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THE HIDDEN CABIN 
 
THE 
 
 Hidden Cabin 
 
 A PATHETIC STORY 
 
 IN CONDENSED 
 FORM 
 
 BY 
 
 DAVID W. EDWARDS 
 
 AUTHOR OF "billy BIRDSALL," 
 
 "up the grade," etc. 
 
 COVER DESIGN, ZOLA AND ZIMBO 
 BY DRURY VICTOR HAIGHT 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 COMMERCIAL PRINTING HOUSE 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
 1909 
 

 Copyright, 1909 
 
 BY 
 
 David W. Edwards 
 
 all rights 
 reserved 
 
 01. a ^t^p^irjf^, 
 ' ' - -> xj' tO' .3 (J 
 
THE STORY. 
 
 The Legend of Palomar. 
 The Hidden Cabin. 
 Cedric Vaughn. 
 Homer Lee. 
 Lola Vail. 
 The Voyage. 
 The Mines. 
 Ben Rubideaux. 
 The Wedding. 
 The Mystic Token. 
 The Stolen Child. 
 The Wanderers. 
 In the Mountains. 
 
 *'Peg Leg," the Miner. 
 
 Gilbert. 
 
 Zola and Zimbo. 
 
 Gilbert's Journey. 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
AUTHOR'S NOTE 
 
 Palomar Mountain is one of the 
 grandest natural attractions of Southern 
 California. It is more than a mile in 
 height. From its lofty "look-outs" 
 the beautiful bay of San Diego may 
 be descried, and also the distant 
 islands of Santa Catalina and San 
 Clemente. It abounds with gushing 
 springs, richly timbered table-lands, 
 deep, rocky canyons, and rugged peaks. 
 It is one of the favorite resorts of the 
 writer, who has spent many pleasant 
 hours in camp near the mysterious 
 hidden cabin above the 'snow white 
 clouds," in company with his friend, 
 the Rev. John L. Pitner, D. D., to 
 whom these lines are inscribed. 
 
 BIMINI SPRINGS D. W. E. 
 
 LOS ANGELES, CAL. 
 
PALOMAR. 
 
 MILE above the ocean's level brim 
 Tow'rs Palomar, the monarch of the range. 
 Along its western base are frostless hills 
 With verdure crowned^ and valleys green, where bloom 
 And fruitage fill the air with sweet perfume. 
 Green pastures, rich with herbage and bright flowers, 
 Bedeck the eastern slopes which fall away 
 A lone and weary desert land to meet; 
 To meet a lone and weary desert land — 
 A rich and rocky land where mines of wealth 
 Have slumbered long beneath its arid wastes. 
 So stands in majesty this mountain grand 
 Between the desert and the western sea. 
 From ocean's heaving breast, she upward sent 
 A humid vapor, in the skies to meet 
 And woo the softer breezes that ascend 
 From off the heated earth at eventide. 
 A gentle zephyr was at play among 
 The cacti beds and yuccas tall, that lift 
 Their spiny leaves and tufted fronds above 
 The burning sands ; she softly breathed a sigh, 
 
 11 
 
And floating upward in the milky way 
 She met and wed the vapor from the sea; 
 For each had found a true affinity. 
 The moon withdrew and hid her face behind 
 The distant isles; and from the blushing east 
 A ray of sunlight came and kissed the bride. 
 
 Together in the skies, these twain have wrought 
 A mantle, soft as down, of spotless white; 
 And often as the evening twilight falls, 
 Or dewy morning sheds her purple tints, 
 They come and spread it over Palomar. 
 Thus runs the legend which has oft been told ; 
 And which the Indian maiden whispers low 
 When snow white cloucis hang over Palomar. 
 
 THE HIDDEN CABIN. 
 
 The rugged sides of Palomar are deep 
 With canyons cleft, where raging floods have made 
 Their downward path and held their course unchained. 
 Beyond the eagle's nest and rocky crag. 
 Where giant arborvitaes throw their plumes 
 Athwart the sky; and crystal waters cold 
 
 12 
 
And pure, come sparkling from a mountain spring; 
 
 By bending boughs and tangled vines shut out 
 
 From view, the hidden cabin stood ; and there 
 
 Today it stands, and there has stood unkept, 
 
 In mystery wrapped, a hundred years or more 
 
 Since its last tenant left it there alone. 
 
 It stands where it was builded long ago; 
 
 Yet not the same as in the days of old, 
 
 For long disuse and winters' storms and rain 
 
 Have left their mark ; but still enough remains 
 
 To show that in the hands of him who built 
 
 No joiner's tools were held; divested of 
 
 All metals with sharp edge save only axe 
 
 And auger, which he plied with master hand 
 
 To hew the timbers smooth, and cut and fit 
 
 The doors and frames; and fitting, through these sent 
 
 The auger's teeth to clear the way for pins 
 
 Of wood with which he made all fast and strong. 
 
 A strange, pathetic story centers round 
 This lonely spot; the story of a true 
 And faithful soul who counted life best spent 
 By those who strive to crucify the flesh. 
 And emulate — as best poor mortal may — 
 
 13 
 
The life of Him who lived and died for love ; 
 For love of those who loved and hated Him. 
 
 CEDRIC VAUGHN. 
 
 Classmates were Cedric Vaughn and Homer Lee. 
 Cedric from the southland came, and in his 
 Veins there flowed — tho' mixed with Anglo-Saxon — 
 A trace of Montezuma blood, the same 
 As that of those who met with sharpened steel 
 The hosts of Cortez on the bloody plains 
 Of Otumba. In the lightsome morning 
 Of his happy youth, he saw that twain who 
 Gave him life and love, with all his kindred, 
 By savage hands struck do<wn! struck down and flung 
 Amid the blazing ruins of their home. 
 With superhuman strength he stood beside 
 His father 'till he fell ; and then fought on 
 Like wounded tiger, grimly courting death. 
 
 Filled with pagan superstition, that wild 
 Robber chief — when he saw brave Cedric's blade 
 Cleave skull and flesh, and break like slender reeds 
 The spears of those who came upon him three 
 
 14 
 
To one — thought him protected by the gods 
 
 And made immune to blows of mortal hands ; 
 
 Stricken with fear lest in revengeful wrath 
 
 They turn on him, fell on his spear and died. 
 
 Then the others fled and Cedric's life was 
 
 Spared. He, wand'ring aimless o'er the waste 
 
 Scarce knowing where his footsteps led, came where 
 
 Terraced hills sloped to a narrow harbor. 
 
 He knew the place and knew his father had 
 
 Been well known there and much respected for 
 
 Fair dealing, when in trade he bought and sold; 
 
 Not many days before, they together 
 
 Had come down this dusty trail and returned 
 
 With family stores. Sadly he walked on, his 
 
 Poor heart bleeding at remembrance of those 
 
 Happy hours now gone, when suddenly he 
 
 Came upon the spot where they had rested 
 
 By a spring and led their horses down; 
 
 Here lay the branch his father's hand had used 
 
 To urge the horses on; and half trodden 
 
 In the mold, and scattered round, the paper 
 
 Which he had seen his mother's loving hands 
 
 Wrap 'round the food prepared by her for them. 
 
 Now, for the first, he realized his loss. 
 
 15 
 
upon the cold, damp bosom of the earth 
 He laid his head and wept — alone! Beneath 
 The bending skies and sighing boughs ; no loving 
 Hand upon his brow ; no ear to hear the 
 Groans that shook his iron frame; nor knew he 
 How near in that dark hour the heart of Him 
 Who suffered in the garden all alone 
 Was bending down to his. The soul may weep 
 And still the flesh demand its own: Too proud 
 To eat the bread of charity, he sought 
 And found employment in the mines. He worked 
 With heavy heart, crushed for a time by dark 
 Despair; and giving way to hunger for 
 Revenge, he well-nigh fell; but when at last 
 A kindly light broke thro' the gloom of his 
 Black night of grief, and he could say, "Thy will 
 Be done"; in him awoke nev/ life and hope 
 And high resolve to make of his own life 
 A memorial to them; and to strive 
 To reach the measure of their highest hope. 
 To this end he hoarded all his earnings? 
 And with the salvage from the wreck of their 
 Estate, went bravely forth, determined to 
 Fulfill their wish so oft expres'd that he 
 
 16 
 
Might go away to school — they named the school- 
 The greatest in the northland, whence they hoped 
 To see him come one day with cultured mind. 
 
 HOMER LEE. 
 
 Homer Lee was born and reared upon the 
 Sacred ground where beacon lights were kindl'd 
 On the hills, before the war that broke the 
 Chains of monarchy and set this nation 
 Free. His father owned ships and lands and 
 Merchandise; and the son — the eldest born — 
 Had never known a wish ungratified. 
 Albeit, he was not puffed up, or vain, 
 Or churlish by over-much indulgence. 
 For he was nurtured in the Quaker faith. 
 And early taught to draw the line 'twixt 
 Right and wrong; and measure men by what 
 They are and not by what they ha.'ve or say* 
 
 Unlike in all respects were Cedric Vaughn 
 And Homer Lee, save in those noble traits 
 Of character which make men strong and brave 
 And true. Homer, lighter built and younger, 
 
 17 
 
But noted for his prowess—- when he met 
 
 The tall, dark, princely stranger from the south, 
 
 As by the power of some magnetic chain 
 
 Was strangely drawn to him. Touched by the kind 
 
 Demeanor of this fair-haired, happy youth, 
 
 Cedric's heart went out to him. So, as the 
 
 Years went by, between them grew a friendship 
 
 Strong as that of Pythias and his friend. 
 
 DORA LEE. 
 
 Homer's sister, Dora Lee, rejoiced at 
 Their success, or wept when disappointment 
 Crossed their path. Likewise, she shared in all their 
 Happy leisure hours, when sailing on the 
 Bay, or riding horseback o'er the hills. And 
 When their united strength their pennant saved, 
 The campus rang with shouts of victory 
 And plaudits for the heroes of the day. 
 She wept for joy. Dora Lee loved Cedric, 
 But he knew it not nor dreamed that she whose 
 Faithful heart could never love but one. 
 Had consecrated that one love to him. 
 
 18 
 
Their college days were drawing to a close; 
 And nearer came the day when these two friends 
 Must each go out to meet the sterner life — 
 The one to fill the place prepared for him ; 
 The other, empty handed and alone. 
 Their intercourse — to each a priceless boon — 
 Had ne'er been marred by shadow of distrust. 
 A diamond careless thrown upon the sand, 
 May change the gentle current of a stream. 
 And so it chanced the even current of 
 Their fellowship was broken. 
 
 LOLA VAIL. 
 
 Lola Vaif, — 
 Her father, a rich planter, owned a vast 
 Estate upon the banks of that great stream 
 Which gathers up the waters of the land 
 And sweeps them onward to the gulf. Half way 
 To that strange southern land whence Cedric came 
 Was Lola born — a schoolmate, friend and guest 
 Of Dora Lee, and much like her; or as she 
 Would appear with three more years of summers' 
 Sun to paint with ruddier glow the bloom of 
 
 19 
 
Health upon her cheek, and tint with deeper 
 Gold her ample braids ; in purity of 
 Thought and loyalty, they also were alike. 
 
 Lola's mother died when she was young, and 
 Her father, bringing home a Creole wife, 
 Unwittingly neglected her; and thought 
 His duty done when he provided for 
 The child a nurse — an aged Octoroon— 
 A pious soul, who gave to Lola all 
 The love she knew in her sweet childhood life; 
 And filled the tender mind with holy thoughts 
 And pure. And Lola daily gathered flowers 
 And, weeping, laid them on her mother's grave. 
 When she was older grown, her father took 
 Her to the north, she and her faithful nurse. 
 To bide until she grew to womanhood. 
 Her education finished, her father 
 Called her home, but she begged to tarry, yet 
 A few more days and visit with her friend. 
 
 Thus it chanced to come about that Cedric 
 Vaughn and Homer Lee met sweet Lola Vail 
 And loved her, each in his own way — Cedric, 
 
 20 
 
With all the fervor of his sincere soul — 
 
 And Homer worship'd her, forgetting for 
 
 The time his own betrothed. Cedric told her 
 
 All, she sitting by his side in shady 
 
 Bower, upon a wooded isle, their boat drawn 
 
 Up below upon the pebbly beach. He 
 
 Told the story of his life, as one a 
 
 Painful duty would perform. "She must know 
 
 The truth." And keeping nothing back, he told 
 
 Her of his birth and lineage — which was 
 
 Equal to her own — his loss of home and 
 
 Wealth; his lofty aspirations; high hopes 
 
 Now partly realized, though penniless; 
 
 But he was going back to that same land 
 
 Where he had delved; and there would he employ 
 
 The knowledge gained of placer, drift and ledge. 
 
 And engineering, to locate and bring 
 
 Forth rich treasure from the earth, and in a 
 
 Few short years would he return with wealth and 
 
 Build a costly home for her in some great 
 
 City, — she might name the place. "Could she love 
 
 Him? Would she wait for him?" She answered not 
 
 By spoken word, but when she lifted her 
 
 Fond eyes to his, he read the sweet response. 
 
 21 
 
By his strong arms encircled tenderly, 
 Her head upon his breast, she wept for joy; 
 And speaking through her tears: "Oh, leave me not, 
 But let me share your lot whatever it be — 
 A palace or a cot — I would leave all 
 The world, my Cedric, dear, and go with thee." 
 But Cedric kindly told her of the place. 
 Its roughness, the peons there; and frankly, 
 But perhaps unwise, he spoke of dangers 
 From the wild bandits. It was no place for 
 One so sweet and gentle as his own dear 
 Lola; it were better she obey her 
 Father's call. That day, a week, the ship that 
 He expected her to take, would leave that 
 Port. It would not be long ; he would stop there 
 On his way and see her father, speak to 
 Him, as man to man should speak, all fair and 
 honorable. The wisdom of his speech 
 She saw and cheerful yielded to his will. 
 With fervid kiss their pledges sealed, they sat 
 In sweet converse till lengthening shadows called; 
 Then spread their sail and shoreward set the prow 
 Of their light craft. V/ith rosy finger tips 
 She swept the strings of her guitar and sang: 
 
 22 
 
"What fairy-like music steals over the sea, 
 Entrancing the senses with calm melody ? 
 'Tis the voice of the mermaid as she floats o'er the main, 
 And mingles her notes with the gondolier's strain." 
 
 Homer and his sister, waiting at the 
 Mooring, by their merry laughter and love 
 Glances, half concealed, each read their secret; 
 And reading, saw the fading shadows of 
 Their hope. Each concealed the pang ; and laughing, 
 Teased the truants for their tardiness. Then 
 Timidly the lovers made confession. 
 "And we will pray," said Homer, "that to you 
 Be given the fullness of all earthly 
 Joy, and then the sweetest bliss of heaven." 
 
 Lola left them; and the three in silence 
 Watched her waving from the deck; and saw the 
 Good ship fading in the offing vanish. 
 Where bending skies come down to meet the sea ; 
 Then sadly turned away — each heart, wounded 
 By a shaft from Cupid's bow ; arrows from 
 His quiver, unaimed, ofttimes fly amiss. 
 
 Too high born and proud were Dora Lee 
 And Homer to harbor in their minds dark 
 
 23 
 
Jealousies, or thoughts unkind; but Homer 
 Was disconsolate; and Dora, cheering. 
 Said : "You surely will forget your grief ; and 
 Going back to your first love will marry 
 Her and love her evermore; for no true 
 Heart can ever love but one. So it was 
 Her prophecy came true. Dora loved with 
 Woman's constancy; and womanlike, found 
 Comfort in the secret hope (while wishing 
 Naught but good for Lola Vail), the idle hope 
 That she one day would marry Cedric Vaughn. 
 
 If in the spirit world departed ones 
 Can see with joy a loved one plodding on. 
 And faithful to the end, achieve at last 
 The worthy object sought, then there was joy 
 Above when Cedric led the class and gained 
 The highest meed of praise for work well done. 
 
 Cedric saw, or tho't he saw, a shorter 
 Way to competence than any of the 
 Kindly offers of a place which, without 
 His asking, came to him; a great law firm 
 Wanted him; a professorship in that 
 
 24 
 
Same college he could have; in the counting 
 House and busy marts of commerce there were 
 Many op'nings for one as he so well 
 Endowed and popular. He declined them 
 All; and yet so gracefully, with thanks, that 
 They were urged upon him all the more; but 
 He had fixed his mind on going back, see 
 Lola on his way, then hasten on to 
 Carry out his plans; for each hour improved 
 Would bring them nearer to their wedding day. 
 
 On the morn of his departure, a throng 
 Of gay young friends came, bearing tokens of 
 Their friendship, souvenirs of college days, 
 And bidding him God,-speed upon his way. 
 He keenly felt the sting of parting with 
 His friends; but when he came to say good-bye 
 To Homer, that was hardest of it all. 
 When Dora gave the parting hand, and in 
 Her large blue eyes he saw the gathering 
 Tears, that tell-tale look of love she fain would 
 Hide; that yearning look of hopeless love 
 Like arrow pierced his soul with deep regret, 
 And haunted him thro' all the coming years. 
 
 25 
 
THE VOYAGE. 
 
 With varying winds the good ship sailed thro' 
 Summer sea. At times translucent clouds were 
 Flung across its way like twilight mists, and 
 Then anon the sun burst forth. With lowering 
 Winds and listless sail they drifted dreamily 
 Beneath the turquoise skies. When at night the 
 Mellow moonlight made its path across the 
 Waves, Cedric paced the deck impatiently; 
 And in his restless dreams he saw the face 
 And form of Lola; felt her soft breath on 
 His cheek, her arms entwined about his neck 
 In heavenly bliss. 
 
 At some port discharging 
 Freightage, the ship would often linger for 
 A day, and those on board would wander thro' 
 The town. Once they saw a vessel that plied 
 Between that southern coast and Africa 
 Unload its cargo — human souls, who had 
 Been stolen from their home and brought to this 
 Free country to be sold to servitude. 
 The buyers, richly dressed and bedecked with 
 Diamonds, stood like drovers waiting at the 
 
 26 
 
Cattle pens to buy. One gentleman with 
 Pistol at his belt, true type of southern 
 Cavalier, took a mother from her child; 
 Cedric pled with him to buy the baby 
 Too. He was answered by an insult, and 
 Derided for his pity for "the brat." 
 Unmindful of the insult to himself. 
 He persevered and gained consent to buy 
 The child and place it in its mother's arms. 
 
 Off the south-most coast they saw the isle, 
 The magic isle of Bimini, where the 
 Indian sages told De Leon he 
 Would find the fountain of eternal youth. 
 Thence onward thro' the gulf, and near that quaint 
 Old Crescent City, he found his darling 
 Lola. Near the city in a lovely 
 Urban villa on the rich plantation 
 Of her father, where the oleanders 
 Bloom, and palmettos wave their fronded plumes. 
 They met once more. Her father, Colonel Vail, 
 Was absent; would return in one week more. 
 Six days, six blissful days, from early morn 
 Till eve, the lovers wandered 'mid the scenes 
 
 27 
 
To her, so rich in hallowed memories. 
 
 Sitting by her mother's grave, she told him 
 How unlike the days of old she found her 
 Home. Her father, with advancing age and 
 Growing wealth, had changed; become more like the 
 One who filled her mother's place, purse-proud and 
 Haughty. He had hinted at a union 
 That he desired for her, and she feared he 
 Would not look with favor on her Cedric. 
 
 Like as the vine twines with the sturdy oak 
 And clings the stronger when the north wind blows. 
 So she, as moved by some foreboding, clung 
 To him, and begged that she might go with him 
 To that far land; and coaxingly she said: 
 "Who will spread the table for my Cedric? 
 Or smooth his pillow? Or if mishap befall. 
 Nurse him back to health? If he goes alone, 
 I ne'er shall look upon his face again." 
 
 He kissed away her tears and playfully 
 Made light of her misgiving; yet he was 
 Sorely tempted, and well-nigh gave way to 
 
 28 
 
His desire ; but that high sense of honor, 
 And solicitude for her, gave him the 
 Mastery over self. And from that hour 
 He never knew a thought of selfishness. 
 He soothed her fears; and by words of wisdom, 
 (As before) soon brought her judgment into 
 Sweet accord with his. But it was agreed 
 That if her father answered his request 
 With scorn, or treated him unkindly, there 
 Would be no angry words. That he would go 
 And never ask again. When he returned. 
 Would take her as his rightful own ; and then 
 He held her to his breast, and laid upon 
 Her lips what they both well knew might be his 
 Farewell kiss. For even then they saw her 
 Father's carriage coming up the drive. When 
 They met and she presented her betrothed, 
 Cedric recognized the man who bought the 
 Slave and would have torn the infant from its 
 Mother's breast. Yet, speaking calmly, told him 
 Who he was, whence and why he came ; told all 
 Manfully ; and the Colonel heard him thro'. 
 
 Then, with derisive laugh, he taunted him 
 
 29 
 
For his presumption: "A pauper, begging 
 
 For a queen! Nay, nay! The one who gains my 
 
 Daughter's hand must have a bank account or 
 
 Property in land or slaves." The hot blood 
 
 Rushing to his brow, he boldly answered: 
 
 "I go, accepting these conditions, but 
 
 Surely will return." Then, taking Lola's 
 
 Hand, said cheerfully : " 'Till then, good-bye." With 
 
 Tearless eyes she proudly looked upon her 
 
 Cedric, and stood as strong and brave as he. 
 
 THE MINES. 
 
 When Cedric reached that country where precious 
 Metals and bright gems, by nature's cunning 
 Hand are tucked away and hidden in the 
 Rocks or scattered in the sands, he found a 
 Dusky peon — Jose Morales — whom he 
 Had known and trusted, and took him with his 
 Train of donkeys packed with stores; with miner's 
 Pick and spade and crucible, he bravely 
 Plunged into the wilderness. For many 
 Long and weary days he sought among the 
 Dry Lomitas, sought in vain beneath a 
 
 30 
 
Tropic sun, lured on by prospects that proved 
 
 Valueless. And when at last he found a 
 
 Vein of quartz that sparkled with the golden 
 
 Grains, he was compelled to leave it there, to 
 
 Wait thro' long decades for other hands to 
 
 Come with stamp and chemicals to crush the 
 
 Rock and bear away the millions he had 
 
 Found. He working, saw the months pass by, but 
 
 Labored on with Lola ever in his 
 
 Mind. Anon there crept before his sight 
 
 A vision of that peaceful shore where first 
 
 They met, — a cottage home — his Lola with 
 
 A blue-eyed baby kneeling by her side, 
 
 White robed, with golden curls, in attitude 
 
 Of prayer — that evening prayer by mother taught; 
 
 Then he saw the blessings of the simpler. 
 
 Holy life; saw that wealth is least of all. 
 
 One day Morales in quest of water 
 Sent, returned in great excitement, crying 
 "Oro grande, senor! Oro grande!" 
 In a deep arroyo in the sands for 
 Ages washed by floods from mountain storm, 
 Jose had discovered as he said, "much 
 
 31 
 
Gold." In cup-like hollows of the rocks by 
 Falling waters worn away- — in yellow 
 Nuggets buried in the sand — he found the 
 Glittering fortune they so long had sought. 
 This he changed for currency of lighter 
 Weight and coin, in that old city where his 
 Forbears died; then to the seaport sped, there 
 Impatient waited for the ship to come 
 And carry him in triumph to his bride. 
 
 BEN RUBIDEAUX. 
 
 The consul, seeking Cedric, told him he 
 Had sent a messenger in search of him 
 With letters, and gave him one from Lola, 
 Requesting that the messenger be sent. 
 Cedric sent Morales to intercept 
 The messenger and bring the letters back. 
 This the faithful fellow did, and Cedric 
 Read them with dismay. Morales saw the 
 Troubled look on Cedric's face and begged to 
 Go with him. With his tamales, and his 
 Mascal, and being Cedric's servant, he 
 Was satisfied. He cared not for his share; 
 
 32 
 
Would leave it all with him. Cedric, with real 
 Affection, grateful for his faithfulness, 
 Told him he might go and evermore abide 
 With him. 
 
 He read the letters o'er and 
 O'er with sinking heart, read Lola's letters. 
 Beginning at the first, he read how proud 
 Of him she was when he "so grandly stood 
 Before her father, with the bearing of 
 A king, and faced him in his wrath;" then of 
 Her sad and lonely days when he was gone; 
 How her father sought by gentleness to 
 Mould her to his will and bring her to forget 
 The one she loved. Of the attention paid 
 By Simon Blake, her father's friend and boon 
 Companion, the man he wanted her to 
 Wed, — a vile, besotted wretch who knew no 
 God but gold ; she hated gold and wished that 
 He might come back poor in all but love and 
 Purity of soul, with which no other 
 Riches can compare. 
 
 33 
 
This man had urged his 
 Suit until she had exhausted all the 
 Harmless arts of womanhood to evade 
 His coarse advances, praying daily that 
 Her Cedric would return ; when he boldly 
 Claimed her hand, she told him, "No;" he bro't her 
 Father who commanded that she wed him; 
 She, helpless in their hands, had pled for time — 
 One more year; then, if Cedric had not come. 
 Her answer they should have. One day she, in 
 An arbor half hidden in the trellis. 
 Had heard her father's overseer, Ben 
 Rubideaux, and Simon Blake make bargain 
 That for a sum the overseer would watch 
 For Cedric and murder him if he should 
 Come. She knew he did not fear them all, but 
 For her sake, she begged him not to venture 
 There. She gave a number in the city 
 Where he would find a friend, a lady friend, 
 Of hers. It was arranged that she should come 
 For her. Then, as his lawful wife, he could 
 Defend her and himself, if needs must be. 
 'Twere best that he should come with pistols, armed; 
 Ben Rubideaux and Blake were desperate 
 
 34 
 
And wicked men. She wrote, fearing lest her 
 Letters would not be received; since he left, 
 She had received no word from him; she knew 
 That he would write, but they had come between. 
 
 THE WEDDING. 
 
 This plan was not to Cedric's liking for 
 He would fain have gone openly and claimed 
 His bride, but for her sake he acquiesced, 
 And in his servant's name he took a house, 
 A lovely house, in quiet place apart. 
 There Lola came, and as the light of slow 
 Descending sun proclaimed the dying day. 
 And zephyrs laden with the breath of bloom 
 And tuneful with the song of mocking bird. 
 Were wafted from the sea, then from the mission 
 Came the parish priest, and in soft accents 
 Of the Spanish tongue, pronounced the holy 
 Words that made them one. No other witness 
 Than his servant and her friend. And there thro' 
 Long and dreamy, blissful days, they passed their 
 Honeymoon. 
 
 35 
 
Morales, with his native 
 Instinct, saw that danger hovered over 
 Cedric; and, unknown to him, he shadowed 
 All his steps. One night a messenger in 
 Haste came to the door, told Cedric that his 
 Servant was in trouble, needed him; he 
 Went, not knowing that his faithful Jose 
 Shadowed them. When near the water front the 
 Stranger fled; and from the cotton bales and 
 Freightage piled upon the dock, two ruffians 
 Sprang on Cedric. When the light of morning 
 Dawned, the lifeless forms of Simon Blake, Ben 
 Rubideaux and poor Morales were found 
 Lying on the bloody dock. 
 
 All night Lola 
 Paced the floor in anguish, list'ning for the 
 Footsteps that came not. Nor knew she of the 
 Tragedy until she read: "Murdered! In the 
 Night! Two citizens of high repute shot down! 
 But not until one of the murderers 
 (A bearded foreigner) was killed by them. 
 The other has escaped, but the mob is 
 On his track and he will soon be taken." 
 
 36 
 
The paper gave a good description of 
 
 Her husband, which she doubted not, was given 
 
 By the man who called for him. If she should 
 
 Speak, it would bring harm to Cedric ; he might 
 
 Escape and come to her; so, taking hope, 
 
 With one trusty servant she in hiding 
 
 Waited there. Her friend had gone and no one 
 
 Knew of her abiding place. 
 
 The weary 
 Weeks and months rolled by; she pined, and passing 
 Near the gates of death, awoke to find a 
 Blue-eyed baby by her side — the child of 
 Cedric's dreams. The months passed by and still 
 No word from Cedric came. She, yielding to 
 Her grief and drooping, faded as a flower 
 That withering in decadence fades away. 
 The rosy seraph sent — so kindly sent — 
 From heaven to be the precious idol of 
 Her solitude, and his, grew strong and more 
 Angelic as the passing days went by. 
 
 When the ruffians from the darkness sprang on 
 Cedric, with ready shot, the foremost fell; 
 
 37 
 
But the bludgeon of the other laid him 
 Low; then, as the fatal blow was falling, 
 Morales coming, threw himself between; 
 And in deadly combat grappled with Ben 
 Rubideaux. With bowie knives they struggled, 
 Each receiving fatal thrusts, nor yielded 
 Until weak from loss of blood, they parting 
 Fell; Morales' bowie buried in the 
 Heart of Rubideaux. Cedric lay for hours, 
 Unconscious; then, his strength returning, he 
 Rose, and dazed, bewildered, groped along the 
 Frontage, stag'ring like a drunken man; the 
 Stevedores thought him one returning from a 
 Night's debauch. He in the early morning, 
 Came where a boat was loosening its cables 
 From the wharf; and unnoticed, stumbled on 
 And fell among the luggage in a swoon. 
 
 THE MYSTIC TOKEN. 
 
 The boat — bound for the Indies— was well out 
 
 On the gulf before they found and lifted 
 
 Him; nor knew they of the tragedy upon 
 
 The dock, or that he was hunted as a 
 
 38 
 
Murderer. They finding on his person 
 
 The token of a craft which they revered, 
 
 They cared for him and left him safely in 
 
 An island city of the Southern Sea. 
 
 There his brother craftsmen gathering round him, 
 
 Nursing — raised him — raised him as one from the 
 
 Dead. From the "Valley of the Shadows" brought 
 
 Him forth to perfect health and vigor; but 
 
 Alas! the silken cord that erstwhile bound 
 
 Him to the past, was broken! Memory 
 
 Was gone! Nor, with active mind and clear, could 
 
 He recall the past, tell his name or whence 
 
 He came. He strove to lift the veil and look 
 
 Beyond the wall of night that intervened. 
 
 That cruel blow had caused a lesion of 
 
 The brain — a lapse of memory complete. 
 
 As the wire that bears the hidden current 
 
 Broken, swaying in the breeze, connecting 
 
 Sends a gleam across the night, so at times 
 
 Bright gleams of memory, almost taking 
 
 Shape, would light his way; then leaving him in 
 
 Greater darkness, would as quickly fly away. 
 
 39 
 
Gradually came before his sight, as 
 Dimly seen thro' nebulae, the outlines 
 Of a form and face came from the misty 
 Moonlight of the past. At last, came back to 
 Him, that picture which had made the deepest 
 Imprint on his mind — his Lola, as he 
 Saw her standing by her father's side. But 
 When was this? And where? And who was she? 
 By exercise of all the strength of his 
 Great will, her name once more came back to him. 
 And then her father's ; then the city where 
 They lived; and then it was borne in on him 
 That she was his betrothed; that he had gone 
 To that fair isle to make a home for her. 
 Now, having gained the wherewithal, he could 
 Go and bring her. With this thought, the flame of 
 Love rekindled blazed anew, as clearly 
 He remembered those six happy days of 
 Love with her — what she said, his promises; 
 And now — ^his hot blood leaping to the call. 
 He hastened on his way. Arriving there. 
 He straightway went to find her father's 
 Home and claim her as he swore to do the 
 Day he left her there. The Colonel met him 
 
 40 
 
With a scornful smile and said: "So you have 
 Come? You may have her, if you wish for such 
 As she." Breaking forth in rage, he cried — ^with 
 Oaths — "Go! Find her at the hospital"— he 
 Told the driver where — "Go! Find her with her 
 Child of shame; they are good enough for you! 
 I care not if she fills a harlot's grave." 
 
 THE STOLEN CHILD. 
 
 Cedric, smitten almost to the death, bade 
 The driver go with haste. He found her and 
 She, smiling, whispered low: "My Cedric, you 
 Have come to meet me. Is this heaven?" then placed 
 The baby hand in his and falling back. 
 She was indeed in hea.'ven* Cedric, tearless, 
 For a moment stood as one struck dumb; then 
 Took the baby in his arms. She too young 
 To understand, or lisp her mother's name 
 Or his, as though instinctively, she threw 
 Her rosy arms about his neck and kissed 
 Him. Then confiding, laid her golden curls 
 Upon his breast. The nurses, thinking him 
 
 41 
 
A base deserter, hoping he at least 
 
 Would own the child, and seeing him caress 
 
 It — placed tenderly its costly wrappings 
 
 'Round, and quickly packed its ample clothing. 
 
 Gave it him. He kissed the marble brow and 
 
 Turning to the one who had the right to 
 
 Speak for all, he inquired about the rites 
 
 And ceremonies of her faith, "Were they 
 
 Performed?" "Yes," the matron said, "the good priest 
 
 Has been often by her side, left her just 
 
 Before you came; the one who married her." 
 
 He paced the hall and pondered, mystified. 
 What he had heard and seen had set his brain 
 Awhirl. So she was married! Then to whom? 
 Her husband might at any moment come 
 And claim his child — claim Lola's child — -he quick 
 Resolved to take the babe and give his life 
 To her — to care for her, for Lola's sake; 
 For she was Lola's child, if not his own. 
 They must not know that he was not the one 
 Who married her. He must not see the priest. 
 He, in his frenzy, cast aside all thought 
 Of right or wrong — decided he would 
 
 42 
 
Steal— yea, lie or even die before that 
 
 One who had deserted her should have her 
 
 Child. He gave them gold, and speaking calmly, 
 
 (Falsely, too, as he supposed) said: "Tell them 
 
 Her husband ordered that her last resting 
 
 Place shall be a mausoleum grand, and 
 
 To him you gave the child— -the one to whom 
 
 It rightfully belongs; say that he loved 
 
 Her to the last, and would that he had died; 
 
 That she had mourned for him — not he for her." 
 
 Then, with a farewell kiss, he took the child. 
 
 Believing he was stealing it away. 
 
 The baby clung to him and was content. 
 
 But for the child his life had ended there; 
 Then there had been no tie to bind, no one 
 To love. The past almost a blank, and in 
 The future no alluring hope, he fain 
 Had snap'd the slender thread of life, to be 
 With Lola evermore. Or, had he been 
 One of the weaker kind, complaining at 
 His fate, he had perchance by slower 
 Process, ended all in low debauchery. 
 
 43 
 
THE WANDERERS. 
 
 But those confiding arms, that baby kiss 
 Upon his cheek, sent thro' the aisles of his 
 Great, generous heart, a flood of newborn 
 Love. To part with her would be indeed to 
 Part with life itself. He, thinking quickly 
 And as quickly acting, fled— took the first 
 Ship that sailed, nor asking whither it was 
 Bound; rejoicing when it cleared the dock and 
 Seaward turned its prow. When learning that its 
 Course lay to the north, he changed to one bound 
 For the South Sea Isles. 
 
 Sailing to and fro. 
 The changing seasons passed while they upon 
 The ocean cruised like wanderers without 
 A guide; he thinking only of his charge, 
 And where he, in her tender years, the 
 Best could care for her. Willing hands he found — 
 Mothers' hands outstretched to take the cherub 
 From his arms. She, growing, Cedric saw in 
 Her the image of her mother — the same 
 Blue eyes and wavy hair which fell about 
 Her shoulders; high arching brows and lashes 
 
 44 
 
Long but darker shaded, like his own. He 
 Had thought to call her Lola; but when the 
 Stranger asked her name, she lisping answered, 
 "Zola," he left it so. 
 
 Tho' long before 
 The day when ox-carts plowed their dusty way 
 Across the plains to reach the sun land slopes, 
 The Eldorado of the west, he knew 
 Of that fair land beside the sunset sea — 
 That sunny, southern California. 
 There they would go, where none would ever hear 
 The story of the stolen, nameless child; 
 And where the recreant father ne'er would 
 Come. There would he seek and find in sylvan 
 Quietude, the sweetest spot where Mother 
 Nature reigns and in her lap, among the 
 Birds and flowers, would she be reared in spotless 
 Purity — -educated- — taught by him — 
 As wise men of the olden times received 
 Their learning from the doctors of the law. 
 
 Thitherward they sailed; and thro' the rocky 
 Gateways of the cape — tho' roughly shaken — 
 
 45 
 
Safely passed; then to the north thro' calmer 
 
 Waters, borne by Etesian winds, oft-times 
 
 Delayed by traffic at the ports, or on 
 
 A glassy sea becalmed. And once their ship 
 
 Was overtaken by an ugly craft 
 
 That bore the pirates' flag; and every man 
 
 On board was called to arms ; then they w^ere 
 
 Well nigh overwhelmed and taken. Cedric, 
 
 Joining with the crew, fought valiantly. Thro' 
 
 The thickest of the battle, Zola clung 
 
 To him. When they would have taken her below, 
 
 She cried, "Let me stay wiz papa; if he 
 
 Go, zen me go too." Cedric answered, "Be 
 
 It so; we live or die together." But 
 
 Their fears were turned to great rejoicing when 
 
 A shot crashed thro' the pirate craft. They sailed 
 
 Av/ay and left it sinking in the deep. 
 
 Cedric, by his bravery and coolness 
 In the time of danger, won respect and 
 Friendship of officers and crew. When they 
 Left him at the mission of the holy 
 Padres, on the bay of San Diego, 
 Loaded him with costly presents, forced them 
 
 46 
 
On him, presents for himself and Zola. 
 The angelic child had won the hearts of all. 
 
 Cedric told the good Franciscan fathers 
 He was going northward overland, and 
 Joyously he set about preparing 
 For the journey, she ever at his side, 
 With childish prattle, asking, "What is zis?" 
 "What is zat?" and "What for?" He answering 
 Cheerfully and evermore explaining — 
 Teaching her. 
 
 In her sweet companionship 
 And the certainty of keeping her, he 
 Laid aside his sadness and became as 
 Light of heart and happy as herself. At 
 Last they were all ready to begin their 
 Wild and free nomadic life— a dozen 
 Gentle burros, packed with all that they might 
 Need for months to come; a tent with costly 
 Furs and rugs, and blankets of bright colors 
 Bo't from the Indians, with toys and gaudy 
 Trinkets; a snow-white pony, showily 
 Equip'd with Spanish bit and bridle, 
 
 47 
 
Upon its back a basket, sedan-like, 
 With crimson canopy, lined with softest 
 Silken draperies, for his "Gypsy quean." 
 A princess of the Romany was ne'er 
 Provided with such luxuries as she. 
 
 In the early morning, long before the 
 Ringing of the mission bells, Zola and 
 Her strange retinue set forth; the pony, 
 With its precious burden, led by Cedric's 
 Hand; then came the white milk goats with tinkling 
 Bells; to the sound, the meek-faced burros, trained 
 To follow, trailed patiently behind; and 
 Then a faithful shepherd dog to keep them 
 All in line. They moved by easy stages. 
 Stopping often in some shady dell to 
 Rest and let their burros feed upon the 
 Grassy slopes. Then would Zola gather flowers. 
 Or chase the yellow butterflies, with shouts 
 Of childish glee that echoed thro' the glen; 
 To him a sweeter music than the chime 
 Of great cathedral bells or orchestra. 
 
 48 
 
IN THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 They exploring, crossed the great Cuyamaca 
 Range, traversed its broad plateaus, and thro' the 
 Silence of its lofty domes and canyons; 
 Then beyond, where boiling waters gurgling 
 Flowed thro' Indian villages. They saw 
 The waving pines upon the lofty crest 
 Of Palomar; and wandering, vainly sought 
 Along its base for passage leading to 
 Its heights. They often reached an eminence. 
 And thought they neared the goal, when overhanging 
 Walls of granite turned them back. At last, by 
 Persevering, came upon its table- 
 Lands; and pressing forward found the place he 
 Long had pictured in his mind — the sheltering 
 Boughs of giant trees, the gushing fountain, 
 Level plot of fertile land below, well 
 Watered by the rivulets that trickled 
 From the springs. Here he sowed the garden seeds 
 And grain; and from the chaparral he bro't 
 The antlered buck and lesser game. The sweets 
 The toiling honey bee had stored away, 
 Drip'd from the boles of sycamore and oak. 
 They happy lived in Nature's luxury. 
 
 49 
 
Lest in their quietude he might become 
 Indifferent or wasteful of the time, 
 He took up an ancient system which they 
 Faithfully observed thro' all their years of 
 Hermitage— eight hours for labor, eight for 
 Rest, and eight for study and improvement 
 Of his mind, and teaching Zola. 
 
 He was 
 The builder of the hidden cabin; for 
 Zola it was builded, for her boudoir. 
 With loving hands, he axe and auger plied, 
 Without compass, square or trestle board. 
 But with all the tenderness that ever 
 Mother bird provided for her nestling. 
 He building, furnished it with draperies- 
 Bright Indian blankets, rugs and robes of 
 Fur, arranging all as beautiful as 
 Tho* her mother's spirit hands had guided 
 His. Perchance they did. If love be spirit, 
 And spirit love— or soul — then such as hers 
 Might overleap the balustrades of 
 Heaven and find its own; or such unselfish 
 Soul as his might rise and view the palace 
 
 50 
 
Of the skies. He teaching, opened first the 
 Book of Nature, and strolled with her among 
 The flowers and botanized. Then to the rocks; 
 He told her of the slow formations of 
 The ages. From the books selected in 
 The days when she was cradled on the sea, 
 He, in learning, carried her beyond her 
 Years. 
 
 "PEG LEG, THE MINER." 
 
 They marked the changing moons until a 
 Score had glided by and yet had seen no 
 Other human face save one- — and he, an 
 Honest miner whom they found in sorry 
 Plight, with broken limb, where he had fallen 
 From an overhanging ledge. They succored 
 Him until, returned to strength, he rose with 
 One limb twisted hopelessly. They made — as 
 Best they could — a wooden substitute, and 
 Strap'd with buckskin bandage, he soon learned to 
 Use it cleverly. Jokingly, he called 
 Himself "Peg-leg, the miner." He told them 
 Of a mine that out upon the desert 
 He had found, where three large buttes stood side by 
 
 51 
 
Side. Cedric gave him burros from his herd, 
 
 And packs, and sent him on his way. He came 
 
 Again with well-filled sacks of pellets round 
 
 As shot and black as ebony, which proved 
 
 To be pure gold. He left it there, and leaving, 
 
 Nevermore returned. Miners to this day 
 
 In vain have sought that "Peg-leg Mine," and those 
 
 Three buttes ; and some have left their bones to bleach 
 
 Upon the desert sand. The miner told 
 
 Them of a nearer passage, a hidden 
 
 Trail, that led downward to the valley. They 
 
 Going, tarried there and Cedric sent the 
 
 Indians to the mission for supplies. 
 
 Once a cougar sprang across their path with 
 Blazing eyes and crouching for a spring; when 
 Cedric sent a bullet thro' its brain; and 
 From its den he took a pair of baby 
 Mountain lions, made orphans by the shot. 
 Zola, pitying, took them home and one, 
 Surviving, grew to monstrous size, became 
 Obedient to her command, and like 
 A faithful watch dog, followed her. She 
 Called him Zimbo. Other pets she had — ^white 
 
 52 
 
Kids of silken fleece, birds and animals, 
 But Zimbo was the monarch of them all. 
 
 As the circling years went 'round and she could 
 See beyond the golden morning of her 
 Sunny life the ripening noonday coming 
 On, she longed to see the world beyond her 
 Mountain home; but named it not to Cedric. 
 With her years she grew more fearless, wild and 
 Venturesome. With Zimbo and her rifle. 
 She scaled the dizzy heights of rock and crag 
 Where condors built their nests, and knew the 
 Devious windings of the wild doe's trail. 
 Thro' manzanita groves and chaparral. 
 In a seat of granite, nature fashioned. 
 Like a throne, shaded by a giant oak 
 Upon a summit looking oceanward. 
 She would sit in dreamy mood and watch the 
 Silvery line of surf that fringed the far-off 
 Fading stretch of blue. Once she saw a sail 
 Appear, then slowly vanish in the oiBng; 
 And in the quiet of an early morn. 
 She heard the low sweet chime of mission bells. 
 
 S3 
 
GILBERT. 
 
 To that same port where Cedric landed with 
 
 His Zola, others came from distant parts. 
 
 Some came to seek their fortunes, others came 
 
 To buy and till the soil, some to obey 
 
 The inborn instinct of the pioneer. 
 
 One family, leaving all behind, had bro't 
 
 A sickly child. Rich and prosperous they 
 
 Had been, and with children blessed; but a dread 
 
 Contagion had swept them all away save 
 
 One; and he, left delicate and frail, the 
 
 Idol of their hopes — no other left to 
 
 Keep the family name. From those who best could 
 
 Speak, they learned there was no hope unless it be 
 
 In taking him to that fair, sunny clime. 
 
 They hastened there and gave him for his home 
 
 A quaint old hacienda of the Dons; 
 
 With many leagues of land that lay between 
 
 The mountains and the sea. There amid the 
 
 Orange groves and vineyards, in the freedom 
 
 Of the range where roamed his father's flocks and 
 
 Herds, young Gilbert soon became a gay young 
 
 Caballero — grew as strong and fearless 
 
 As vaqueros of the range — could twirl the 
 
 Lariat or aim the rifle true as they. 
 
 54 
 
Sunburned, strong and handsome was Gilbert, in 
 Showy costume of the Dons, with clanking 
 Spurs, gold-mounted trappings on his coal-black 
 Leo, ambling thro' the massive arches 
 Of the mission. Senoritas smiled on 
 Him; he returned their loving glances. This 
 His parents seeing, feared their Angflo 
 Blood be mixed with that of darker hue, besought 
 Him to return to their old home and there 
 To find a bride of his own faith and kind. 
 He quieted their fears and said that he 
 Was wedded to the mesa and the hills. 
 He loved the mountains more than ever 
 Bridegroom loved his bride, his heart was free; 
 But kind and true and dutiful to them, 
 He promised solemnly that he would do 
 As they desired before he took a wife; 
 For ne'er could he repay the love and care 
 By them bestowed on him, their sacrifice. 
 
 Foremost in all manly sports, he reckless 
 Rode along the beach where foaming breakers 
 Lashed the cliffs, fleet-footed Leo dashed between. 
 His black horse was known on El Camino 
 
 Real — far beyond the shady groves of 
 
 55 
 
Monte Vista. He loved the mountains 
 
 And on their bosom laid his head beneath 
 
 The starlit skies, companion of their silence, 
 
 Partaker of their rest. In midnight darkness 
 
 Could he thread the winding Indian trail 
 
 Across the high Cuyamacas, and often 
 
 Had he reached the base of Palomar, and 
 
 Longed to see beyond its frowning granite 
 
 Walls. At last, undaunted, came nearly to 
 
 The summit— came where a deep-walled canyon held 
 
 Him back, there rested. The autumn sun was 
 
 Slowly sinking to the sea and bathed the 
 
 Mountain side in flood of rosy-tinted 
 
 Brilliancy. 
 
 ZOLA AND ZIMBO. 
 
 Upon a shelving rock near 
 By, a being of angelic beauty 
 Stood; posed statue-like, her eyes fix't on the 
 Distant sea; one hand spread gracefully 
 Across her brow, the other holding back 
 A monster mountain lion that crouching 
 At her feet, lay watching him; a robe of 
 
 56 
 
Softest fabric, yielding to the breeze, revealed 
 
 The ample fulness of her shapely form; 
 
 Caught back by strand of sparkling gems, a mass 
 
 Of golden hair fell nearly to her feet. 
 
 She unconscious of his presence, Gilbert 
 
 Stood in speechless adoration, as one 
 
 Entranced, — lost in wonderment. Who was this 
 
 Personage divine? This apparition 
 
 Come to him on that lone mountain side? Was 
 
 She some fairy elf come to bewitch him? 
 
 Some mountain sprite? Or angel from the throne? 
 
 With throbbing temples, arms outstretched, as tho' 
 
 He fain would leap the chasm that lay between. 
 
 Pressed slowly to its edge. The lion rising 
 
 Angrily to spring, she saw him standing 
 
 There and vanished from his sight. Then from the 
 
 Rocks, he heard her voice call softly, sternly: 
 
 "Come, Zimbo, come! Come here!" The spell was 
 
 Broken ; by those words in his own tongue 
 
 He knew that she was of the earth — one like 
 
 Himself — and not a native of that land. 
 
 Day after day did he return to that 
 Same spot and, waiting patient, watch for her; 
 
 57 
 
Once for a moment saw her on the heights, 
 And again, he saw the eyes of that great 
 Lion fixed on him and knew that she was 
 Near. Like knight of old he scaled the highest 
 Peaks and stood upon the spot her feet had 
 Pressed. With throbbing pulse and palpitating 
 Heart he followed in pursuit. The kindly 
 Rocks revealed no tell-tale foot prints where her 
 Feet had touched them in her flight. The summer 
 Wore away and autumn came again; yet 
 She cunningly evaded him. Growing 
 Desperate, he traversed all the length and 
 Breadth of Palomar; at times he heard her 
 Voice in song, heard her speak to Zimbo, she 
 Near him; for a precious moment saw her, 
 But in finesse she more than equalled him. 
 
 Gilbert's parents missed his merry laugh and 
 Jest ; marvelled at his absence ; feared that 
 He was ill and questioned him. He told them 
 He was hunting in the mountains, but he 
 Mentioned not the object of his quest; misled 
 Them by tales of condor's nest and mountain 
 Lion he had seen. 
 
 58 
 
Likewise was Cedric 
 Troubled by the change he saw in Zola. 
 She loved Gilbert — loved him wildly, madly. 
 She had watched him when he knew it not, and 
 Knew that he loved her; but frightened at the 
 Thought, was minded to keep the secret 
 Locked in her own breast and fly from him; so 
 Timidly she asked if some day they might 
 Go away, and sailing o'er the ocean 
 Find another home. Cedric answered, "Yes, 
 Some day." He had long expected this and 
 Unknown to her, had in a way, prepared 
 Her for the change. From that lone mountain top 
 Letters had been sent to shops and houses 
 Of the east, and yearly in return had 
 Come by Indian carriers from the port 
 Clothing for himself and Zola, made to 
 Measure sent, and always in their study 
 Hours they dressed resplendently, that she might 
 Grace a drawing-room and feel at ease — not 
 Show that she in wilderness was reared. 
 She had mastered music and languages 
 In travel needed most, and was withal 
 A finished scholar. Not for himself but 
 
 59 
 
Her, he feared to take her hence — knew full well 
 
 That one so beautiful would soon be wooed, 
 
 And he had never told her of the cloud 
 
 That hung around her birth — the cloud of 
 
 Mystery. As for himself, he loved her 
 
 All the better for it — she blameless — he 
 
 In tenderness postponed the hour; but the 
 
 Longer left undone, he dreading knew that 
 
 One day it must come; in honor must he 
 
 Speak — must tell her, though it break her heart, to 
 
 Know that he was not her father. Often 
 
 Did he wish that in her childhood had he 
 
 Told her all. Yet, in his weakness, promised 
 
 Her that some day they would go: "Yes; some day.' 
 
 Gilbert, growing wise in woodcraft and in 
 The art of making love, on the farther 
 Side went up the mountain, rode Leo up 
 The winding trail; Zola watching, waited 
 Disappointed while he — galloping o'er the 
 Table-land — came on Cedric busy in 
 His garden. They with kindly greeting met. 
 Conversing, found each the other to his 
 Liking. He too manly to dissemble, 
 
 60 
 
Gilbert came out openly: The one so 
 
 Coy and beautiful, was she his daughter? 
 
 Cedric troubled, sternly answered: "She is mine. 
 
 Indeed, my Zola." How learned the young man of 
 
 Her presence on the mountain? Had he met 
 
 Her? Had they met clandestinely? Gilbert, 
 
 Speaking plainly, said: Tho' strangers, 
 
 Yet they knew each other well; he long had 
 
 Worshiped her afar; well she knew and well 
 
 Had she evaded him. Now, at last, had 
 
 He found the one to ask if he might meet and 
 
 Woo her, would he give consent? Cedric saw 
 
 His good intent, sincerity and truth, 
 
 Looked upon him with the feeling of the 
 
 Father for the son. Then like a phantom 
 
 Came that secret terror of his life, — he 
 
 Spoke unlike himself — severe, unkindly. 
 
 "She obeys her father's will and he would 
 
 Will that she remain unseen, unknown 
 
 To strange intruder. The young man makes bold 
 
 In asking." 
 
 Answered Gilbert, manfully: 
 "May not a true heart be emboldened by 
 
 61 
 
The hope of winning one so beautiful? 
 
 The asking honorable? Perchance the 
 
 Senor has himself in days gone by made 
 
 Like request?" Spoke of his family 
 
 Old and honored, lived on the Gilbert rancho 
 
 In the valley. Would he offer them rebuke 
 
 Unwittingly? Cedric by his words the 
 
 More determined they should never meet, for 
 
 Zola's sake and his, resolved to flee 
 
 With her, so spoke deceitfully. He must 
 
 Go and wait six days and on the seventh 
 
 Come; if she were there then he might speak with 
 
 Her. Gilbert said respectfully: "'Tis well! 
 
 With such a hope I well may add to my 
 
 Long waiting one more week." And with a smile 
 
 Of hopefulness, he rode away. Cedric 
 
 Pitying, watched him disappear among 
 
 The ceanothus bloom and drooping boughs. 
 
 Zola coming, on her face the look of 
 Sadness, — signs of weeping, — Cedric knowing 
 Now the secret of the change in her — the 
 Absence of the rippling laughter noticed 
 In the months gone by — his kind heart melted 
 
 62 
 
And well-nigh did he repent and tell her 
 All, tell Gilbert; but the specter haunting 
 Fixed his purpose; she must go or face a 
 Deeper sorrow. So, despite his feeling, 
 Smilingly and cheerful, told her they would 
 Go and sail across the ocean — sail to 
 Foreign lands. Thus seeking to beguile and 
 Turn her from the tie that bound her heart to 
 Palomar, spake he of the people and 
 The sights that they would see. Long had they 
 Remained in Nature's parlor; now going. 
 Would they view the halls and palaces of 
 Splendor they had read about. She smiling 
 Sadly, kissed and thanked him for his kindness. 
 
 She daily strolled where she had seen the face 
 Of Gilbert, vainly waiting with the hope 
 That he would come once more — pensively, with 
 Tears — and prayed that she might see him once 
 Again before she went away. The sun 
 From out its saffron-tinted bed burst forth 
 And kissed the mountain peaks. She weeping, heard 
 The matin song of birds and cooing doves. 
 The melody of Nature's minstrelsy — 
 
 63 
 
Heard, and yet not heard, for today must she 
 Decide among her treasures, which to take 
 And which to leave behind. Came Zimbo and 
 Her pets for breakfast from her hand, the last 
 But one, for early on the morrow she 
 Would go. "Shall we never come again to 
 This dear spot?" she asked. Cedric feigning 
 Cheerfulness, his sadness ill-concealed, — ran 
 On assuringly: "Of course, we will return 
 And rest from our long journey 'round the world; 
 Come, bring your bric-a-brac, my girl, and we 
 Will pack it snugly in the cabin, bar 
 The doors and leave all safe and sound. We may 
 Find Zimbo and the other pets all waiting 
 When we come. Cheer up, my darling; dry your 
 Tears, for wondrous sights are waiting for those 
 Eyes to feast upon." Thus talking, while he 
 Packed her treasures in the hidden cabin. 
 
 THE MIDNIGHT RIDE. 
 
 Gilbert, sleepless, counted yet the slowly 
 Dragging hours — three more days, and then 
 The promised one; pondered o'er the words of 
 
 64 
 
That strange man on Palomar, — words so oft 
 
 Repeated: "If she be here, then you may 
 
 Speak with her." ''If she he here!'' Their meaning- 
 
 His intention— dawned upon him. "She will 
 
 Not be there!" In frantic haste he rose and 
 
 Threw his saddle on his fastest horse and 
 
 Sent the spurs along his quivering flanks; 
 
 His adolescent blood in angry throbs, 
 
 His eyes ablaze, he wildly flew across 
 
 The mesa, through the foothills, brave Bonita 
 
 Stag'ring, bore him up the trail. In early 
 
 Morning came to where he spoke with Cedric. 
 
 On the slope he saw the tethered burros, 
 Well-filled packs and camping equipage near 
 By. Then from the curtained maze of trailing 
 Vines and boughs, he heard the gurgling waters 
 Of the spring and sound of axe. Pressing thro' 
 He came upon the hidden cabin, Cedric 
 Placing bars before the door, and Zola 
 By his side. At sight of him came bounding 
 Zimbo, stop'd by Zola's voice. Then, with head 
 Uncovered — bowed, as one in reverential 
 Attitude before a shrine — addressed her: 
 
 65 
 
"We have been acquainted long, if not by 
 Spoken word, then by the cords that bind two 
 Hearts as one. This man who calls you daughter. 
 He may tell you of his promise — explain 
 The breaking — doubting not his motive, I 
 Believe him kind and true." 
 
 ''Calls you daughter!" 
 Smote poor Cedric's soul; a deadly palor 
 Swept across his kindly face. The time had 
 Come when he must speak — must tell the secret 
 Of his life — her life. Then he recited 
 All that he remembered, — Zola's unknown 
 Parentage; his stealing her, and fear that 
 She be taken; how he had suffered with 
 The dread of making known to her that he 
 Was not her father. Speaking, the strong man 
 Breaking, wept. Her love and true devotion 
 Setting all aside, she sprang to him and 
 Clinging, cried: ''He is my o<wn dear father T' 
 Her dazzling beauty now intensified. 
 
 As one enchanted, Gilbert looked upon 
 The scene; such filial love revealed a depth 
 
 66 
 
Of soul beyond his ken ; thought he of those 
 
 Who called him son — what they had done for him — 
 
 And of the promise he had made to them. 
 
 Yes, he would die for them ; yet in their pride 
 
 Of name and family might they not spurn 
 
 This nameless one? Thus in the balance weighed 
 
 His love for her was satisfied ; fortune, 
 
 Name and family were all as naught to 
 
 Him compared with Zola. He proudly asked 
 
 Again to woo the hermit's daughter and 
 
 Winning, give to her his name. 
 
 "No, no," she 
 Answered for the father, "until this cloud 
 Is lifted — mystery solved — my name is 
 Zola Vaughn." With her words, a light broke in 
 On Gilbert. Joyously he spoke; as he 
 Had promised would he go back to the states 
 And seek a bride, solve the mystery and 
 Return triumphant, claim her — his Zola — 
 As his bride. Would take the ship now in 
 The harbor, sail tomorrow. Cedric gave 
 The name of Colonel Vail, but his memory 
 Yielded meagerly of information 
 
 67 
 
Needed. He well remembered all his life 
 
 Up to the day that he left Lola at 
 
 Her father's home, and from the day she died, 
 
 The gap between in mystery wrapt, all blank. 
 
 Gilbert, taking Cedric's hand, said: "From this 
 
 Day your life shall be a pattern for my 
 
 Own. God bless you." And to Zola: "You are 
 
 Mine whate'er my journey may reveal;" and 
 
 Unmindful of her sweet rebuke, he held 
 
 Her to his breast and kissed her. That life-long 
 
 Fear for her still haunting, Cedric followed 
 
 Him aside and whispered: "The father, if 
 
 He be found, pray name her not to him." From 
 
 The mountain top she watched him out of sight; 
 
 Then, alone on Palomar, the hermit's 
 
 Daughter wept. 
 
 When their only son went forth 
 To seek a bride — to keep his vow — there was 
 Great rejoicing at the Gilbert rancho. 
 
 68 
 
GILBERT'S JOURNEY. 
 
 After journey long and wearisome, he 
 Reached the Crescent City and the home of 
 Colonel Vail. The aged man now mellowed 
 By weight of years, remorseful, mourning 
 And alone, received him kindly, answered: 
 "Her father's name was Simon Blake, he was 
 Murdered by a Mexican upon the 
 Dock. The child, my grandchild's name was Blake. 
 The man who loved my daughter came and found her 
 Dying. 'Twas he who took the child away. 
 And they were lost at sea." Gilbert had the 
 Story of her life — her name was Zola 
 Blake. 
 
 With heavy heart he homeward turned, yet 
 No less loyal to his Zola. With sad 
 Misgivings waited for the coming of 
 The ship — long overdue — by stormy sea 
 Kept back. Waiting, pondered gloomily; he 
 Must go and bear the tidings that would solve 
 The mystery of her name, but leave a 
 Darker shadow than before. Still would she 
 Refuse his name they would go away from 
 
 69 
 
Palomar. They at the rancho, left so 
 Happily, what would he say to them? At 
 Last with tattered sail and broken, came 
 The ship. He hastening, learned that it would 
 Lay at anchor there yet two days more in 
 Mending. Hopeless, yet with strange desire to 
 Linger there, again he visited the 
 Hospital where Zola's mother died; but 
 As before, no voice could answer aught of 
 Her; yet caught a thread of hope — an aged 
 Priest in near-by parish mighi remember. 
 
 The father heard him, — listened eagerly; 
 Then in his book of records found the date 
 When Lola Vail and Cedric Vaughn were wed; 
 And the christening of her daughter — their child. 
 Left with him for Cedric, left by Lola, 
 The treasure he had brought from Mexico, 
 Lola's diary, presents he had given. 
 And a miniature of Cedric done by 
 Her own hand; then to the house where they were 
 Married and her resting place. Gilbert took 
 The proof to Colonel Vail and together 
 They rejoiced. He begged that he would bring his 
 
 70 
 
Grandchild there when they were wed, and Cedric 
 Vaughn, that he might grasp the hand of that true 
 Man. Now, to Gilbert's happy heart attuned 
 By hope's fruition, Nature brought a new 
 Glad song. The bird notes rang with sweeter 
 Melody — sunshine brighter — bluer skies- — 
 Even in the tumbling troughs of ocean's 
 Depth, he read the mirrored light of love and 
 Joy. Thro' long and dreary days beneath a 
 Tropic sun, — in calm, or fog, or buffeted 
 By winds adverse, the good ship sped 'til thrg' 
 The mild Pacific's purple haze, Point 
 Loma came in view and then, across the 
 Mesa, to the hacienda, home aga.in* 
 
 With mysterious air, and teasing told, 
 Or partly told the story. Yes; he had 
 Found a fairy queen and when again the 
 Great round moon came o'er the mountain top, she, 
 Riding on its silvery beams, would come in 
 State, — would come with him — come to the rancho. 
 They must '"bide-a-wee" and trusting him, wait 
 Patiently. So he left them wondering. 
 
 71 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 To Palomar he flew — told all that he 
 Had learned— laid the proof before them — described 
 The house where Cedric lived — told of the battle on 
 The dock — how Morales died — the bags of 
 Gold from Mexico. Thus aided, Cedric 
 Woke as from a dream, remembered all; then 
 Placing Zola's hand in his, withdrew to 
 Be alone with sacred memories. 
 
 Hand 
 In hand the lovers blissful roved among 
 The crags and overhanging boughs where she 
 Had watched unseen, for him. Led him thro' the 
 Brake, in forest solitudes, where lemon 
 Lilies nestling grow, and clinging vines 
 And nodding ceanothus plumes bedrape 
 The foliage in Nature's millinery. 
 
 With love and kisses roamed until the day 
 When proudly and triumphant, Gilbert led 
 Them thro' the avenues of spreading palms and 
 Vine-clad arches of the hacienda. 
 His mother welcomed her with tears of joy, 
 
 72 
 
"Her daughter" — then met the fathers — met in 
 Glad surprise — for Cedric Vaughn and Homer 
 Lee stood face to face; again renewed the 
 Old time bonds of love and friendship made the 
 Stronger. 
 
 Then came another presence on 
 The scene. Radiant in the ripened bloom 
 Of womanhood — as beautiful as in 
 The happy days of old — came Dora Lee 
 To welcome Cedric Vaughn and Lola's child. 
 
 On the Gilbert rancho (named for him), in the 
 Dreamy quiet of a summer eve, while 
 Softly chimed the distant mission bells. 
 At the hacienda, sweet Zola Vaughn 
 And Gilbert Lee were wed. And when the 
 Autumn came, and vine, and bough and field gave 
 Forth their richest fruitage, and falling leaves 
 Betokened ripeness — the sure reward 
 Of patient waiting — two faithful souls were 
 Joined as one. Again rang forth the silvery 
 Chime of wedding bells — old mission bells — that 
 Echoed from the gilded cross above its 
 
 73 
 
Hoary walls, a benediction sweet as 
 Incense from its altars. 
 
 Long, long ago 
 Back to the happy scenes of youth they sailed, 
 And left the hidden cabin to decay. 
 
Up the Grade 
 
 BY 
 
 DAVID W. EDWARDS 
 
 Author of 
 
 ^^Tbe Hidden Cabin,'' 
 ^^ Billy Birdsall^' etc. 
 
 A strong romance, natural and 
 absorbing. 
 
 It has a special message to young 
 men. 
 
 Both young and old will find 
 pleasure and profit in its pages. 
 
 The hero is a fine type of man- 
 hood. 
 
 A healthful and helpful story with 
 inspiration to human betterment. 
 
 Illustrated, $1.50 
 At all Book Stores 
 
 W^t C-JW, Clark ^utilfetjing Companj> 
 
 BOSTON. MASS. 
 
■j; 
 
 11 w i: -^ 
 
One copy del. to Cat. Div. 
 
 ■ ! '* (3 ^ 
 
(fi&''^ OF COM^