Part 29 (2/2)

she gave a scream of surprise, and dropped her knife. ”Why, who--” she began; then, seeing his face, her own lighting up with pleasure, she continued, ”Alessandro! Is it you? Why, I took you in the dark for old Ramon! I thought you were in Pachanga.”

”In Pachanga!” Then as yet no one had come from the Senora Moreno's to Hartsel's in search of him and the Senorita Ramona! Alessandro's heart felt almost light in his bosom, From the one immediate danger he had dreaded, they were safe; but no trace of emotion showed on his face, and he did not raise his eyes as he replied; ”I have been in Pachanga. My father is dead. I have buried him there.”

”Oh, Alessandro! Did he die?” cried the kindly woman, coming closer to Alessandro, and laying her hand on his shoulder. ”I heard he was sick.”

She paused; she did not know what to say. She had suffered so at the time of the ejectment of the Indians, that it had made her ill. For two days she had kept her doors shut and her windows close curtained, that she need not see the terrible sights. She was not a woman of many words.

She was a Mexican, but there were those who said that some Indian blood ran in her veins. This was not improbable; and it seemed more than ever probable now, as she stood still by Alessandro's side, her hand on his shoulder, her eyes fixed in distress on his face. How he had altered!

How well she recollected his lithe figure, his alert motion, his superb bearing, his handsome face, when she last saw him in the spring!

”You were away all summer, Alessandro?” she said at last, turning back to her work.

”Yes,” he said: ”at the Senora Moreno's.”

”So I heard,” she said. ”That is a fine great place, is it not? Is her son grown a fine man? He was a lad when I saw him. He went through here with a drove of sheep once.”

”Ay, he is a man now,” said Alessandro, and buried his face in his hands again.

”Poor fellow! I don't wonder he does not want to speak,” thought Mrs.

Hartsel. ”I'll just let him alone;” and she spoke no more for some moments.

Alessandro sat still by the fire. A strange apathy seemed to have seized him; at last he said wearily: ”I must be going now. I wanted to see Mr.

Hartsel a minute, but he seems to be busy in the store.”

”Yes,” she said, ”a lot of San Francisco men; they belong to the company that's coming in here in the valley; they've been here two days. Oh, Alessandro,” she continued, bethinking herself, ”Jim's got your violin here; Jose brought it.”

”Yes, I know it,” answered Alessandro. ”Jose told me; and that was one thing I stopped for.”

”I'll run and get it,” she exclaimed.

”No,” said Alessandro, in a slow, husky voice. ”I do not want it. I thought Mr. Hartsel might buy it. I want some money. It was not mine; it was my father's. It is a great deal better than mine. My father said it would bring a great deal of money. It is very old.”

”Indeed it is,” she replied; ”one of those men in there was looking at it last night. He was astonished at it, and he would not believe Jim when he told him about its having come from the Mission.”

”Does he play? Will he buy it?” cried Alessandro.

”I don't know; I'll call Jim,” she said; and running out she looked in at the other door, saying, ”Jim! Jim!”

Alas, Jim was in no condition to reply. At her first glance in his face, her countenance hardened into an expression of disgust and defiance.

Returning to the kitchen, she said scornfully, disdaining all disguises, ”Jim's drunk. No use your talking to him to-night. Wait till morning.”

”Till morning!” A groan escaped from Alessandro, in spite of himself. ”I can't!” he cried. ”I must go on to-night.”

”Why, what for?” exclaimed Mrs. Hartsel, much astonished. For one brief second Alessandro revolved in his mind the idea of confiding everything to her; only for a second, however. No; the fewer knew his secret and Ramona's, the better.

”I must be in San Diego to-morrow,” he said.

”Got work there?” she said.

”Yes; that is, in San Pasquale,” he said; ”and I ought to have been there three days ago.”

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