A Tale of the Santa Fe Trail.

BY JOHN DUNLOE CARTERET.

CINCINNATI:
PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR.
1888.

COPYRIGHTED, 1886.

CONTENTS.

[CHAPTER I.]

Nature's Blank Page—The Old Stone Corral—The Lost Treasure of Monteluma—Camp-fires—The Warlow and Moreland Families—The Camp on the Cottonwood—A Tale of the Camp-fire

[CHAPTER II.]

Colonel Warlow's Story—Bruce Walraven—The Heiress of Monteluma—The Vale of Mexico—Bandits—The Rescue—The Web of Destiny

Breakfast on the Plains—Colonel Warlow's Story Continued—Bruce Walraven's Creed—Blood-drenched Malvern Hill—The Dim Crest of Orizaba—Roses and Thorns—The Wealth of Monteluma—A Cask of Gold—The Casket of Gems—The Overland Journey—A Dark Tragedy

[CHAPTER IV.]

Colonel Warlow's Story Continued—Los Angeles—A Friend in Need—A Storm on the Pacific—Shipwreck—Under the Waves

[CHAPTER V.]

Colonel Warlow's Story Continued—Alone—The Castaway—The Golden Gate to Home Sweet Home—Acapulco—Roger—The Isthmus of Panama

[CHAPTER VI.]

Colonel Warlow's Story Continued—The Tropical Groves of Cuba—The Coffee Plantation—A Blooming Christmas—The Tomb of Columbus—The Roses and Passion-flowers of Cuba—The Warm Hearts of Home—Ah! Such a Day can never come Again—Snow-drifts, Sleigh-bells, and Sweethearts—Mary, etc.

[CHAPTER VII.]

Colonel Warlow's Story Concluded—The Wool-picking—The Squire's Harrow—Wedding Bells—Profit and Loss—The Spectre of the Stone Corral

[CHAPTER VIII.]

The Monotony of Frontier Life—New Homes—Voting Bonds—The Grasshopper Raid—Back to the Land of the Mother-in-law—Grim Famine's Shadow—The Flood—A Strange Weird Sight

[CHAPTER IX.]

A Raging Torrent—The Crows' Nest—An Aerial Family—"Kansis oR buST"

100

[CHAPTER X.]

The Picnic—A Biled Vest—A Dark-eyed Maid with her Sweet Guitar—Mora Estill—Fishing, etc., but Principally the Latter—"We have met before"—The Gray Spectre—The Mystery-wrapped Grave of the Hill-top—Rough as a Farmer—Transmigration of Souls

108

[CHAPTER XI.]

A Western Call—Mystery—The Call lengthens into a Western Visit—Spring Chicken and Mystery

126

[CHAPTER XII.]

False Riches—A Young Fortune Hunter—The Santa Fe Trail—Searching for the Gold of Monteluma—The Serpent's Warning Rattle—The Stare of Death—The Gray Spectre

144

[CHAPTER XIII.]

A Western Wheat-field—A Visit to Estill's Ranch—A Skeleton in the Estill Closet—An Art Critic who was "Beef to the Heel"—Very Undairy-like—A Trace of Mystery

159

[CHAPTER XIV.]

Phantoms of the Past—That "Unspeakable" Rob Warlow—The Running-gears, if you please—The Clouds thicken—A Glimpse of the Past

179

[CHAPTER XV.]

The Mysterious Trail—The Secret Cell—A Voice from the Past—The Journal of Ivarene

194

[CHAPTER XVI.]

The Web of Mystery—The Gems of Monteluma—A Scene of Bewildering Beauty

203

[CHAPTER XVII.]

The Red Gold of Monteluma—My Father's Doubloons—The Phantom—A Million of Treasure

211

[CHAPTER XVIII.]

The Course of True Love—The Cattle-king's Daughter—Flirtation and Practicing—"Your Music makes me Home-sick"—A Dubious Compliment—A Western View of Classic Music—Schubert's Serenade, in which Rob has the "Cheek" to assert that he can recognize the very Bar in that Masterpiece, where the Old Man turns the Bull-dog loose—A Couple of Idiots—Where Grace's Fingers itch to pull Cliff's Ears—A Lover whose Lip hangs Very Low—That Contemptible Thing, a Fortune Hunter

220

[CHAPTER XIX.]

A Strange Theory—Our Bodies may be tenanted by Souls that have lived before—Farewell, my Native Land—A Glimmering Circle of Phantom Warriors—A Haunted Spot—The Crossing of the Santa Fe and Abilene Trails—The Picnic—A Scene that was too Rich for my Blood

239

[CHAPTER XX.]

My Long-lost Gold—A Hero who dripped at the Nose like a Hydrant—An Embarrassment of Riches—The Mirage—The Valley of the Smoky Hill—The Iron Mound and Soldier's Cap—The Mennonite Colony—A Gigantic Land-sale—Eagle Beak—The Wailing Wolf of the Hill-top—A Strange Creed—A Stately Mansion—The Grave-lights of Antelope Butte—A Comforting and Seductive Theory—We may be re-born and live again to enjoy the Happiness lost by Death

259

[CHAPTER XXI.]

The Skeletons on Antelope Butte—The Serene Wedding Morn at the Stone Corral—We Live Again—Wedding Festivities—The End

285