THE WEST SHORE. 137 A LAW UNTO HERSELF. TART II. THE events of the year immediately succeeding Roy Mason's departure I shall leave unchron icled, inasmuch as they have no direct bearing upon this little history. True, they were important to my self, as ushering in the beginning of a golden bar- vpst from which, eventually, I garnered sheaves sum cient for the wants of all my days to come. But as in these pages I am no central figure, and claim no higher place than that of humble chronicler of the lives and fates of others, I shall step with one sweep ing stride, from March to March, and make my bow to the reader once more, in the door of my small mountain home, wherein Damocles and myself had found shelter from the blasts of another winter. Time had touched the little edifice as lightly as could be expected, and although the onslaught of Ju piter Pluvius had penetrated the thatch in one or two claces. and washed the mud plaster from between tho sticks of the tall chimney, the fireplace roared as cheerilv as of vore. and the much-lamented down ward bIodo of the floor now proved itself a blessing in disguise, by promptly carrying off the leakage from the roof. Unon this particular March morning to which I crII the reader's attention, the sun was shining brightly, with a suggestion of springtime warmth in if Wma: the snow had almost entirely disappeared from the level of the valley below, and even tho mountains were rapidly baring their brown breasts to Hi a Imrh nf the southern sun. Damocles, unchanged, so far as I could see, in itw W. manner or aDDcarance, stood sturdily in the foreground, with his pack strapped to his back, quietly taking note of my movements, ior no kduw m well as 1 that the time had come for us to abandon our vine and fig tree, and betake us to deeper moun tain fastnesses. Indeed, he sniffed tho morning breeze with inflated nostrils, and gave every evidence of having imbibed much of the adventurous spirit or the gold hunter, in his long and intimate association with myself. I had nailed a wooden shutter over tho little win dow, heaped ashes over the coals in tho fireplace, and set everything to rights in preparation for a summer , absence, and at last stood in tho open doorway, light ing my pipe in a leisurely way, when Damocles sud denly turned his face to the southward, m the direc tion of the valley, and pointed his long ears forward in a listening attitude. That was simply bis way oi intimating that somebody was coming up tbe trail. " All richt, old boy," 1 said, as I locked tbe door and dropped tbe big iron key into my pocket, " Como along, sir; if wo fall in with company on our tramp, all the bettor for us," Skirting a thicket of young firs that intervened to screen my cabin from tbo gazo of passing wayfarers, we struck tbo trail, and as approaching hoof beats were now plainly audible, wo both paused, as if by mutual consent, and glanced downward to see who or what was coming. In an instant Damocles lifted up his voico in a glad bray of welcome to a small, dun- colored Cayuso, which just then hovo in sight, spas modically picking its way up tbo trail, beneath tbo weight of a short, fat, roly-poly, littlo man, whom, to my surprise, I at onco recognized as tbo jolly, Ten- tonic proprietor of Yum lum s solitary hotel " Ah. Mecstcr Pl&ke," ho panted, as tho poor, lit tle, over-burdened pony slowly drew near us, " I dink you got a wrong name; of I namo you, I call you al ter dot lcedlo blant dot lif high cop on dcr moundain dop, und ecs so hard to reach -dot edelweiss. I smiled at what struck mo as a poetic idea from a very unexpected source. " Thanks. Mr. Gracht," I answered. M Am I to understand that I am tho edelweiss of which you have como in search this morning? " " I baf como in search of you, Mr. Flake, und so hardt timo I baf. I vould cono mit myself pack, if I onlv cot somo oxcuso for dot leedlo vooman. You eoe. Mecstcr Plake. dis vas how it fas: Vol jeetiio vooman she comes mit dcr stngo at my houso last night, und sho pegins righdt off to ask mo qvcations, und I-" " Questions alwui mo?" I echoed, with a suddeu accession of interest in tho littlo man's gibberish. " What littlo woman? Who is sbo? " Dot lcedlo vooman vot comes to ray houao py dor stAge. Wbo is she, I don'd know. Sbo yut comes mit der stage, und prings mit her a plack voo man und a pig dog, und sho got my mi rooms, und den sbo ask me qvestious aboud Slocster Plako Sbarles Plako-don'd I knows him? Does be got a vamly? Vero does bo lif? und efer so much. Vf n I doldbcr as Mccster Flake lifs more as dreo miles avay, oop glow) py dcr sky py dcr mowalain dop, sbo drob down on dcr chair, und look liko slo va goin' to gry mit herzelf. Den I feel mk aUud dor knees, liko I vands to run, put I say to mvwlf, Yawcob Gracht, of you makes dot leedlo voomans gry, I kicks you down stairs Den I say koraetlir C'jot to ber, und after arilo sbo ahmile, und say rot vould 1 goat to gome und pring you py my hou und bro I und now, Mwtter Flake, of you vould so kit u j to gomo along mit me"