Sacramento

It waa an odd ñamo for a girl - Sacramento. So the girl hersolf thought os she itooped down besido a spring at thefoot of a eotton-wood tree and lazily dropped her pail üito the water. "It ought to havo boen given to a boy ifit was a fit name to give anybody," he said quite aloud. "But I'm more boy than girl, anyway." This fact was added rather bittorly, as she looked at her brown, rough hands and her baro ankles, and thought of tho "boy's work" she had todo. And it was hard to believe that this waa the best kind of a lifo íor a young girl like Sacramento. Here she lived alone, for her father was down at the mouth of the canon all day. The garden work she was obliged to do, and the cave of the cattle feil upon her. It was not often that she saw any person but her father, although now and then, in spite of herself, she came in contact with the rudo men of the inining camp np above. Yet Sacramento had her dream, ono that she "scarcely dared own," but it came to hor often as she went nbout her work. i She knew that down at Santa Barbara and in the towns along the coast, and far, far away across wide stretches of continent to the great east, there were girls who lived very different from her life, and she dreamed of suoh a lifo for herself. "Oh, if I could only go away from here !" she cried out, almost as one ories out for help." If I could only go down to San Eran cisco &nd go to school there for a singlo y oar I Ah, if I only had $500." Suddonly thero was a step - not of a man, but a horse - on the bank bebind her, and then some ono spoke. She knew the voice without looking up. It vu Pete Larrabee, a fellow who lived down on Hahnemann's plantation, two miles along the trail. He sometimos rode by. He had not heard her last words at all ; yet strangely enough his own were a repetition of them. "Five hundred dollars, Sac," said ho, ,"$600 in gold ! D'ye want to earn it ? Ther's ver chance, " and ho threw down to her a bit of paper crumplcd into a ball. She picked it up, and slowly tmfolding it, ran her eye over its contents : $500 bewabd. The above amount will be paid for information leading to the arrest, dead or alivo, of Walter Somera who has worked {er soma time past on Haxwell's ranch. Said Somers is about 18 years old and ti f eet high, rather good looking, with light, curly hair, blue eyes and a light moustache. When last seen he had on a black slouch hat, gray businoss suit, with blue flannel shirt, and boots with red tops marked with the maker's name. jr Tho name of tho county sheriff waa signed at the bottom of the bilí. Sacramento, having glanced it through, looked up. ; "He's been a stealin' horses," exclaimed Pete, "öot off last night with tour of Maxwell'a best somewheres. That rewavd won't do much good, ♦ 1% All V 11 I K j-i T rtrrtil ftrt"ftMl 1 rt i-t ft y T,n oud string liim up long 'fore the law'll git started. They'r navin' a meatin' now up at the Guloh. I teil ye thoy 'ue mad. The; 11 mako qttick work if they ketch him. Yer father's thera. Ye ncedn't look for him home aforo night, niuch." Then, af ter a word or two more, the man rode on, aud presentir Sacramento took up her pail, and with the sheriff's bill still in her haud went slowly up the bank and across the trail toward the house, thinking very serioualy about the $500 all the while. It was some hours after this, and the afternoon sun was going down behind the tops of the moantains, that Sacramento, having finiahed her housework, was preparing to sit down on the porch to do her sewing, when she was mefc in the doorway by a young man she had never seen before. And yet he was no stranger. The girl knew him instantly, althüugli the sloueh hat was pulled down over the flaxen hair and blue eyes, and the gray pants, torn and muddy, had been drawn out of the boot-legs so as to no loager allowthe red tops of the boots with the owners name to be aeen. Lt was the horse-thief. She did not, however, express any surprise as she saw him. She was aceustoined to the sight of rough, evil men ; und at the flrst glance she had feit that this one could not be either very witsked or very dangerous. He was not much more than a lad, and had an air of gentleness and good breeding about him that six months of western life, and the miserable plight he was in at that moment had by no means destroyed. He seemed to be short for breath, too, and was trembling as if he had been running. Instinctively he raised his hand toward his hat, and then, bethinking hiniielf, dropped it again. "Could you give me something to eat and drink?" he asked, in :. hesitating roico. "Anything will do. I am very hungry. I - I have had nothing to eat since last night." "Come in," said Sacramento, gravely. In her voice there was neither kindnoss nor unkindness, she trying to realize the situation she was in. "Come in and sit down!" Then she went into the closet near by and began taking down milk and bread and raeat, as sho slowly did so turning over the matter in her mind. Hcre was this man who had been stoaling hoises und for whose capture $500 was offered, in her own kitchen. Exactly the sum she had been wishing for - tne sum that would take her down to San Francisco to school and help to mako a lady of herself. And this sum may be hers if she could in some way secure this stranger, or somehow keep him in the house until help arrived. Help? Why, she hardly necded help. He was weak and exhausted. and in tho drawer of the kitchen table there was a loaded revolver, which she well know how to use. She carne out presently and set the things before him, brmging also a teapot from tho stove and pouring for him a cup of tea. Then she went and sat down by the vindow and watched him furtively as he ate. In spite of his caution, he had taken off his hat whilo he was cating. She eonld b-tter see what he was like. It Wiia an ulmost boyish face, worn but not wicke.1, with the cuiling hair lying in damp clusters upon his pale brow. In the hands, small and well shaped, and in all his motiona and manner, she feit that sho could read something of his story. Sho had heard before this how youug lads in the east, filled with romantio notions about western lifo and adventure, ometimes left their nous nomea ana louua tneir wny out ia the runchos oí the Pacific. Perïiapa ha was ono of thoso. As sha looked at kim, fancying al] this, and realizing the terrible strait ho was in, and tlio probable dark fato tbal was before hira her heart yearned with truo womanly sympathy ; and her ieeling iound exprossion beforo sho was able to rostrain derself. "Oh, howoouldyou doitT Hoircould you do it?" sho guddcnly esclaimod, Tier volco quite f uil o! whát alio feit. He looked up at her in wonder, but as his eyes met her's he understood her. "I didn't do it. Upon my honor I didnot," he said. "ít was that man Dennis." Sacramento breathed o great sigh of rolief. Horsa-stealing was held in that aection to be a crimo worse t-han murder, and she was by no means free frora the popular estimate of its grave nature. "Oh, I am glad of that 1" cried she, "But - " she hesitated, and then went on doubtfully. "But, thon, howwasitf "Why did you run away ?" "It was Dennis' doiugs, their Iaying it to me. He did that to clear himself. And after that you know as well as I do that therewould have been no use in trying to prove myself innocent. They always hang a horse thief first and then consider his guilt afterward3. I hod to run to save my lifo." 1 'Do you know that there is a reward offeredfor your capture?" "I know that tha Regulators are after me, " answerod the young fellow, sullenly. "They carne pretty near catchina me, too, this noon. I just escapeo them and camo down the cannon by the mountain trail. I have had a hard ruu for it, and what with no sleep for 24 hours, I am about used up. I feel as though I could not go another step when I saw your house. You -you have been vory good to mo. I shall never forget " "But what are you going todo now?" interrupted Sacramento. "You are not safe here. " "I know it. Bnt I thraw them ofl the track this noon, and I do not think they are within fivo miles of me. Now, I have had something to oat. I wili take to the woods again. I hope I may get clear awny. If I don't" his voice trembled and teara carne into hia eyos. "If I don't I shall get a hanging, I suppoae. Oh, what a fooi I was not to prefer home to this sort of thing I And yet, I wouldn't care much, either, j if it wasn't for my father and mother. " ! And there the poor fellow fairly broko down. "Hark!" Sacramento exclaimed. She had been crying, too; she could not help it. They both listenod. In a moment i they heard plainly the sound of horses coming down the trail. The girlturned with instant self-possession. "Go in there! Quick! Quick! There is not a moment to lose ! Here take ■ your hatl" And handing his hat to him, she pushcd him across the room and into I her own little room that led off from it. ; Then sho hurriedly cleared the table i again, barely finishing the task as the ! horsemen halted at the door. There were three of thom. One was ! her father. Sacramento knew the j er two men by sight. They were rough, but of tho better sort of those wh made up tho dwelers of Kelly Gulch. - MU 4-Uv'tl w miíJl VIAL J'J CT UA ri L't" JU 1 and forbidding, and they evidently had been riding hard. They dismounted j together. Sac," began her father, as he j tered the door, "hev ye seen anythíng of a young ohap, afoot or a liorseback, coming this way?" Sacramento had oxpected tlie ' tion, and was ready for it. And she ! meant, if possible, to answor without a j lie. "A young chap, about eighteen years, : and flve faet and a half high, rathei ! good looking, and with red-top boots ] on?" replied she, "Yes! yes! ïhat's him!" cried one oi the othermon. Has he been here?" "Iwas only quoting him from this j handbill, " said Sacramento, taking the ' paper from the shelf where she had laid j it. "Thon you hain't soen him at all?"' asked her father. "I havo boen riglit hero all day, and nobody has gone by except Peto Larrabee. It was he who gave me the bilí, i Are you sure that he camo this way,thE - the- horsethief?" "No; but wo didn't know but he might. The chances is that he sloped j off to tho mountains, meanin' to go ! through Stovepipe pass. They'll gil ' him, though, afore sundown." "It's sundown now," obserred '. monto. "Then they've got him now," was the ' Bententious response. "And we should ! be late for the hangin' ef we sh'd go back. Leastways" - this was added to i his companions - "you'd better come in ! and havo a bite aforo yon go." So presently the three men sat down to the supper that tho young girl ; ly prepared for theni. And while they were eating, she herself at her father's j bidding, went out to tako the saddle off Bueno, his horse, and give him feed. i A she approached the door once more, j a few minutos after, sho heard words i which cansed her to stop and listen. "Idon'tlike ter say auything ugainst j thet kid o' yiuva, neighbor, " ono of the i men was iying, "but it hez kinder seemed ter me all ther whiles' though she Bortor hed some' at on her mind like. Yn don't 'sposo she knows : thing 'bout thet young feller arter all?" Sacramonto's father luughed at this as though it was too ab.íurd to be '■ sidered. The other, however, was not to be : laughed out of his suspiciona. "Furall we know," persiated ho, "she may hev i hid him liere soniewhere on the I ses." "It's easy cnough to see, " roturned j the proprietor of t-lio said "premmysis,' i testily. "Where d'ye think she's hid i him? In her bedroom?" A3 he said this, Sacramento, who was j uow near enough tosee intothe kitchen. saw her f..ther rise from Uis cliair aud ! step to tho door of the rooin where she had ! concealed tho fugitivo. Her heart almost stopped boating na she saw him push open the door and enter the room followed by his eoinpr.nion. "We'll make a olas sejfoh of it while were about it." she lioard him say in. And then sho stooil there in terrible ; suspense upon the poroh, expecting everv instant to hear tho sliout that .vould follow tho discovery of the j tive. But no suoh sliout was heard; and instcad of it, a moment lp.ter, tlie two men came out again, her fathor laughing at his friend. What could it maan ? Had tho young man boen able to oonceal himself in the room and so evada their soarch? That was not possible. Tlie:i kUc thought of the window. Could he have escaped from the room by that? Tho window was bo small she could scarcely believe that he could havo crept through it. And yet he must havo done so. She went hurredly to tho back of the house and then down beyond tlie horse oheds. No ono could be soon. Sho halted a moment under a live oak tree just at tho edge of the garden. The evening was vory c:ilm and still, and the twilight shadowa were dcepening fast. Was it tho rostling of the wind in the boughs overhead that caugiit her ear ? ho listened. "Hist! I am hero- in the tree." The words caum in a disttnot whisper from directly above her. She stood and thought a single moment before roplying. Then she said, "You must get iiway fro:n hora at once," in an eager whisper. "One of thom men suspect3 something, aud they may ut any moment make o iscareli of the place. I ara going into the houso o minute. Get down at oneo and go through the garden a:id aoroaa the trail to a spring tliat jou will find thore. It's at the fout of a bi eottonwood tree. Stay right thero until I come." Then she went humedly to tho houso. The three men were stilt sittinK at tha tablo, and Sacramento feit ratber thaa saw that ono of them still regarded hor suspiciously os sho carne in. She did not spenk to them at all, but went directly through the kitchen to her own room, and in a moment moro carne out, went about her work in the kitchon, and took np a pail apparently to go to the spring for water. Ten minutes later, standing In tho shadow of the cottonwood, young Somers heard a step, and then Sacramento, Jeading Bueno all saddled and bridled, appeared. He started forward. ■ "Hush !" sho said "they may come out at anv moment. Listen to what I say. Your lifo dependa on it. You must rido straight down the trial for a quarter of a mile. Then, close by a big cotton wood, just like this yon will strike a path to the left. Bueno will know it, once you get him in it. It will bring you out half a mile on, at a corduroy road that crosses the swanip. The end of this corduroy has got out of order and there are some logs laid. Lead Bueno acroas and then pull the logs away. If you do that it will make trouble for those who follow you. Beyond the swamp is a big plan. Strike straight aoross it, having the mosn square on your right - the moon will be up, by that timo - and three hours riding will bring you to tho new raüroad. After that - God help you to get safe away !" Sacramento paused and put out her hand. "Can you remember?" sho detnanded. "I can ; but I oan never forget - " Never mind that, Here, take this. It is a little money. You will need it. Now mount and ride - slowly a little way, and then for your life." The young man still had hold of her hand. Tho tears came into his eyes. The next moment he was gone. The next morning Sacramento told her father the story and coaxed him into forgiring her. And the followintr afternoon a man brought Bueno over f rom the railroad town ; and then she know that the fugitive waa safe. Six weeks later a lawyer from Santa Barbara appeared with a letter from Walter Somers. He was with his friends in Now York. He begged Sacramento to accept, as a gift of gratitudo, at least the amount of the reward that had been oiïered. And so it was that she went down to San Francisco to school that winter. af.o all - - -_ -