THE WEST SHORE.
591
The old woman threw her piece on the floor, where
the boys fought for it
" I'll take no gold fer the babe," she muttered,
" bhe be never made fer seen 's yuh be,"
Carmen took Nil's little, trembling hand and led
her out on the mountains.
" Are you glad, child," she said, in her soft voice,
" are you glad to go with me-to see the world and
wear fine clothes, and have nothing to do from morn
ing till night but lie in the sunlight and dream? "
"Glad!" said Nil, only. But her heart swelled
till her little body quivered with ecatacy, and tears
rushed to her lowered eyes.
" It was meant, then, that you should bo like me,"
mused Carmen, softly, speaking aloud, yet to herself,
" do matter what the old woman said. All the purity
and virtue in the world could not escape fate-and
they call me Fate," she added, laughingly.
She threw herself carelessly upon a rock, carpeted
with moss, and motioned Nil beside her. Bat the
child gave a quick start and flung up her head and
listened, like a young, startled deer. Then she glanced
behind her, and, all in an instant, gave a great cry
and flung herself upon the woman.
" Yuh're so beautiful," she breathed, "An' I-1
don't count, nohow. I'm daft, mother says, but you
yuh're like the skies, the mountains, the flowers
they sha'n't kill yuh!"
There was a loud report, a flash, a cry of agony,
and the child fell upon the young grass at the woman's
feet Oat from the shadows of the tall trees Nil had
loved, came two men, with smoking pistols in their
hands. The left arm of the smaller one hung at his
side; his face was darker and more sullen than usual.
" Look on your work," he cried fiercely, to the
woman, who was kneeling beside the child. M We
were fighting fighting for your smile, woman. I
saw the child fling herself upon you, bat I-1 did not
seem to care. I knew you were screened, snd I
thought he," with a bitter look at bis rival, M would
screen her. But as it in, it does not matter. It is far
better that she should bo dying than that she should
go with) on."
The child opened her glazing eyes. " I bear-tho
music," she breathed, slowly and with difficulty.
" Louder, an clearer, an' sweeter, than ever -before.
An' 1 see the valley, an' the beautiful -lady -an I'm
-goin' with her."
Then there was no sound, save the sighing of the
wind among the pine trees, the soft rustle, of tho
grasses as it swept through them, and tho drowi;
hum of the becs,
" Let us go," said one of the men, with a shadJer.
" Let us get out of theao accursed mountains."
" It was as the old woman aid," cri-d Carton,
laughing, but with a white fnco, when, a little later,
their carriage was swinging from sido to sido on i'l
way down the canyon, " Tho child was fatM to nev rr
leave her mountains -to never vxh ' I W as
the grandmother said. I thought I knew better than
he, but I was wrong. But then, she wa so old - m
old- and, sweot heaven! how tho r yes of th old hk
through one! For the young I do not care; but for
the old-"
Then she lounged back acong her cushions,
laughing, forgetting already, and flecked tho dust
from her faco with tho crimson rose.
Km. i Ih'ioivM).
A NEW Ell A roil VAKOOUVCIt
DUIUNO the pat summer new life has brrn In.
fused into tho business mm of Vancouver, W.
T., and tho town his taken some decided steps toward
a new order of things. lwWng a town sit unrl.
valed for Ix-auty and location on tho Columbia, hav.
ing tributary to it a largo area of some of tho best
farming and fruit lands cm tho IViflo coast, and l
ing within easy reach, by s railroad which might l
cheaply built, of exhauith'M fomd of timUr and do
posits of coal, there has sctuM to lxi no reason why
the city should lag in tho march of progres, jrt It
has hitherto hung bark and neglect! to Improvo its
magnificent opjortunltie. Now, however, tho till,
zens are arouaM to tho nerd of rnrrtic artion, and
are taking stcj which havo already rrtuItM in larg.
ly increasing tho valuo of property and business of
tho city, though as yet but a beginning has Uen
mado.
Chief among tho nw movements was tho organ
uatioo, sotno months sine, of tho Yancouer, Klirkl.
Ut A Yakima lUilwsy Ca Tho pritn obj-ct is to
tAp tho timUr and coal to tho ttoMkrut of h city,
with tho final purposn of flooding tho lino through
tho mountains, by tho Klickitat j-, to a connection
with tho Northern IVifio at Yakima or Frtr, of
sotno other rol, should ono built lfr that tiua
oaring a Utter connection. By this organisation a
papr railroad is not intend!. On tho contrary, tho
citizens havo suUcriUd fr th cttiue.
tion of tho first U-n iniU. Fivo mile &erly
cotapletM, and will U in opr ration in iVcrtatrf.
By Juno neit ten miles will U fiaj ltI, and U-n
more by tho rnd of W. Tho first section of five
niles j-uetraUo a magnificat Ull of tissUr, which
will furnub a paying bwineis frota tho sUrt A
year bene Uwlavillo will U fact!, and tho rich
agricultural region of Iis rier fftd-rt-l tributary
to Yancouter. Ou tho lino of tho rol, silly taib-o