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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 1917)
THE SUNDAY FICTION MAGAZINE, JANUARY 7, 1917. sIllmdle1r,s3, Oirasiie Blossoms: ir ii ii r WAS a pleasant. rainy day ja. the ranch, and Red, who was as methodical as a bookkeeper in sorp matters, sort ed out Us old let ters from his war box. I always liked to be on hand at this clean-up, for there ware odd photographs, strange newspa per dippings, and a fine salad of unex pected newa Bed took a letter from an envelope. -Well," he said, "that's from little old Santiago! Ton weren't bare when ha hit the ranch. It was that time you pulled for the hills, placer mining. I come across him at Tobe's place. Ha was fiddlin' for a little quiet dance in the back room. Keno Jim had made a klU ln and was blowia in the proceeds. Twenty men was do in' a war dance, ac companied by on fid dle and bottles goin' pop-pop-pop to keep time to the music. This Santiago pro-position kinder took my eye. He took my ear first, for above all the racket of them boots atompla on the floor X got a touch of real violin sound. X sure do like to hear a fiddle well played. This made me look at the music "He was a small sized, y aller chap, with long hair like a horse's mane. He had very light, long fin gers that -scampered orer the fiddle like trained mice, atoppin to nibble when they got hold of a good note. But his eyes had me interested.. They was big, black eyes, wit) something kinder fierce In 'em. the man behind them eyes was out of the ordinary. The rest of his features showed he had -Injun blood in him. Mostly I don't like half-breeds. , 'So X kinder held out against Santiago at first; seein' the streak of Injun, but whea the boys got tired of tearin the place down X slid over toward the fiddle and asked the lad if he wouldn't saw me out a small piece of real music "He threw bis Mack lamps on me and smiled in a way that made me overlook the Injun part of it. "I'll play you aomeihiag very gladly,' he said. 4 . . "Aad my little friend could play that fiddle! He forgot all about everything, and he breathed hard while he was work ing his medicine. Qtd Ken Jim had lots to drink, but it get even into his hide. His hand was. on my shoulder when the piece finished. f"Get hU&to do some mora, Bed he said. 1 don't like It, but" I can't Quit lis tening to it- '"WeU that's how I come to .know Santiago. He told , me he had hoofed it most of the way from Chile Just walked right along from one place to another until he landed' with us. Sometimes, of course, he had to take a boat, but mostly " he' walked '', "Vi.i..; , ' ,' .1 " v.Tr sit av little stroll from Chile, South America, to Dakota, North Amer ica, ut he didn't seem to think much of By Henry Wallace Phillips Illustrated by R. Taadler !6 D THE saying, "There's more ways than one to skin a cat," is well illustrated by Red in the help he gave his friend. got a little private history ef his own that all to his credit Besides that, can play the fiddle so as to make yw love yourself te death. ' V " "Oh! Can har says the girt Twlah I oould hear him play. ." - " WeU. ran shajl,' I aaya 'Just a cuse m tor a minut.' -: v "So then X went down to Johney-oa. t He-Spot's' fluid grocery store aad I asked Johnny Cor the loam of his fiddle. Chantay Seeche, 7 at the oil and about all we got Sammy playia' the mouth organ and Foster SJcratchhV opera tunes on his fiddle. The ranch approved r? w ' of Santiago. His name 0v g c.T . a As . That drug store gent had not tied X When I told Johnny I was goia to take btt. There was pretty girls, and every body was pleasant, and the grub was line a fairy table. First off we bought a lot of candy. What them pretty girls did to as cowpancbers ought to be a feloay. "But there was one pretty, slim little thing, as white as moonlight on fresh So he shook Santiago by the hand and said: 'Pleased to meet yon.' AS J an A2Z7 . i ii in . rf -rttTfT IIS 7 'JJ: I '" W V Sf? 'HU You could bet wasn't Santiago, but I started to call him Santiago, and as he always answered to the name I couldn't find any sense in chsngin' it. "Santiago, be took to the ranch. 8 the boas gave him a string of ponies, and him and us we was the same parties from that on. H had nice notions In his nut. He'd get up and talk, with his long black hair flyin' and his long, dark hands fiyin and the ftre burnln in sis eyes all about the Joys of liberty and the beantifumess of women and the magic of music 9 . A BOUT two weeks after ha Joined sm J a hunch,' Including him, rode to town rjfor a little outing. Santiago tooasa In charge. . .. See now, Colorado' that's Spanish tor lied) .this night you come with me.' says ha 1et the rest go to drink and to gamble and well hunt for ether amuse ment.' - T "All right I said." Xet her flicker "So we asked them in the drug store what was do in' in the way of ttnalcohoUo amnaenMnta, - j The, drug store jnan looked' kinder snow, that stood baca from it all. She smiled at us real pleasant, but she didn't have the hearty spirit nor the fun devil of the ether gtrla She wasn't the disap proving Mad she was yast dinVrewt. And old Santiago that had walked from Chile to Dakota, he fell in love with her at first blink tn the same fashion. Ton take a man that will walk CM eaOes and can play the -fiddle, and when he does faU in love he doe It perfectly ct rageoua "Os the other hand. , that girt took some nhine to Santiago. She was very modest about it. bat I ketefaed her atp pln an eye his way menTa oftce, em4 one than when he spoke to her she eatxed up the package aha was sxtn. -By thU tinte the minister, be had shook hands with me. ""Now Jast make yourself at hoaaa, Mr. Sawadera, ha aaya 'And anything we caa do for ywa wa wHL. . "So. fiadln' Santtaga aim busy talk Ing to the snow girl, I packs me out as Juicy aad snappy a little peach of a bru nette as the plaon afforded and she and ma had supper together. : - , "That girl had lota of fun airtin wKk' surprised at me asking that question, ma It's proper to ancouraga taa but lie says: "The Presbyterian Church Is having a bazaar down thaatreet; lota ; that. . of pretty girls aad a nice quiet time, with, . . Well, J had to have him come down a good feed. , , , -i to the ranch to play for the boys. We "So away we went. , . so X encouraged bar la It. "Finally aha remarked what lookin' feUer Santiago was, bat haw la- tereatlng! i t .y . :'i; "rea," Iays. that yeaag feUer. has It to a Presbyterian festivity he used an kind words some of 'em scarcely fit te - j. print. : "Johnny, he didnt like no kind ef a' church, and first off he wasn't goia to " let me have the fiddle. I had to argue -''.,- i Wtk VitfM m.i. 4kMV X . I- . . nAVIl Mini n l ill VIIO UWUH HI IHC MIX his neck, and I left him rubbing the apet : and wishing me things that. If they hap-, pened to mi, would be bard lack. "So theal sashays hack to the'baxaar with the TOSoTe' under my arm, and I tola the minister that if be dida't object any - J young friend would give us mm music Then t told Santiago to cache the 'Ghost Dance' music and give as seeaethmg hu man that the girls could understand.' They had a piano in taa place, rbr a -tall lady with carpea tor -shaving curls and a face too old for bor age was goin te aing 'Where Is the Little Giasya J ' Hesaer aad other sprightly caqraettish pieces when supper was finished. ' ; "Erarybody clapped . " wbaa the made bis meat that the friend would kindly gratify the audience by play- ; ing on tha vloUa. Then there was aomo . 'difficulty about mu- ' aic, but my little bm-' ' she says to me: "Oeat ' and we acampered off to r fcer bouse aad come back with ' aa armful of the stafC Then "wV there was soma talk about srbo " wan to play the piano. Every- V body seemed to tMak that Ora ;r taa proper person. It turned out that Ora waa the snow girt. She walked right up without any excuse about her fingers be- bourse or havin' cramps in ber feet v or anything like that, and simply asked Santiago if he could fiddle from plana rausic He led ber to believe he would f make the effort, aayhow. So Ora treated the ivories nice for a little running start. '"1 aad then old Santiago up with bis bow aad pUyed for hia tife. 9 9 ' : ; THAT waa one aoble piece of music. I don't recall the name ef It now, but ' it sure was loaded with beef.. - "Then Santiago, who always had good sense, ametled Che fact that some of tha - v young parties would fike to dance, and slid out of playin any more real auce ' . and graceful. Spaniab fashion. . . Ofa goten from tha piano, and my Uttle bruaetU grabbed a bolt of ma for -. the first waits, which the minister waa yankln out tn good shapa . ; ; i n kinder aoticcd that Santiago and 'tha anew girl was together most of tha tlraa . ; t v"-. "When the .aaaaie aaded .SanUago - -raised bar band. Spaaiah faahion, aad ; . kiased it- It waa pretty, after the ale ' V' dancing, and an hands applauded. . . , . -All tha; way homo I bad to listen to Santiago rava. Taere aever was such a girl an this whole dura world.' aad bo v was wlUiag to prove it by flrearma, by worda, or by fiddla praetieal ; A fitite sleep wUl cool your fevered ; brow X said, aad plumb disgusted with . : i';,.-, iCaaffaaai an PtpetJ Qj- Saatiage .waa
