The Argosy — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

226 THE ARGOSY. Ha, ha, ha!’’ she croaked to herself. ‘‘ Visitors today !_ A buzzard, a dove, and a raven—a rich man, a poor man, and a pretty girl in love. Which will come first ?”’ She turned from watching the birds in the sky. ‘‘It isthe raven. ‘The poor man comes first,’’? she said. It was Alexander Campthorne that she saw, going past the house. In searching his pockets for tobacco he at that monient discovered a forgotten handful of coffee, where he had placed it on some occasion in his last prospecting trip. He saw the witch in the doorway. ‘‘ I'll give the coffee to the old woman,”’ he said to himself, and turning, walked up toher. ‘‘ Buenas dias, senora,’’ he said pleasantly, and, dropping the coffee into her hands, was turning to pass on. But she stopped him. ‘‘ How do you get on with your courtship of the Senorita Lola ?’’ sheasked. Campthorne looked blankly at her as if wondering what she could know or care about the matter. But he answered bluntly: ‘“ Mighty bad! Like all the rest of my affairs! ‘That is,’’ he added, “it isn’t the senorita. It’s her father and aunt, and that fellow from Bernalillo. The whole crowd are bucking against me, and it looks as if between ’em they’d raise me out of the game.”’ ‘“Let me tell you something, caballero,’’ said Hechicera wisely. ‘‘ Her father is more friendly to you than you think. Heed my words. He is going to send you out into the mountains to find the Cincha Larga mine. You must find it, and come back and marry Lola.’’ ‘“ That would be fine, if only it could be done as easy as saying it. But people have been hunting for the old mine for two hundred years, and no one has found it yet.’’ ‘““ Somebody found it once,’’ she said. ‘‘ And what has been done may be done again. Be advised by me. ‘Take what Don Albino offers you and go before he changes his mind. You have no time to lose before the winter snows set in to drive you out of the mountains.”’ Campthorne considered her words a minute ; then turned to go. . “Tf it be as you say, and Don Albino really offers to ouffit me,’’ he said, ‘TI will start today. Adzos, senora.’’ On quitting the witch’s house he took his way to the plaza to find out what new things were awaiting him there. _ At the alcalde’s house breakfast had been eaten, and Don Albino was at the end of an important conversation with his daughter. ‘‘T will send this Americano, Alejandro, into the mountains to find the Cincha Larga mine,’’ he said. ‘‘ He shall have until the winter to do it in. If he finds it you shall have my permission to marry him, and you both shall share this house with me. But if on the first day of December he has not come back with proof that he has found it, your engagement with Don Enrico shall be announced that day, and the marriage shall take place on Christmas. Is it fairly understood between us? ”’ ‘Qh, he’ll be sure to find it,’’ said: Lola confidently, as if the dis- covering of the Cincha Larga was the most commonplace thing in the world for Alejandro to do. Eomichook (E(0)