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inconsistency between their present attitude and their previousconversation; rather it proved to them that gentlemen could occasionallyindulge in a social glass together without frequenting a liquor saloon.This was stated with some degree of effusion by Parks and assentedto with singular enthusiasm by Brace; Saunders nodding. It was alsoobserved with great penetration by Brace that in having reallyGOOD, specially selected liquor like that, the great danger of theintoshikat'n 'fx--he corrected himself with great deliberation, "theintoxicating effects"--of adulterated liquors sold in drinking saloonswas obviated. Mr. Brace thought also that the vitiated quality of theclose air of a crowded saloon had a great deal to do with it--the excessof carbon--hic--he begged their pardon--carbonic acid gas undoubtedlyrendered people "slupid and steepy." "But here, from the open window,"he walked dreamily to it and leaned out admiringly towards the darklandscape that softly slumbered without, "one could drink in only healthand poetry."
"Wot's that?" said Saunders, looking up.
"I said health and poetry," returned Brace with some dignity. "Irepeat"--
"No. I mean wot's that noise? Listen."
They listened so breathlessly that the soft murmur of the river seemedto flow in upon them. But above it quite distinctly came the regularmuffled beat of horse-hoofs in the thick dust and the occasional rattleof wheels over rocky irregularities. But still very far and faint,and fading like the noises in a dream. Brace drew a long breath; Parkssmiled and softly closed his eyes. But Saunders remained listening.
"That was over OUR road, near the turnpike!" he said musingly. "That'squeer; thar ain't any of the boys away to-night, and that's a wagon.It's some one comin' here. Hark to that! There it is again."
It was the same sound but more distinct and nearer, and then was lostagain.
"They're dragging through the river sand that's just abreast o'Mallory's. Stopped there, I reckon. No! pushin' on again. Hear'em grinding along the gravel over Hamilton's trailin's? Stoppedagin--that's before Somerville's shanty. What's gone o' them now? Maybethey've lost the trail and got onto Gray's slide through the woods. It'sno use lookin'; ye couldn't see anything in this nigger dark. Hol' on!If they're comin' through the woods, ye'll hear 'em again jest off here.Yes! by thunder! here they are."
This time the clatter and horse-hoofs were before them, at the verydoor. A man's voice cried, "Whoa!" and there was a sudden bound on theveranda. The door opened; for an instant the entrance appeared to befilled with a mass of dazzling white flounces, and a figure which fromwaist to crown was impenetrably wrapped and swathed in black lace.Somewhere beneath its folds a soft Spanish, yet somewhat childish voicecried, "Tente. Hol' on," turned and vanished. This was succeeded by theapparition of a silent, swarthy Mexican, who dropped a small trunk attheir feet and vanished also. Then the white-flounced and black-lacedfigure reappeared as the departing wagon rattled away, glided tothe centre of the room, placed on the trunk a small foot, whoselow-quartered black satin slipper seemed to be held only by the toe,threw back with both hands the black lace mantilla, which was pinned bya rose over her little right ear, and with her hands slightly extendedand waving softly said, "Mira caballeros! 'Ere we are again, boys! Viva!Aow ees your mother? Aow ees that for high? Behold me! just from Pike!"
Parks and Brace, who had partly risen, fell back hopelessly in theirchairs again and gazed at the figure with a feeble smile of vacuouspain and politeness. At which it advanced, lowered its black eyesmischievously over the table and the men who sat there, poured out aglass of the liquor, and said: "I look towards you, boys! Don't errise.You are just a leetle weary, eh? A leetle. Oh yes! a leetle tired ofcrookin' your elbow--eh? Don't care if the school keep!--eh? Don't wantany pie! Want to go 'ome, eh?"
But here Mr. Parks rose with slight difficulty, but unflinching dignity,and leaned impressively over the table, "May I ashk--may I bepermitted to arsk, madam, to what we may owe the pleasure of thish--ofthis--visit?"
Her face and attitude instantly changed. Her arms dropped and caught upthe mantilla with a quick but not ungraceful sweep, and in apparently asingle movement she was draped, wrapped, and muffled from waist to crownas before. With a slight inclination of her head, she said in quiteanother voice: "Si, senor. I have arrive here because in your wholegreat town of Booki there is not so much as one"--she held up a smallbrown finger--"as much as ONE leetle light or fire like thees; be-causein this grand pueblo there is not one peoples who have not already sleepin his bed but thees! Bueno! I have arrive all the same like a leetlebird, like the small fly arrive to the light! not to YOU--only to THELIGHT! I go not to my casa for she is dark, and tonight she have nothingto make the fire or bed. I go not to the 'otel--there is not ONE"--thebrown finger again uplifted--"'otel in Booki! I make the 'otel--theFonda--in my hoose manana--to-morrow! Tonight I and Sanchicha make thebed for us 'ere. Sanchicha, she stands herself now over in the street.We have mooch sorrow we have to make the caballeros mooch tr-rouble tomake disposition of his house. But what will you?"
There was another awkward silence, and then Saunders, who had beenexamining the intruder with languid criticism, removed his pipe from hismouth and said quietly:--
"That's the woman you're looking for--Jovita Mendez!"
PART II.
The rest of that interview has not been recorded. Suffice it that a fewminutes later Parks, Brace, and Saunders left the Emporium, and passedthe night in the latter's cabin, leaving the Emporium in possessionof Miss Mendez and her peon servant; that at the earliest dawn the twowomen and their baggage were transferred to the old adobe house, where,however, a Mexican workman had already arrived, and with a basketful ofred tiles was making it habitable. Buckeye, which was popularly supposedto sleep with one eye on the river, and always first repaired there inthe morning to wash and work, was only awake to the knowledge of theinvasion at noon. The meeting so confidently spoken of the nightbefore had NOT been called. Messrs. Parks and Brace were suffering fromheadaches--undoubtedly a touch of tule chill. Saunders, at work with hispartner in Eagle Bar, was as usual generous with apparently irrelevantfacts on all subjects--but that of the strangers. It would seem as ifthe self-constituted Committee of Safety had done nothing.
And nothing whatever seemed to happen! Thompson of Angels, smoking ameditative pipe at noon on the trail noticed the repairing of the oldadobe house, casually spoke of it on his return to his work, withoutapparent concern or exciting any comment. The two Billinger brothers sawJovita Mendez at the door of her house an hour later, were themselvesseen conversing with her by Jim Barker, but on returning to their claim,neither they nor Barker exhibited any insurrectionary excitement. Lateron, Shuttleworth was found in possession of two bundles of freshlyrolled corn-husk cigarettes, and promised to get his partner some thenext day, but that gentleman anticipated him. By nightfall nearlyall Buckeye had passed in procession before the little house withoutexhibiting any indignation or protest. That night, however, it seemed asif the events for which the Committee was waiting were really impending.The adult female population of Buckeye consisted of seven women--wivesof miners. That they would submit tamely to the introduction of a young,pretty, and presumably dangerous member of their own sex was not tobe supposed. But whatever protest they made did not pass beyond theirconjugal seclusion, and was apparently not supported by their husbands.Two or three of them, under the pretext of sympathy of sex, securedinterviews with the fair intruder, the result of which was not, however,generally known. But a few days later Mrs. "Bob" Carpenter--a somewhatbrick-dusty blonde--was observed wearing some black netting and aheavily flounced skirt, and Mrs. Shuttleworth in her next visit toFiddletown wore her Paisley shawl affixed to her chestnut hair by abunch of dog-roses, and wrapped like a plaid around her waist. The sevenladies of Buckeye, who had never before met, except on domestic errandsto each other's houses or on Sunday attendance at the "First MethodistChurch" at Fiddletown, now took to walking together, or in theirhusbands' company, along the upper bank of the river--the one boulevardof Buckeye. The third day after Miss Mendez' arr
ival they felt thenecessity of immediate shopping expeditions to Fiddletown. Thisoperation had hitherto been confined to certain periods, and restrictedto the laying in of stores of rough household stuffs; but it nowapparently included a wider range and more ostentatious quality. Parks'Emporium no longer satisfied them, and this unexpected phase ofthe situation was practically brought home to the proprietor in thenecessity of extending the more inoffensive and peaceful part of hisstock. And when, towards the end of the week, a cartload of prettyfixtures, mirrors, and furniture arrived at the tienda, there wasa renewed