HER LETTER

His Answer & Her Last Letter

By BRET HARTE

Pictured by ARTHUR I KELLER

  PAGE
I'm sitting alone by the fire
Dressed just as I came from the dance. (In color) Frontispiece
Title. (In color)
Publishers' Note—Headpiece 5
List of Designs—Headpiece 7

Her Letter—Half-title
11
Is wasting an hour upon you 13
That waits—on the stairs—for me yet 15
With whom do I waltz, flirt, or talk? 17
To look supernaturally grand 19
And the hum of the smallest of talk 21
With the man that shot Sandy McGee. (In color) 23
The man that shot Sandy McGee 25
Of that ride,—that to me was the rarest 27
And swam the North Fork, and all that 29
Mamma says my taste still is low 31
That my heart's somewhere there in the ditches 33
His Answer—Half-title 35
I should write what he runs off his tongue. (In color) 37
Being asked by an intimate party 39
That with you, Miss, he "challenges Fate" 41
Though the claim not, at date, paying wages 43
And the rose that you gave him. (In color) 45
Is frequent and painful and free 47
Imparts but small ease to the style 49
In this green laurel spray that he treasures 51
But he lies there quite peaceful and pensive 53
For I have a small favor to ask you 55
Here's my pile; which it's six hundred dollars 57

Her Last Letter—Half-title
59
That you last wrote the 4th of December 61
And you're not to be found in the ditches. (In color) 63
From this spot, that you said was the fairest 65
To London, when Pa wired, "Stop" 67
And as to the stories you've heard 69
Whose father sold clothes on the Bar 71
With a look, Joe, that made her eyes drop. (In color) 73
To find myself here, all alone 75
Ah! gone is the old necromancy 77
And you called the place Eden, you know. (In color) 79
And the copse where you once tied my shoe-knot 81
There's the rustle of silk on the sidewalk 83
But there's still the "lap, lap" of the river. (In color) 85
There's a lot that remains which one fancies 87
He thinks he may find you 89
And good-night to the cañon that answers 91
I've just got your note. You deceiver! 93
Now I know why they had me transferred here. (In color) 95
How dared you get rich—you great stupid! 97
The man who shot Sandy McGee
You made mayor! 99
Tailpiece 100





GABRIEL CONROY

By Bret Harte



CONTENTS

 
BOOK I.—ON THE THRESHOLD.
 
    I. WITHOUT 1
   II. WITHIN 9
  III. GABRIEL 21
  IV. NATURE SHOWS THEM THE WAY 26
   V. OUT OF THE WOODS—INTO THE SHADOW 30
  VI. FOOTPRINTS 36
 VII. IN WHICH THE FOOTPRINTS BEGIN TO FADE 40
VIII. THE FOOTPRINTS GROW FAINTER 43
  IX. IN WHICH THE FOOTPRINTS ARE LOST FOR EVER 47
 
BOOK II.—AFTER FIVE YEARS.
 
    I. ONE HORSE GULCH 54
   II. MADAME DEVARGES 65
  III. MRS. MARKLE 74
  IV. IN WHICH THE ARTFUL GABRIEL IS DISCOVERED 87
   V. SIMPLICITY versus SAGACITY 95
 
BOOK III.—THE LEAD.
 
    I. AN OLD PIONEER OF '49 108
   II. A CLOUD OF WITNESSES 118
  III. THE CHARMING MRS. SEPULVIDA 125
  IV. FATHER FELIPE 132
   V. IN WHICH THE DONNA MARIA MAKES AN IMPRESSION 140
  VI. THE LADY OF GRIEF 151
 VII. A LEAF OUT OF THE PAST 165
VIII. THE BULLS OF THE BLESSED TRINITY 171
 
BOOK IV.—DRIFTING.
 
    I. MR. AND MRS. CONROY AT HOME 178
   II. IN WHICH THE TREASURE IS FOUND—AND LOST 191
  III. MR. DUMPHY MEETS AN OLD FRIEND 205
  IV. MR. JACK HAMLIN TAKES A HOLIDAY 212
   V. VICTOR MAKES A DISCOVERY 222
  VI. AN EXPERT 231
 
BOOK V.—THE VEIN.
 
    I. IN WHICH GABRIEL RECOGNISES THE PROPRIETIES 243
   II. TRANSIENT GUESTS AT THE GRAND CONROY 257
  III. IN WHICH MR. DUMPHY TAKES A HOLIDAY 266
  IV. MR. DUMPHY HAS NEWS OF A DOMESTIC CHARACTER 280
   V. MRS. CONROY HAS AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR 291
  VI. GABRIEL DISCARDS HIS HOME AND WEALTH 299
 VII. WHAT PASSED UNDER THE PINE AND WHAT REMAINED THERE 305
 
BOOK VI.—A DIP.
 
    I. MR. HAMLIN'S RECREATION CONTINUED 317
   II. MR. HAMLIN TAKES A HAND 325
  III. MR DUMPHY TAKES POINSETT INTO CONFIDENCE 338
  IV. MR. HAMLIN IS OFF WITH AN OLD LOVE 349
   V. THE THREE VOICES 354
  VI. MR. DUMPHY IS PERPLEXED BY A MOVEMENT IN REAL ESTATE 363
 VII. IN WHICH BOTH JUSTICE AND THE HEAVENS FALL 376
VIII. IN TENEBRIS SERVARE FIDEM 387
  IX. IN WHICH HECTOR ARISES FROM THE DITCH 398
 
BOOK VII.—THE BED ROCK.
 
    I. IN THE TRACK OF A STORM 409
   II. THE YELLOW ENVELOPE 423
  III. GABRIEL MEETS HIS LAWYER 435
  IV. WHAT AH FE DOES NOT KNOW 447
   V. THE PEOPLE v. JOHN DOE alias GABRIEL CONROY, AND JANE ROE alias JULIE CONROY 452
  VI. IN REBUTTAL 461
 VII. A FAMILY GREETING 471
VIII. IN WHICH THE FOOTPRINTS RETURN 477
  IX. IN WHICH MR. HAMLIN PASSES 481
   X. IN THE OLD CABIN AGAIN 491
  XI. THE RETURN OF A FOOTPRINT 495
 XII. FRAGMENT OF A LETTER FROM OLYMPIA CONROY TO GRACE POINSETT 497