The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1884-08-07
A SHADOW ON THE SANDS.
He has stopped again!

he mas stopped again:
1t is high noon, and the August sun
beats down upon the great Staked
Plains with the tierceness of fire itself,
Look which way he will and the same
scene is before him-a flat, wide waste
of white sand. Here and there is a
sage bush-here and there the ugly
head of a cactus. These things break
the monotony just enough to make it
more terrible.
Overhead the vultures sail and circle.
On the sands not living thing is to be
met with-not even an ant Or cricket.
One lost on the prairie has the grass
under his feet, the undulations which
may suddenly bring him sight of green
groves, animal and insect life to accom-
pany his weary steps. But the wander
er over the great sandy desert loses
hope in an hour. The awful silence
the knowledge that not another living
thing walks or crawls over the loose
sands breaks him down. The courage
of the man gives place to the coward
ice of the child.
Look back on this mans trail. See
how it turns to the right and the left!
He has been like rudderless boat with
breeze driving it over the expanse. A
mile away you can see the spot where
he flung himself down to die. Hatless,
coatless, barefooted-hea and thirst
had brought such agonies that he gave
up the struggle for life and welcomed
death.
But a vision came to him as he
closed his eyes and waited. He heard
whispers and footsteps. He saw
green grove hundred feet away. Aye!
he saw cascade of water as clear as
crystal, and he felt the spray of it
blown against his cheek by the noon
day breeze. He was man again. His
parched tongue and blistered feet and
throbbing brain were forgotten as he
struggled up and staggered forward to
reach the shelter of the trees and
plunge his face into the precious watt
ers.
1t was but vision. With his hands
shading his eyes from the fierce sun he
turns slowly and searches every point
of the horizon.
Nothing! Nothing but sand. below
and sky above! He sinks down again
in despair and as hour after hour drags
away the circling Vultures fly lower
and call to each other to ask if the hor-
riblc feast is ready. Not yet! As the
sun goes down and the evening breeze
cools the sand, the man who has died
dozen deaths struggles up and looks
about him. A hundred feet away,
standing out against the starlight sky
is a figure-a Shadow. 1t lifts an arm,
and the dying man rises to his feet. It
beckons him, and he staggers toward it
Three days and nights without food
or water! Three days under blister
ing, boiling sun--three nights OF such
terrible quiet that the patter of fierce
VOLTS feet would have been delicious
company. But the end is coming.
That strange figure has como to guide
him to the green prairies-the cool
groyes-the waters more precious than
gold. Strange that q shadow should
come fitting over the sands on such an
errand of mercy, but it is there, and is
blindly followed, rs it keeps its dist
ance. The shadow heads course as
straight as the flight of an arrow. lie
who follows staggers to the right-to
the left-stops as if about to fall-lurch-
es ahead again with eyes betraying ter
ror lest the Shadow should 60 too fast
and be swallowed up in the gloom OF
night: :,
'.Water! water!'
The Shadow halted as the muffied
cry reached it's ears. 1t raised its
hand, and 10! what a transformation!
The desert was changed to an orchard,
and the evening breeze carried the odor
of apple blossoms to the suffering man.
He pecred in the night, and among the
trees he heard the fall of water. lie
listened, and the voices of men urged
him to struggle on.
What! The Shadow has moved on,
and the orchard has been whirled away
as if by magic! Who could be so cruel
as to thus trihe with a man who would
| give millions if he had them for cup
of waterP
''Wait! Waltz
The Shadow halts again and points
to the east Water! Why, there is 9
grand river within stones throw of the
man-a river which glistens and SHIN.
mers as it runs deep through the ter.
rible sands! The orchard was vision
the river is reality. The man rush
es forward over the yielding sand and
fiings himself down on hands and
knees to lap at the waters like thirsty
dog.
s.Ha! ha! ha!''
] There is no water there, and the
Shadow mocks him! As he slowly ris.
es up and stands like one who may fal
at any instant, the Shadow beckonl
him. He will not move. He stand.
and peers and forgets his burning lip!
and parched tongue. Now the Shadow
lifts an arm, and up from the sands
rises ledge Of rocks. and over thu
rocks rushes and foams q sheet o
water with noise to be heard mil,
away. Is it waterP The man hest
} tates. The shadow beckons. III,
moves forward step by step. Now h,
clearly sees the foam and the spray
Now he sees the limpid waters in th,
eddy below. Be careful! He sink
down and creeps like q vol, pausing q
almost every foot to look from th,
Shadow to the waters and back