Juanita [pp. 350-357]

7UAA]rIA.
it was too hot to live while looking out drop of life or substance seemed left;
into that glaring sunshine. yet they were perfect, and phantom Later, when I could sleep no more, bushes, if ever I saw any. How well
and had made my desert toilet, I stood they would look on those graves below,
in the door-way, and saw the two Indi- I thought, as I approached to break a
ans coming backas in the morning: the twig in remembrance of the strange
woman with a bundle of fire-wood on her sight. But how came the red berries on
shoulders, the man walking empty-hand- this one? I stooped, and picked up - a
ed and burdenless before her. I turned rosary; the beads of red - stained wood,
to the station-keeper, and pointing to the the links and crucifix of some white met bundle she had brought in the morning, al, and inscribed on the cross the words,
and which lay untouched by the wall, I "Souvenir de laZgission." How had it
said, indignantly: come there? Had ever the foot of de "It seems to me you need not have vout Catholic pressed this rocky, thorny
sent the poor woman out in the blazing ground? Of what mission was it a gift
sun to gather fire-wood, when you had of love and remembrance? Surely, it
not even used this. You might have had not lain here a hundred years-the
waited till now." gift of love from one of the Spanish
"She-she would have been some- padres of the Arizona Missions to an Inwhere else in the blazing sun; she was dian child of the Church! Or had it
just going " And he stopped-as he come from one of those California Mishad spoken-in haste, yet with some sions, where the priests to this day read
confusion. masses to the descendants of the Mis I cast a pitying look on the woman, sion Indians? Yonder, in the west,
which, however, she heeded no more with the purplish mists deepening into
than the rose - pink and pale - gold sun- darkness in its cleft sides, was the mountset-clouds floating above her, and then ain which to - morrow would show us
wandered slowly forth toward the hill, "Montezuma's face," and here lay the
which I meant to climb while the day emblem of peace, of devotion to the one
was going down. living God. Perhaps the station-keeper
When I reached the top, the light, could solve the mystery; so I hastened
flying clouds had grown heavy and sad, back through the gloom that was settling
and their rose-hue had turned into a on the earth, unbroken by any sound
dark, sullen red, with tongues of burning save the distant yelping of a coyote, who
gold shooting through it-the historyof had spied me out, and followed me, as
Arizona, pictured fittingly in pools of though to see if I were the only one of
blood and garbs of fire. But the fire my kind who had come to invade his
died out, and a dim gray crept over the dominion.
angry clouds; and then, slowly, slowly, "See what I have found," I cried, exthe clouds weaved and worked together, ultingly, when barely within speakingtill they formed a single heavy bank- distance of the station-keeper, who stood
black, dark, and impenetrable. within the door-way.
Just as I turned to retrace my steps, In a moment he was beside me, callmy eyes fell on a group of low bushes, ing out something in his Indian- Spanwhich would have taken the palm in any ish, which seemed to electrify the woman,
collection of those horribly dead-looking who still sat by the adobe-wall. Springthings that ladies call phantom-flowers. ing up with the agility of a panther, she
So pitilessly had the sun bleached and was by my side, pointing eagerly to my
whitened the tiny branches, that not a hand holding the rosary.
1872.]
353