Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-01-20
A Run for Life Over the Plains.

ooooiutc lT0tuOuu Vi llilHlItdpiC
space, the exhilaration of the sparkling
sunlight and the excitement of the Oppos-
Ing wind, which was strong enough to
oblIge Arthur to exert certain degree of
physical strength to overcome it, so
wrought upon him that IN few moments
he had thrown off the mysterious spell
which the rancho of the Blessed Trinity
appeared to have cast over his spirits and
had placed material distance between
himself and its gloomy towers. The
landscape, which had hitherto seemed
monotonous and uninspiring, now be-
came suggestive; in the low, dome-shaped
nils beyond, that were huddled together
like half-blown earth bubbles raised by
The merry breath of some long-dead vol
cano, he fancied he saw the origin of the
Mission architecture. In the long sween
OF the level plain he recognized the calm.
uncventtul life that had left its expression
IN the patient gravity Of the people, in the
flerce, restless wind that blew over it-a
"lnd so persistent and perpetual that all
umbrage, except a narrow fringe of
dWarfed willows defining the line of an
extinct water course, was hidden in shell
tered canons and the leeward slopes of
the hillside recognized something of his
@Wn restless race and no longer wondered
at the. baTenness Of the life that was
turned toward the invader Ct dare
say he muttered to himself, "some-
where in the leeward of these PEOPLES
natur9s may exist a luxurious growth that
we shall never know. I wonder if the
donna has not"-but here he stoned
angry, and, if the truth must be told, a
little frightened at the persistency with
which Donna Dolores obtruded herself
into his abstract philosophy and senti-
ment
Possibly something else caused him for
the moment to dismiss her from his mind
During his rapid walk he had noticed as
an accidental, and by no means an es-
sentlal, feature of the bleak landscape the
vast herds OF crawling, purposeless cattle
An entirely new and distinct impression
was now forming itself in his conscious
ness-namely: that they no longer were
purpoSeless, vagrant and wandering, but
were actually obeying certain definite
law OF attraction, and were moving de-
lIberately toward al equally definite OBJ
Ject. And that object was himself
Look where he would; before, behind
on either side-north east, south, west
on the bleak hill-tops, on the slope of the
talda, across the driedup arroyo, there
were the same converging lines of slowly
moving objects toward single focus
himself! Although walking briskly and
with certain definiteness of purpose, he
was apparently the only unchanging, fixed
ana limited point in the now active land
Scape. Everything that rose above the
dead, barren level was now moving slow
~, HreslstIbly, instinCtively, but unmis-
takably, toward one common center
HIMSELF Alone and unsupported, he was
the helpless, unconscious nucleus of 8
slowly gathering force, almost immeas-
nrable in its immensely and power!
At first the idea was amusing and
grotesque. Then it became picturesque.
Then II became something for practical
consideration. And then-but no!-with
the quick and unerring instincts of
powerful will he ChOked down the next
consideration before it had time to fasten
upon or paralyze his strength. He
stopped and turned The rancho of the
Blessed Trinity was gone! Had it sud
denly sunk in the earth or had he di-
'verged from his path? Neither; he had
simply walked over the little elevation in
the. plain beside the arroyo and corral,
and had already left the rancho two miles
behind him
1t was not the only surprise that came
upon him suddenly, like a blow between
the eyes. The same mysterious attraction
had been operating in his rear, and when
the turned to retrace his steps toward the
Mission he faced the staring eyes Of 100
bulls, not fifty yards away. AS he faced
them the nearest turned, the next rank
followed their example, the next the same,
and the next, until in the distance he
could see the movement repeated with
military precision and sequence. With a
sense Of relief, that he put aside as quick
" as he had the sense of fear, he quick
ened his pace until the nearest bull ahead
broke into a gentle trot, which was COM
municated line by line to the cattle be-
yond, until the whole herd before him IN
dulated like vast, monoton0us sea. He
continued on across the arroyo and past
the corral until the binding and impene-
trable cloud of dust, raised by the plung-
Ing hOofs of the moving mass before him
caused him to stop. A dull reverberation
of the plain-a sound that at first might
nave been attributed TO a passing earth
quake-now became so distinct that be
turned. Not twenty yards behind him
rose the advance wall of another vast
tumultuous sea of tossing horns and I'm,
dulating backs that had been slowly fol
lowing his retreat! He had forgotten
that he was surrounded The neares
were now so close upon him thathe could
observe them separately. They were neither
large, powerful, vindictive, nor ferocious