FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   >>  
land, the ridge beyond the town, nor anything that looked like these landmarks, though we went down as far as San Pedro Bay and back twice or three times. It actually did seem that the whole locality had been swallowed up, or had vanished into air. In vain did I bring the matter to the notice of the merchants and scientific men of San Francisco. Nobody would fit out an exploring expedition by land or sea; those who listened at first finally inquired "if there was any money in it?" I could not give an affirmative answer, and they turned away with the discouraging remark that the California Academy of Natural Science and the Society of Pioneers were the only bodies interested in the fate of our lost city. Even Captain Booden somehow lost all interest in the enterprise, and returned to his Bolinas coasting with the most stolid indifference. I combated the attacks of the newspapers with facts and depositions of my fellow-voyagers as long as I could, until one day the editor of the Daily Trumpeter (I suppress the real name of the sheet) coldly told me that the public were tired of the story of San Ildefonso. It was plain that his mind had been soured by the sarcasms of his contemporaries, and he no longer believed in me. The newspaper controversy died away and was forgotten, but I have never relinquished the hope of proving the verity of my statements. At one time I expected to establish the truth, having heard that one Zedekiah Murch had known a Yankee peddler who had gone over the mountains of Santa Cruz and never was heard of more. But Zedekiah's memory was feeble, and he only knew that such a story prevailed long ago; so that clue was soon lost again, and the little fire of enthusiasm which it had kindled among a few persons died out. I have not yet lost all hope; and when I think of the regretful conviction that will force itself upon the mind of good Father Ignacio, that we were, after all, impostors, I cannot bear to reflect that I may die and visit the lost town of San Ildefonso no more. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Stories by American Authors (Volume 4), by Constance Fenimore Woolson and H. C. Bunner and N. P. Willis and Mary Hallock Foote and J. W. De Forest *** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES BY AMERICAN AUTHORS *** ***** This file should be named 22401.txt or 22401.zip ***** This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: http://www.gutenberg.org/2/
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   >>  



Top keywords:
Zedekiah
 

Ildefonso

 

persons

 

kindled

 

enthusiasm

 
regretful
 
impostors
 

Father

 
Ignacio
 

conviction


Yankee

 

peddler

 
looked
 

expected

 
establish
 

mountains

 
prevailed
 
reflect
 

feeble

 

memory


AUTHORS

 

AMERICAN

 

STORIES

 

PROJECT

 

GUTENBERG

 

gutenberg

 

formats

 

Forest

 

Authors

 

American


Volume

 
Constance
 

Stories

 

Project

 

Gutenberg

 
Fenimore
 

Woolson

 
Hallock
 

Willis

 
Bunner

proving
 

discouraging

 
remark
 
California
 

Academy

 

locality

 
turned
 

swallowed

 
affirmative
 

answer