >J? +f etod7 * wa . 8 rmning him - fewardly -he more Prospect of living In civilisation once • Now, Mrs. Dillon -did all these things out of recard for genial, boyish DicV, who Was a universal favor- ' we, but mostly from the kindly impulse of a Christian •heart. i The school term started in tHe following week, and • our heroine soon discovered that she would have little, time to indulge in mal de pays. Her pupils were of assorted sizes, nationalities, and dispositions. There were ■dark-haired, soft-eyed Mexicans, golden-haired Swedes, children from all parts of the British Isles, tog-ether with a fair sprinkling of native Americans. Copper Gulch possessed no church of any denomination. On! Sundays^ the Dillons and a few Irish families, besides an the Mexicans, drove seven mffles to hear Mass at Tuscon. Ruth, who was very conscientious, assembled all the ("Brotestanit children whom she could coax or bribe at the Bower on Sabbath afternoons, when she read Bttble stories or instructed them in a few elementary Christian truth®. She wrote about this to Thornton Best in New York ; and that gentleman responded, in ratWer a pompous- -manner, that he had placed the spiritual needs of Copper Gulch before the Mission Board of the First Church. - i L Miss Mason was a favorite with both parents and' pupils, and the -cowboys regarded her with something akin to reverence. Her fair, gentle prettiness, a certain prim neatness of dress and appearance, together j-witti her New-England* oripfln, caused them to 'bestow upon hzr the sobrlqiuet of the ' Mayflower.' She was the pride of old Calvin Befltley's heart. It was wonderful to see I*- Careless Call ' hang up ttis soft felt hat in the little entry and scrape Jfis shoes on the mat when he entered thY precincts of the Bower, which was now beginning to grow worthy of its name. RutbJ's friendship with Mrs. Luke grew apace, anft many of Mer evenings were spent? in tKe pleasant sit-

kting-roomi behind the general store. The- little lady had been a convent graduate in the East, and she was as cultivated m mind as she was amiable ill disposition. The girl felt .many o$ her old prejudices against Catholics disappear as she became more intimate with that „ refined family cirde. Xhere-^were ' two ' girl's of whom she became very fond ;' but the pup,il that occupied the first place in her heart was. a little Mexican— Uarmela Diaz.

Carmela htad come to the neighborhood with , her father two years before, and they had taken possession of a miserable, halt-ruined - abode on We trail to Las Nivasvj Prospero Diaz had a rather shady reputation.. It was whispered that fie left his country — old' Mexicor-fior has country's good, and that Ms wife had lied of a broken heart. She— had belonged to a most respectable _f a mfly, and had fallen .in love with >the handsome face, of Prospero Diaz, and married him -.against her parents' wishes. ,The Poor soul had a very bitter .iawak ening. Her husband made a precarious living in underhand wiays , and though he was never actively unkind to ""her, Mi was worry and privation th a t gradually undermined' her health. After her death her people came forward and proposed -that they should ; take charge of little Carmela. The father insolently refused. , their offer, for he lowed the child with a fierce p&ss'onate love ; though he often left her far twnety-four •hours at a time, while (indulging his appetite for gambling at the faro rooms of^the Gulch. Everyone pitied Oarraelat, who foiad a sweet, gentle dispositioto, and the fs.ce of am angel. It was her beauty that first attracted Ruth. She often took the Poor waif home with her after school hours, and taught her how!, to mend liier clothes .and do simple household tasks. It was characteristic of her high sense of honor that she never trtied to> tamper with the child's simple f a ith. * Are you never afraid, Carmela,' she asKed her one 'Stay, Mat nligh/t when your father does not .come home?' -•' No, Senorita,' - was the reply. ? I have my two motihers_jn heaven, you know. They always watch* aver ■ me. ' ' Y o ur two mothers ?' said Ruthl, in a puzzled voice. 1 Yes*, Senonta': My own dear mamma who died, and Mary, the Mother of Our Lord.' Would 1 you like to go to heaven yourself, Carmela ?' — ' j < Well, you lcnow, I could not leave Poor papacSLto. And, then' it is like heaven in your house, Senorita.' Bob Dillon left the *San Patricio RjaJioh, at daybreak one fine morning in early summer, and rode along the trail arotnd the hills toward Copper Gulch. He - had not seen hlis "brother -Luke for almost a year, for it had teen a busy time in the cattle - country, and all the ranches were short-handed. Old Sol was climbing the heavens slowly, and Bob's thoughts were in' harmony with the glorious promise of the' f a ir June day. Dear old Luke ! how pleased he would be, and Margaret too, to< say nothing of -Grade and Nellie, his •' fairy goddaughters,' as^e called, them : But It was Luke principally whom he longed to see r for there had been only the two brothers in the family. Their mother had . died in thein^ infancy, and: at their father's de a tKithey had decided to . go West. Luke, who " was not very strong and hardly . fitted ._ for life on the plains, opened' a general store at the Gulch, where? re prospered 1 But Robert was a bom ranchman, and never so happy as when in the saddle. It was early afternoon when he slackened rein- atthe i' Dutchman's,' the euphonious name of Copper Gulch's largest hostlery. Walter Lindsay, * Whoop-up-Watt ,' whose antipathy for ■'••biled shirts ' was notorious actually stood out in front of the hotel, in stotfe"* clothes' and stondsip collar. Presently he w a s joined by three other cowboys all dressed 1 in the same fashion. The four looked 1 exceedingly uncomfortable. ' WEat's up, Watt ?'■ imquareift Bob, curiously, as ; he dismounted. " ' '' Tflat you, <B&be ?v-iri that lanH of nickna*nes X «oJji s length of limb ha 3 e&rmA .for • him- the! soforaqiuet of : « Bahe.' We are going .to the closing exeroises a * the schoolhouse,' .continued Watt, with -dignity. ' ' Clo-ing ex-ercis.es ?' Bob repeated, in astonishment, eni, M f V Li "? sa 7 explained that Miss Mason, the new scnooi-teacher, was, responsible for the invitation. For weeks she had toiled in- order to bring her pupils to vie proper pitch of perfection, so the Gulch felt bound ' 2£ turn out en masse to* do Honor' to the' occasion-. aU his I?' lto a ltfan> Were arra -yody 0d like> Solomon' in * "''Here's Miss- Mason* now!' He sa!di, as- a bewilder SXwRf^J, 11 T? ito P"*!™ witK ' fluttering ribbons c a me rapidly Sown the street and passed thiem with » smile

and a mod. ' What do you thimk of the new addition to our scenery, Babe ?' - i. But Babe was justi them speechless. Miss Mason had given the little group a 'second/, swift glance, and » ii) was directed •at him. Most feminine eyes regarded, with, approval has fine su'iu-biurned. facet and six feet ofi brawn and muscle »; so there was no reason why he should' be 'knocked all of a heap by a K lint of the little schaolmja" l m's e'en,' as Scotty, the other cowboy, , expressed it afterward. ' Cheer up, old fellow,' said TVhoop-up, encourajrimg7^ J? v hme &vei:y ch an°e to-, go in and win;' for "she and Mrs. Luke are as thick as— as flies on a molasses barrel, "-the graphic, if homely simile, h a vin a been inspired b,y the sight of an empty keg standing ntearT Just then there was a quick scurry d little feet, and two fames an white i jumped into Robert Dillon's cUTIUS. » | Undle Bofl) !-dt is Uncle Bob( !' cried Nellie. >■ Uur giant godfather : ' sajid Gracie, with a losing ' c Where are you 'going midgets ?' he laqtuired. rra / c are glOin;?g lOin ;? to the closin' exercises,' answered - a rp \ ? om P? se * ] J- 'Me and Nellie-no, Nellie and I »**s*%&£*.?■ V"***^ ™ a a duet, the 1 You come and hear us, Uncle Bob !' beeped Nellie -as ?S O t o,* VA?-^' ' mmM <&* "£" £ marches uV t tL^t^S* 6*6 * little ailt W and ttm little feican iirlJ' rt m ?f* be allowed. - -Then i He^^f^San Brjgo County rose to his a'tlity, but mec kn" d*a ht conM I*s^ WstrioJo er, Miss Mason, who Ld «?v« R *?" f^ their te&chin the East in order t o dS ? T lnlliant Prospects welfare of Copper^Gulch's tlur! S? 6ner ? ieS *° the Jn ? at this.) \ n4 „ p^& r . e IZ ens. (Loud cheernervousness mdi nd tf^Mre w' o her che ?^ s flu shed with 'bowed^ her acknowieSents th Smnu * > " ke " s ' tar ' s - Pla^e that almost bro^fto^eTooi! °*^ both away i n the mnLu^ d brc> i her »ick were made up his mfn^Tw ? S ' P ros P^*ing. Dick Wad' l^m^inthe AVeT Hp h WaS *TST S to make to a viffoxoS ?n^ ad ' ftrolT S l . fr^«,a .puny stripter months and ih P +t s^ter through the long wiiv to Mrs. Mason a t ?hi,\ rr ° te . many ch^f u f letters Pirl had saved most af^lr^T 5^ v «m<it. The been tak en into Da Vwr f w "I ; and as Dick *** talk of h? s go?ng P bSc k SLf b 7b 7 \ is . there w aS mother. S g back East t( > ri ng out the little T iiw^nl, a hiapP7 rart y gathered around Mrs voiced l^ea^her *e^? m°3nl^m °3 nl^ B^^ two So ft little As the dewy shades of even \ , Gather o'er ths balmy air, Listen gentle Queen of Heaven,ljasten to our vesper prayer ! vrerf^^'LTi a * ihe ' m *&- T*l' tonocerit eyes'

place themselves under the protection of Mp,ry, that moidel of alB purity I The words of Ellen's petition in tThe Lady of the Lake '. came' to her mind : Maiden, hear a maiden's prayer ! - . Mother, hear a suppliant child ! Sne gla;noed a t P^obert Diilon, and noticed withi wondter that his eyes were full of tears, and— he was looking directly at v her.

• The mother retinngi presently to put her little ones to bed, the two were lelt aLone. Luke ' looked" in upomi them occasdonaHy, but he was 'busy in the store. They cemwersed' up>on variouis sub jects ;- - and JRufh' had admib 'to herself that she had seldom met a young man so well informed, though >he laughingly told, her that as a boy he had shown more affinity for baseball than foa: his x studies. She blushed at finding herself comparing, his lively pleasant conversation withl the stilted platitudes of Thornton Best. Mrs. Luke, returowng, found them apparently such good fmerads tjhat she* could not help saying t o -hers e lfWhat, a couple they would make, if only Ruth were a Catholic r I am afiaad the little lady was a, matohmafcer at heart , but, then, what happy wffe is not ! It was late, and Bob. Dillon had many 'miles to- cover before reaching the San Patricio Ranch. That ride in the moonkght will live in his memory for ever. The j [ te ; * rail w i™*ms in- and out around' the mesa ; here antt there a clump of sage or a blotch of blackness, SSfcl 6 &? a ' ttl S-Tf c hld ' ddte <i together in the hollowsthose famaliiar sfagbfer, whieh^ he bad thought s0:s 0 : m<motonoust, took en in -his -eyes a new-tfSauty, glamored Z^UerTSTovI 1 ' 11 the moon ' ss ' silv^ riat»«m But the days that followed ! If each were a ' cpntury in 1«^ they could not seem to bur hero to drag more slowly. j ■•'Boseee, he siclcee,' said' Wah Lung, the cook. He no eatee slo muchee, '— with a gesture of the fine- ' meals ° f th ° Ut ' ter lnsi S nific^e of Ms m a sS

M dLSJL 7O", *r' S ,sickem^S foi V a fever,' put in Doleful Desmond, who always looked on the dark side of wi.n&s. || ™Jh"H. tank! remal*ed Lief Olesora, slowly-'ay tank The nth l?*- 01116 P"*!* «W down' at the Gutch.' imnJ^ Werf f? mcd to be oE the Swede's opr!nV eni '- a ™k later ' tbe boss started off for the 2^? ™f"\ °n S'°mf 'insigaiffsSnt errand. It was eS ean ft when he reached his "brother's home and there diappomtment awaited Mm, Ruth was in the HtMe parlor, tis true , "but near her, and ;,vith an air of nropneWap for which Bob would have liked to kick him, sat Thornton Best. He had stepped off Ihe train —so he sapd. Truth to tell, hiis coming had given hrar more surprise Wan pleasure. He took uphta hea?quarters at the < Dutchman's '„ for he wanted to show he%oM Vb S% hr * g hrist^ should Hve^ ne tow has fiancee.- -Were it not for their regard fo? Micp Mason, he would' soon have shown them how a ZL fopr hiS! p"an« *ir * EaVtlVr lf &he vould only talfe a shine to't 0' •r ? Thfer 'ft^ a man for you :' - -Kafoe Dillon, tK'cw&h a man, was not a veirv Ea-nnv one on that particular evening Mrs. Luke her 2v luVEf£ + CKert? -^elf to Ye agr!'eable; PrS i «m stepped noMy into the breach. But after a time conversation Jan^ished. TEornton Best conTThffh^ ira T^^ MM \ c an* mßtropolitan\S fas he fondly believed',,-could no* help hut adopt a rcxr^vcr the <™*». -* ~ (To be concluded next