The Morning News

WHO STOPPED THE STAGE?

George Charles Brooks in the California Magazine.

Heat of the sun reflected from the baked old Dabbs rode slowly up the trail. The sides shimmered in waves of shell-like earth and superheated granite of the hill-tint all about. The dust raised by the mustang he bestrode hung in thick, suffocating clouds in the deadly still air. The silence was intense—not a bird, animal or insect seemed alive. The whole world was baked into silent indifference, and Dabbs himself was stunned by a shock, the reality of which had never seemed possible to his unsophisticated mind across the plains to California from his Forty years before he had made his way native Tennessee and cast his lot, as so many others had done, in that devil's race for gold He never could keep his when he had any. however, and so in despite of better luck than most of those in the dig-gings.he found himself when the placers had been despoiled of the cream of their treasure as poor a man as when he first crossed the Sierras. With his ambition dead he turned his face to the mountains -for he was mountain bred-and sought a spot in which he might build for himself a cabin near a spring and possess a few acres of bottom land to raise "truck" upon For the rest his rifle and traps would suffice He found such a spot with but little trouble, and in a few years it was known far and wide as Dabbs' ranch. The only thing to complete a home there was a woman, and her he found also, and in the course of years there came to this pair a child-a girl baby. In his secret soul Dabbs thought it the most marvelously miraculous interposition of providence that he, such a horny-handed. seamed and scarred son of Anak, could be the father of this wee creature with eyes like wet violets, creamy satin skin, spun gold for hair and limbs molded on the model of a pocket Venus. He worshiped her openly, mourning much at the loss of the mother, whose life went out a few years after Starr (for thus he named her) came into the world; but it was more for the child's sake than for its mother's. Then one of those mining booms that follow the discovery of new gold fields in the mountains occurred near Dabbs', and as the ranch was on the main trail lead-ing to the mines (and was one of the few fertile spots, with its never-failing spring, in many weary miles of desert) it was made a stage station, and the old man reaped a rich harvest from his little orchard and garden. This time the money was hoarded as a sacred trust for Starr and sent down in the treasure box of the express company to a bank at San Fran-cisco for safe keeping. In a year or so the diggings failed, as most diggings do, and the tide of dusty, travel-worn gold hunters sought other fields, but settlements had sprung up in the country beyond Dabbs' and the stage company still ran a lineover the road The little ranch sufficed still for Dabbs and Starr. One day, however, the old man learned that the bank he had intrusted Starr's money to had closed its doors, and that he would never see the coin again. The news of the misfortune almost killed him, but he pulled himself together for the child's sake. In a little while he was almost the same cheery giant he had al-ways been, and now that Starr had be-come a woman (she was 15) he began to make plans for her future. She would marrv, of course, but she must be inde-pendent, and the little ranch was grow-ing more and more valuable every year. The spring was the only available water supply in many leagues of grazing coun-try, and since by this time the district had been given over to cattle ranching the old man's fortune was materially in-creased from his water right. But one evil day the stage line cast en-vious eves upon the ranch with its spring. They offered to buv it and Dabbs laughed at them. It was Starr's-all he had to give her. The men argued that the sum they were willing to give would return at interest as great an income as the spring but Dabbs' confidence in the power of money to earn interest had been shaken by the bank failuje. and the spring was always sure-it never closed its doors But the company was determined to have that spring, and the lawyers found ready flaws in poor Dabbs' title. After long, weary months of litigation the courts de cided that the spring belonged to some one who was willing to sell to the com: pany and that Dabbs was a trespasser and must get off the land. Dabbs was now on his way home from the country town where the trial of the case had been held. His lawyers had swallowed up all the savings of the years that followed the unfortunate failure of the bank, and he and Starr were "broke' -"stun bruk," he called it. They were nearing the ranch now. The clavbank pricked up his ears and started into a lope. Dabbs pulled himself together with a mighty effort; he would not tell Starr vet He had a little present for her in his saddlebag; he never came from town without something, no matter how trivial, for her, and he knew she would be wat hing for him somewhere along the trail As theclaybank rounded an abrupt corner of jutting rock there was a whoop, a slash of the whip across the horse's flank, and Starr was loping alongside on her pony. One might have taken the girl to be a mere child, so small she seemed, but that the delicately rounded curves through the close-fitting habit of coarse jeans showed a woman exquisitely pro-portioned. She sat her blueskin as only one who has lived in the saddle can. A black sombrero, gay with gold bullion, shaded her face: the golden hair was in striking contrast to the black eyebrows, the eves were of that velvety violet that shades to black, and her olive skin was wind-and-sun kissed to a peachy bril-liancy of coloring. She urged the blue-skin close alongside her father's pony, and nestled against him as they rode. The old man said nothing, but leaning his massive head and shoulders down to her kissed her very tenderly. The ponies were on a walk now, and the two rode in silence for some little distance. Suddenly the girl looked up at Dabbs and said Busted, dad?"The old man nodded before he bethought himself of his ro so!w'ion not to tell her "Darn them lawyers anyhow was her reply Dod Her father, still silent, shook his heai as if in expostulation at the mild Irofanity, and Starr continued: "Never joi pester ourself, dad; me and you'll g ilong spite o anythin'. nef Jim Bul-ger don't do up someo' them fellers he needn t cum a sparking roun' me no nore Yer see, Starr," the old man said. ain t e if I had tuk the stuff ther cum-Iny d give me fur it in the fust place; n we don't git nothin—dust erland, er sprinz-all gone" There was a pathos in these last words that went suraight to the girl's heart. Pap, ver mustn't feel so knocked out." theried: "I'm yer little gal yet, ain't I? N es long es we two's left we've got each other ll long's yer feel like this." And she Lestled closer to his side, while he bent and kissed her again don burst of spirit she cried out: "Cum er long ll run yer to ther corral and the hext moment the blueskin and the claybank were galloping neck and neck down the hill to the ranch. They were received at the door by who had been installed by Dabbs as housekeeper Gaith No one ever knew of whom "the widder was the relict never told any one, and he never re ferred to her save as the was a tall, gaunt, colorless femals, with