The Maid of the Mountain — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

44 . HE MAID OF THE MOUNTAIN. spoke, had fled from Mexico and taken service with “De Cas- tro aa Vaquerio. I do not know why he came; but he is gone.” “Then the child would be seventeen years of age now ?” “ Si, sefior.” “J should like to see the graves,” said Elliot. “If you will loosen my feet I will show you the place.” Elliot stooped and removed the cords as requested, and the Mexican rose to his feet. Elliot touched the hilt of his pistol in a significant manner. The Mexican nodded, to imply that he understood the threat. He led the way to a grove of low pines near the eastern base of the mountains, and there showed Elliot a number of little mounds scattered here © and there, one wider than the others. “Here,” said De Castro, pointing to the grave on which his foot rested, “ lie the remains of Miguel De Castro, who . fell a victim to a fruitless love. The three graves on the left are those of his servants, who were killed in trying to break into the cabin, and in the large graye the husband and Wife | are at rest.” . “ You speak as if you felt for them.” “JT do. Julia was my cousin, and only sixteen when she died, younger than her daughter would - now, poor girl! Besides, they were all Mexicans.” “ Where was the cabin ?” | “Qn yonder slope. Nearly all the logs have crembled into dust, at least what was left of them, for the men barned it as well as they could before they left.” “ Strange indeed. You may wonder at it, but I, who am not of your blood, feel sincere pity for the young wife who so terribly avenged her husband's death.” “You do? Sympathy is cheap, but what care the dead for that? ‘Tt can not change the repose of their souls. They are at rest long since, thanks to the holy saints. Bat it is time for us to be on our way, if we wuald reach the haunt of the robbers in time to attack them to-nigtt.” - “J do not know whether such a plan ts = pacd Gat. I will speak to the captain.” “ Has the heart of the sefior fuiled him #” asked De Castro, in a sareastic tone. — Commiclooolks.conn