grave and the mine of Padre Juan.

"In the succeeding years the story was handed down from father to son.
But of the many who hunted for the lost mine of the padres there was
never a Mexican or an Apache. For the Apache the mountain slopes were
haunted by the spirit of an Indian maiden who had been false to her
tribe and forever accursed. For the Mexican the mountain slopes were
haunted by the spirit of the false padre who rolled stones upon the
heads of those adventurers who sought to find his grave and his accursed
gold."

XVIII. Bonita

Florence's story of the lost mine fired Madeline's guests with the
fever for gold-hunting. But after they had tried it a few times and the
glamour of the thing wore off they gave up and remained in camp. Having
exhausted all the resources of the mountain, such that had interest for
them, they settled quietly down for a rest, which Madeline knew would
soon end in a desire for civilized comforts. They were almost tired
of roughing it. Helen's discontent manifested itself in her remark, "I
guess nothing is going to happen, after all."

Madeline awaited their pleasure in regard to the breaking of camp; and
meanwhile, as none of them cared for more exertion, she took her walks
without them, sometimes accompanied by one of the cowboys, always by the
stag-hounds. These walks furnished her exceeding pleasure. And, now
that the cowboys would talk to her without reserve, she grew fonder of
listening to their simple stories. The more she knew of them the more
she doubted the wisdom of shut-in lives. Companionship with Nels and
most of the cowboys was in its effect like that of the rugged pines
and crags and the untainted wind. Humor, their predominant trait when
a person grew to know them, saved Madeline from finding their hardness
trying. They were dreamers, as all men who lived lonely lives in the
wilds were dreamers.

The cowboys all had secrets. Madeline learned some of them. She marveled
most at the strange way in which they hid emotions, except of violence
of mirth and temper so easily aroused. It was all the more remarkable
in view of the fact that they felt intensely over little things to which
men of the world were blind and dead. Madeline had to believe that a
hard and perilous life in a barren and wild country developed great
principles in men. Living close to earth, under the cold, bleak peaks,
on the dust-veiled desert, men grew like the nature that developed
them--har