THE JUDGE IS LONESOME.
"In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of
love."
This was the song of the fat little Judge, one fine morning, as he
wandered down towards the Howling Wilderness, sniffing the glorious
balm, the very breath of the forest, and glancing ever and anon over his
shoulder towards the cabin of Captain Tommy.
How new, and fresh and sweet, and fragrant the odors of the mighty,
mossy woods that climbed and climbed and ever climbed as if to mount the
summits, and push their tasselled tops against the indolent summer
clouds that hovered like great white-winged birds above the peaks of
snow. So new and fresh it seemed that summer morning, that the little
Judge stopped on the hill-side and stood there to inhale its sweetness.
"How fresh and fine is this new world of Californy. It is only finished
to-day. I can smell the varnish on it."
The Judge took out his great cotton bandanna, took off his hat, and
polished his bald head till it shone in the sun like a mirror.
Then the little man stuffed his big handkerchief back in his bosom, and
went on down the trail, humming softly to himself:
"In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of
love."
A man in great gum boots, duck breeches, a hat like a tent, with a gold
pan under his arm and a pipe sticking out through a mask of matted
beard, met the little man in the trail, heard his song as he passed, and
looking back over his shoulder, said to himself: "The derned bald-headed
old rooster! What's he a-singin' hymns fur now?"
The little Judge could not sit down in the saloon. He felt that
something was the matter, and he thought that he was lonesome. The
little brown mice upstairs could be heard all day now, for the miners
were at work up to their thighs in the water, delving away there in
their great gum boots as if they were in a sort of diving-bell.
So the Judge went away from the Howling Wilderness. There was no man to
be found who had time to talk, and so he sought a woman.
Captain Tommy stood in the door of her cabin all untroubled. She had
seen the little Judge approach, but she was too happy drinking in the
great summer's day that filled all things with peace and a calm delight,
and she did not stir.
There are days and occasions when even the most plain women are
positively beautiful; and when a plain woman is beautiful she is the
most beautiful thing in the world.
This was Captain Tommy's day to be beautiful, and perhaps she felt it,
for there she stood, really playing the coquette, hardly turning her
eyes to look on the little Alcalde, although she knew he was mad in love
with her.
He stood before her in the sun with his hat in his hand. Then she looked
into the polished mirror which he humbly bowed before her, and she saw
that she was really beautiful.
"Captain," said the mirror, and it bowed still lower. "Lady, in this
glorious climate of Californy, I have snatched a few moments from my
professional duties to come to you, to say to you--to--to beg of you
that you will--will you--in this glorious climate of Californy this
morning?"
The mirror was close up under her eyes. She smiled, and then she lifted
her two hands and began to wind herself up as fast as possible, so that
she could answer the eager and earnest little man before her.
The Judge waited in an ecstacy of delight, for he knew by the twinkle in
her eye that he should have to send for the black-clad man with the
white necktie, who had so terrified the Parson, and he was very happy.