I went toward her. Her father could never more hear any sound of earthly tones. He was gone to Amy. Who can tell what voice had called him? what fair hand had beckoned from the sunset-clouds?

We laid him by Amy's side, in the quiet church-yard, where the snow-flakes would drop their white mantle of peace above them in the winter; where the summer winds would blow, and the summer birds would sing. Even in their death they were not long divided. My darling bore it well, for she knew that joy had dawned for the reunited ones in heaven; and on earth my love comforted her. It was not many weeks before she became my wife. She dwelt in peace in the stately mansion where her mother's portrait had waited for her so many years. My life was rounded into full and beautiful symmetry. I asked no more of fate. was content with my crippled form, my halting gait, for my soul's life was bright and blissful; the path wherein Rachel and I were walking onward to the world lying beyond was lightened by Heaven's own sunshine.

The summer was not over when an unusually long letter came to me, in my sister's hand. She had written previously her congratulations on my marriage, and an invitation to bring my bride to New York. As she was not a frequent letter-writer, I broke the seal with considerable curiosity. The contents were sad, but they gave me the key to a character I had ardently desired to comprehend.

IN

DESMOND THE SPECULATOR.

N the summer of 1856, while traveling in the interior of New England, I found myself in company with a person looking forty years of age, who had evidently passed a considerable portion of his life in California and Mexico. Being travelers of leisure on our way to the White Mountains, a sort of transient intimacy grew up. My companion entertained me with stories of Mexican and border life which would have made the fortune of a magazine writer; but among them all, being myself a man of some business, I was chiefly interested in a sketch of the life and character of the celebrated Royal Desmond, the prince of gamblers and speculators, and who was a trader in Mexico before the discovery of gold in California.

"I was among the first," said my companion, I"who looked for gold in the interior, and after six months of variable fortune accidentally met Desmond. He was then rapidly becoming rich, and controlled a considerable portion of the interior trade of Mexico. After a few days' acquaintance in the mines, I became aware that my new friend was the most extraordinary gambler on record, inasmuch as he played deeper than any, used no method of fraud, and almost invariably rose a winner. He seldom played, and always with men of acknowledged wealth. Five days and nights, without sleeping an hour, Desmond played in my store-cabin with Farquhar the old trader, who had amassed a fortune at Santa Fé. At midnight on the fifth day, Farquhar drew a pistol and killed himself. He had played away all his Mexican sheep, three hundred horses at Santa Fé, five thousand head of cattle in Chihuahua, houses and land in St. Louis, stores in New York, a steamer at New Orleans, piles of gold dust and silver coin which he had with him-in all four hundred thousand dollars. Being myself a lawyer and duly-elected magistrate in the camp, I executed the deeds of the conveyance and passed them one by one, hour by hour, to Desmond. They paid me one hundred dollars each time I witnessed Farquhar's signature. There was nothing terrible or exciting about this scene. Desmond was grave and pleasant; when he lost, which he did several times in the fortune of the game sums exceeding one hundred thousand dollars, he seemed rather to grow more cheerful, while the trembling old Scotchman was drinking to keep himself awake. Desmond seemed to sleep a moment, holding the cards in his hand. Far

"We know now," she wrote, "why Anastasia St. John did not care for you. A little while ago a young man, the supercargo of a vessel, was reported as lost at sea, and then it came

out.

She had known him when her father was poorer-when they were both children indeed, and had loved him faithfully all her life. He was poor, and her father opposed it; but she was content to forego wealth and luxury for his sake. They were waiting till he could make enough to marry respectably. This was why she was always so cold in society. You know how she kept every one at a distance. It seems she saw his death in a paper, and it literally broke her heart. She was found with the blood flowing in a crimson tide from her mouth, and the paper clutched in her hand. In three days she was dead. They buried her yesterday. Poor, proud, broken heart! Poor Anastasia St. John!" My darling had read the letter over my shoul-quhar drew the pistol so suddenly it was imposder. I felt her tears upon my cheek, as she murmured, in her tender, pitying voice, this fragment from a ballad that she loved:

"And they called her cold. God knows...... Underneath the winter snows,

sible to stop him. Desmond showed no surprise. He assisted me to take the body of Farquhar into a back room, went down to the river and washed his powerful limbs, mounted Farquhar's horse and rode off at two in the morn

The invisible hearts of flowers grow ripe for blossoming! ing. The affair made no noise; my testimony

And the lives that look so cold,

If their stories could be told,

was credited, and in a day every thing was forgotten.

"Desmond attached no value to money ex

Behold I have told you the story of My In- cept as a means toward the accomplishment of heritance.

Vale!

some grand scheme of business. In person he

"How soon?'
"To-morrow.'

was cool, quiet, and abstemious, rather free in thousand dollars for the silver-mine of Cantahis relation to the other sex, but not a swearer ranas which he owns; he is poor and wants nor a drunkard. All things with him were sub-money; the mine is worth a million. The jects of calculation, except his loves and his padre knows me, and will do as I request. friendships. His attachments were warm, close, Will you go?' and exclusive. There was nothing loose, des"'Yes.' perate, or defiant in the man: whatever he did seemed to be right for the time; if you condemned Desmond you had first to overthrow his system, for in all things his conduct squared with his philosophy. You smile; nevertheless your Mexican or Santa Fé trader has principles of his own, and he will explain to you his system of conduct with clearness and precision; in the city this is done to hand for you by the clergyman and professor; in the desert each man is his own philosopher and preacher.

“Very well, I will be with you at the hacienda of Cantaranas in six months. I shall take the land route through Mexico.'

"The hacienda of Cantaranas crowns with its vast white walls the bare summit of a desolate mountain, down which a number of winding paths lead toward the various richly-wooded valleys of the province or department of Gua

Groans or Lamentation,' from a gloomy legend connected with the early colonization of Mexico by the Spaniard. It is said that soon after the conquest, four hundred women and children, who had taken refuge there while the invader was laying waste the populous valleys, destroyed themselves by a mutual massacre at the suggestion of a priest. Whether this story is to be credited or not, I can not tell, but the natural features of the mountain are sufficiently for

"I said that Desmond was cheerful when he najuato. lost large sums. Yes-though it seems incred-The mountain itself is called the Hill of ible. It was a part of his system never to play for small or single stakes, but the whole of his against the whole of his antagonist's; his credit being unlimited and unfailing, it was as easy for him to draw bills for a million as for an hundred thousand, and on this principle he played against any thing a little less weighty than himself, and his courage rose with the amount that had seemingly gone out of him, when in fact it was merely a step backward for a longer leap. This,' he would say, 'is mere-midable without the aid of legendary horrors. ly the credit system-moral against material. Your men of business have no interest in the material they sell or buy, but only in its effects as a representative of values. Now, in playing with such men as Farquhar, who have money, I trade with the pure principle of trade, disencumbered of the substance.'"

"After all," said I, interrupting the narrative of my traveled friend, which a crowd of eager listeners were drinking in, "did you not look upon your friend Royal Desmond-by-theby, is that the real name?"

"No."

On the side facing southeast, a precipice descends sheer down two hundred fathoms; the torrent of the Rio Mitro, thundering at the base, is inaudible at the summit. One wall of the hacienda rests upon the edge of the precipice. It is of white porous rock, hewn into cubes four feet in diameter, and evidently of great antiquity. Traces of ancient sculpture still exist on the outer face of this wall overhanging the cliff.

"The mineral or mining district, on the southern side, which is less precipitous, has many veins of silver and other metals; but the great vein called the Cobra, opened and worked three

"Well-did you not regard this prince of centuries ago, is much the most remarkable. It gamblers as a prince of rascals?"

"He never cheated. All rascals cheat." "Go on, then, let us hear the rest." "A week after Farquhar's death Desmond entered my cabin, threw himself upon a bed without a word, and slept twelve hours; he had ridden three hundred and fifty miles, killing three or four horses.

"I was sitting near him mending a pair of corduroy pants, when he opened his eyes. He watched the operation for a little while, and then said: 'How much money have you?' "About five thousand dollars, in gold dust.' "By mining?'

is said that more than ten millions in silver were taken from the Cobra during the first century of Spanish dominations, at the expense of many thousand lives, the natives being worked as slaves under the lash, and turned out to die as soon as they became weak or incapable. Desmond being well-known at Cantaranas, I was cordially received as his representative, after presenting my letter to the Padre Gerraez, who seemed to be in ecstasies with the prospect of selling the mines for so large a sum. The time passed away slowly while we awaited the arrival of Desmond, and was, I think, the dallest period of my life. Had it not been for the great confidence I reposed in Desmond, and a secret "I will give you five thousand more-don't faith in his destiny, no ordinary inducements interrupt me. Here is a draft upon St. Louis. would have kept me so long in the dreary kaciTake this and the rest of your money; turn all enda. The wind blew continually from the into coin at San Francisco; go by the first ves-northeast with great violence, and we kept fires sel to Acapulco, and thence to Guanajuato, in burning night and day to preserve an agreeable Mexico. I will write by you to the Padre Ger- temperature. raez, informing him that I will give two hundred

"No, by trading-all.'

"The director or engineer of the mines was an

care-worn: his complexion had assumed a leaden hue, as if suffering from internal disease.

"I should not have reached you,' he said, 'had I not been impelled and aided by motives at once singular and to you incredible. I have acted under advice, and yet no living man has been my counselor.'

"Desmond,' I replied, 'your mind is unsettled with excessive fatigue and want of sleep. Let us talk of this to-morrow.'

Englishman named Clifford, who, though he had | cidents of his journey. He looked haggard and been two years in Mexico, appeared to be ignorant of the Spanish language, and conducted all his business with the padre in French, or through a young Cuban who acted as his clerk and interpreter. This man delighted me with his intelligent conversation. He represented himself to have been a younger son of a poor but noble family in England, and educated in a mining school in Paris. His knowledge of metallurgy was exact and profound, and he soon informed me confidentially that the mine had long since been a poor speculation for the padre, the expenses of raising the ores from the deep shafts consuming nearly all the profits. After watching Clifford's operations for a month or more, I became satisfied that his statements were correct, and I would have written to Desmond, dissuading him from the purchase, had not a secret awe of his superior sagacity restrained me.

"No,' said he; 'I have seen my father. I met him in a pass of the mountain near Santa Fé.'

"Your father is then living?'

"No; he has been dead these twenty years. But he laid his hand on my shoulder, and said, in his old natural voice:

"Royal, do you know me?'

"Yes, father,' I said, 'but I thought you were dead long ago.'

"Go to Cantaranas,' said he. 'Do not fail. Your friend will be there waiting for you. Give him one-tenth of the produce of the mine.'

"Clifford passed only a portion of his time at "He only smiled, and continued addressing the hacienda. Every Sunday morning he mount-me, with his eyes fixed upon mine, as he used ed a powerful black horse, descending the mount-when I was a boy: ain on the north side, and I saw nothing of him until Wednesday following. His clerk, the Cuban, conducted all necessary business in the interval. These periodical absences excited my curiosity to such a degree that I could not forbear betraying it to him. He said something about a wealthy Mexican woman whom he hoped to marry, but as he went away roughly dressed, and appeared travel-worn on his return, I became satisfied that love-making was not the only motive of his absence.

"At length, punctual to the day, Desmond made his appearance, accompanied by a train of one hundred and thirty pack mules bearing merchandise, wines, and three hundred thousand dollars in gold and silver coin. A party of thirty Mexican guerrillas escorted him to the gate of the hacienda, and were hospitably received by the padre, who entertained them for the night, and welcomed Desmond with the most extravagant protestations of friendship.

"You may be sure I was not unmoved by this adventure. In fact I fainted, and remained insensible I know not how long; and when I arrived in Santa Fé, the women asked me if I had seen a spirit, I looked so pale and haggard.'

"Feeling persuaded that the intellect of Desmond was unsettled, perhaps by abstinence and fatigue, as I knew his habits of old, I refused absolutely to converse with him until the day following. I then introduced him to Clifford, whom he regarded with evident dislike. I had already detailed all that I knew of the habits of the Englishman.

"Clifford pleaded his affair with the Mexican heiress. It was useless.

"If,' said Desmond, 'you expect a fortune, devote yourself to her; but that is not my affair. I require exclusive services, or none.'

"Mr. Clifford,' said Desmond, coldly, 'you will remain constantly at the mine or in the hacienda, if you engage in my service, except when absent by special agreement. I will give you one thousand dollars a month, twice the salary "Desmond opened a package of merchandise, given by the padre, but I expect you to be ocand distributed presents to the native and for-cupied all the time in my business.' eign miners, who crowded into the hacienda to make friends with the long-expected proprietor. Wine and ardent spirit flowed like water, and the night waned in extravagant jollity. Padre Gerraez and his children passed hours in counting the two hundred thousand dollars and replacing it in the bags. Their excitement amounted almost to insanity. They wept and prayed, kiss"In less than a month we had three hundred ed Desmond and myself, and when, after a sleep-miners engaged, new drifts were opened at the less night, they took leave of us and started for the city of Mexico the next morning, they fairly sobbed themselves into silence, and could only wave an adios to the stranger who had made them all free and happy for the rest of their lives.

"Clifford agreed unwillingly, and nothing more was said of the matter.

base of the hill at points indicated by Desmond, whose knowledge of the localities astonished every one, but none more than Clifford. Vast quantities of silver were taken out. Desmond now showed me papers in which all these secret localities were described. A few days after the "No sooner had the last mule of the depart-death of Farquhar, while on his way to Santa ing family disappeared down the winding path Fé, he met a poorly-dressed and half-starved than Desmond took me with him into a private Mexican on the road, who offered him these room and locked the door. He detailed the in-papers for a thousand dollars. 'Not believing

66

them to be of any value,' said Desmond, 'I "A few days after this I accidentally overgave him one hundred and a mule. He repre- heard a private conversation between the clerk sented that he had formerly been a proprietor and Gilbert Clifford the engineer. It was in the of the mine but was driven off by a revolution. Spanish language, of which Clifford had always I took the papers, more out of respect to the professed himself ignorant. When I reported feelings of the man than from any faith in their this to Desmond, and also informed him that value. But the next night I had a wonderful Clifford had been twice absent for two successive dream. I thought that my father came to me, days from the mine, he became thoughtful and and advised me that the papers were of value, disturbed. Soon after Clifford was again aband that I should send you to the Padre Gerraez sent, and a Mexican whom we sent to follow to make an agreement. This was a dream, but him reported that he saw the engineer enter the the second appearance to me was at noonday. houses of the Padre Garcia and of the comIt is my luck to be so met half-way by good for- mandante, twenty miles distant from Cantaratune. In ten years I shall be worth ten mill-nas, and that Clifford, the padre, and the comions, and one of these I shall get from this mandante were in deep conference in the padre's mine. While Desmond talked with me I re- garden. garded him steadily. His large gray eyes shone not with the lurid fire of insanity but with the mild and steady light of a profound enthusiasm. His countenance was the type of rugged sense, deep cunning, and a wisdom which it was impossible to circumvent or elude. The vast cheekbones stood out like ragged rocks, and the spanwide forehead displayed the largest powers of perception and combination. There may have been in his composition a mixture of the Hebrew, but I have seen American heads with aquiline contours of the same outline..........

"At the end of the seventh month seven hundred thousand dollars in silver had been sent away from the mine after paying all the expenses.

"There was only one part of the miner's business to which Desmond gave close attention, and that was to ascertain the quantity of ore taken out every week from the drifts and pits. This ore was passed to Clifford, who became responsible for the returns in crude silver.

"One evening at the beginning of the eighth month, while Desmond and I were sitting together, about sunset, on a Sunday evening, the Padre Garcia made his appearance, bowing and smiling with his usual benignity. He was a thin, brown, voluble Mexican, tolerably rich, and passionately fond of gaming and cock-fighting. Desmond often sent him presents of fight, ing cocks, and whenever he and the commandante made us a visit, it was a point with us to lose a few hundreds at monte to keep them in

“Desmond never appeared to be excited or astonished when the monthly balances were an-good-humor. nounced to him. He gave his orders for the sale of the crude silver, and the disposition of the proceeds in foreign cities, with the coolness of an ordinary counting-house clerk. He would often check my exultation by some such remark as 'True, this may be riches to you, but to my self, who require ten millions for a specific purpose not to be accomplished by a smaller sum, it is mere poverty and destitution. Men are happy or unhappy as they have or have not the means to accomplish their ends.” What, then, do you propose to do with ten "Two miles from the hacienda we reached a millions?

"That is my secret.'

** Have you reflected, then, by what means yon will achieve the other eight, since yen will. have but two in all at the end of this enterprise? ***Money-making, like the art of war, is an affair of will intellect, and fortune. I possess all the elements of success, and am consequently sure of the result. I am not avaricions. I never engage where I can not conquer, and I succeed with men by inspiring a confidence that is never violated, Look at a million as you do at a thousand. It is not difficult to convert two thousands into ten”

19) Bat the details of so immense a business" ***There is rear error Naroloon governed au army of five hundred thousand men by the Anglication of certain rules which you call pein

* Can mot you ll a gadò fall of sard uzáður vvanding the single particles of sand!”

"The padre, after a short visit, would have gone away alone, but Desmond ordered horses, and we accompanied him, apparently for politeness, a few miles on his way home. The road was steep and rugged, winding along the mount ain side, and had it not been for the brightness of a full moon we should not willingly have attempted it. Several times Desmond advised the padre to return, but he seemed anxions to get away, and annoyed because we would not leave him to go on alone.

point where the path almost overhung the very verge of the precipice. I was riding in advance, the padre next, and Desmord behind. It was impossible for the padre to turn or pass either of us. Desmond ordered a halt. Padre Garcia,' said be, it is three hundred yards deep if you were to fall from this cliff. At the bottom there is a torrent.' Mercy, good Señor Desmond! cried the padre, God has informed yon.' He let drop the bridle of his male, which stood still, clinging with its sharp hoofs to the slippery rock, crossed himself rapidhy, and prayed aloud.

***Padre Garcia, 'continued Desmond, speaking in a mid compassionate voice, 'it would be more effectual than prayer for your safety to give me a list of the conspirators who wish to rob me of my life and property at Cantaranas. The padre drew a paper from his bosom, and taking a pencil, wrote several names upon