José — page 178: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

JOSE. 171 look dissolving into a humorous grin, then relapsing into its former sullenness; “who tongue-lashed the Apache,in such an unmerciful manner as if he were a whole regiment; who called me ‘Uncle Bob’ just as though we hadn’t been acquainted but fifteen minutes, and who was picked up by the red hound like a wolf pouncing upon a lamb?” Baumann related what he knew; that the young man had engaged himself to drive mules, had then disappeared mysteriously and brought the first in- telligence of the coming of the Indians. The hunter slowly shook his head. “T begin to see through this wild bird, the sight of whom threatened to confuse me at first,” he said; “then again I am puzzled. Some wondrously strange things must have occurred to have driven him forth from his cosy nest.” He thoughtfully shook his head, then he seemed forcibly to dispel his gloomy train of thoughts. “Tt was a she, my dear sir, whom you erroneously took to be a young he,” he continued with uplifted face; “and about her calling me uncle, that was right. She is a niece of mine, the wife of my brother’s son. This son imported her from Cali- fornia, taking her to his parent’s farm in Missouri. She was a feature when I saw her there, kept the whole house in a state of excitement, learned to talk German in the wink of an eye, regardless of her Spanish and English, clung to her husband like a burr—and now, dressed in hat and breeches—out here she is with me on the prairie! It would have confused a shrewder man than me, but it won’t end there, her recognizing her Uncle Bob,” he continued, after a short pause, while his eyebrows again ruffed darkly, “No matter what occurred at home EGomichooks (E(@)