Chata and Chinita, Chapters XIV-XVI [pp. 393-409]

1886.] C/iala and C/iinita. 393
light dress and yellow hlair of little Kitty came, and just as Al Thompon's well direct Nichols. A general shout rose. More than ed shot laid the brindled savage at the very
one revolver was drawn but the shot was with- feet of trembling Kitty.
held for iCfear of hitting the wrong mark. They found her weak and chilled, but
Jake had the only chance, and he was still safe and well.
equal to the emergency. He swung his raw- Jimmy was quite a hero for a few days, his
hide lasso, the loop flew out, settled over strained arms and torn hands bearing witness
those cruel white horns, and the watchers to his adventure; but he had sense enough
drew a brelthl of relief. The child, who, un- to accord Al Thompsoni a fair share of the
able to fly, had fallen into a half kneeling praise. His old enemnly left that part of the
)position, rose a little, as if in hope; when country: probably he had his own reasons,
suddenly Jake caught sight of Jim Rowell. but people laid the credit of his absence to
WVith a demoniac yell, he cut and flung the that day's occurrences.
rope from the saddle before it had been' "Wasn't my little girl afraid when the
stretched. wolves came around her at night?" Kitty's
"There it is. Take it!" he shouted, burst- happy mother asked her.
ing into laughter. "No," the child answered. "You told me
It was a pretty rough crowd, and not one if I prayed to God, he wouldn't let anything
in it but wished at that moment, that Jake's hurt me, and you see he didn't"-with a
noose was around his own neck. satisfied turn of the flaxen head. " But,"
Jinx's honest, hot blood, chilled an instant she continued reflectively, "I walas afraid
before, leaped with indignation, and all his when that steer was coming for me. All
frontier learning came to his assistance. He the men and horses made so much noise, I
dashed after the trailing rope, threw himself thought God mightn't hear me soon
down, and caught it from thle ground, right- enough."
ing himself in the saddle before the strain A/farion Mffir.
CHATA AND CHINI'I'A.
A NOVEL OF MEXICAN LIFE.
XIV. In truth, they were not quite alone. Chin ita had half sulkily, half defiantly, crept after
WHEN: Don Rafael and his guest the Gen- Dofia Feliz, and had sunk down in her usual
eral Jose' Ramirez, went to join the subordi- crouching attitude within the shadow of the
nate officers, who with the cierks and various wall. She would have preferred to follow
employees of the hacienda were supping in Don Rafael and the General in their rounds,
another part of the building, and afterwards but she knew that was impracticable-Pedro
to saunter through the vil'lage, where the would have stopped her at the gate, and sent
soldiers and the numerous camp followers her to Florencia, or kept her close beside
were making the night gay with their revelry, him-and so even the inferior pleasure of
the younger officer Don Vicente Gonzales, seeing and listening to the less attractive
followed his old friend Dofia Feliz to the stranger would have been denied her. Chincorridor, and throwing himself on a chair ita was an imaginative child; she used to
turned his face towards her, with the air and stand upon the balcony, sometimes, with
gesture that says more plainly than words, Chata, and gaze and gaze far away into the
"What have you to tell? or ask? We are blue, which seemed to lie beyond the furthest
alone; let us exchange confidences." hills, and wonder vaguely what strange crea