Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-11-26

owe the prairie. A billock crowned with a
caci us thicket, which he had not seen at first,
app jared beyond it. Slowly the line became
more clearly defined, and at last its limits
app jared quite distinct-a distance of nearly
five miles from his starting point. 1t was a
belt Of odd colored sand edging a stream
whose shallow water flowed slowly over a
sanity bed. The bordering sand, in fact, was
only continuation of the streams bed, ris-
ing with slight slope from the water and
with no marked line OF division to separate
1t from the sand Of the arroyo. In the rays
OF the setting sun the particles Of sand seemed
to sniff and change and glitter with a curious
light.
Tue entire sand bed was but a few rods in
width, but extended for a considerable dis
tan e along the margin Of the stream. About
a dozen yards from the edge where Andrew
hailed his horse there was lying peculiar
yellow stone, which had apparently been
wa he'd upon the sand from the arroyo. An
DIRE v was something of an enthusiast in the
coll sction OF mineral specimens, and the APP
pea 'ance of this stone attracted his attention.
He urged his horse forward. Captain trotted
ON willingly enough until he reached the
edge of the sand bed, but there he started
back, pulling furiously at the rein as he
throw his head upward, and Andrews urging
cou d not induce him to take step over the
sanl border.
Don't like the looks, eh, CaptainT" said
Andrew, patting the neck OF the rearing
hors. well, it does look rather soft and
shifty, 10 be sure. One Of us will be enough
to so on, reckon"
BE slipped from the horses back, led him
bac lward al few rods and fastened him to a
scrI bby little tree that was making a fight
for life on the prairie. Then he returned to
the sand line. He scooped up handful of
the sand and examined it curiosly
Mica and soapstone," he said as he threw
the substance away. Slippery stuff; but it
Tools tolerably dry, probably is not very
deep, and have no doubt / can get over
without any trouble"
He took few quick steps across the edge
OF the sand bed, and then walking became
more difficult. He could hardly lift his
boo ed feet from the clinging sand But the
cur Gus stone was almost within his reach,
and he made a few more steps forward The
last step caused him to sink 50 deeply as to
almost lose his balance He Strengthened
himself with an effort. The sand was like
heavy weights on his feet, and something
seemed dragging him downward. He reached
forward and succeeded in grasping the yellow
store and lifting it from its sandy bed
Without stopping to examine it then he tried
to Urn and retrace his steps. Then he found
with a shock of surprise that he was caught
fast by the feet and 'ould not release them
froIl the sand
He made a frantic effort to free himself;
ano her, and another, and each time found
thai he sank deeper and deeper. The sand
was already'to his boot tops Then the fear
ful act was realized for the first time; he
was sinking, sinking fast in quicksand bed,
and there was no human being within sound
of his voice!
The quicksand was as before stated, part
OF he arroyo. During this unusually dry
season the water had receded from the sur
fact for some distance, but it still filtered
underneath; and the damp sand particles,
slid ng and shifting upon each other, gave no
foundation upon which a solid body could
rest Every moment Andrew was settling
deep in the sand Soon it was above his
knes. Death, fearful, strangling death,
was facing him here on the lonely prairie.
The sun had already gone down, and soon
night would settle over the lonely waste An
drew stretched his arms in mute despair to-
ward the sky-the far off, beautiful sky that
in another hour would be shut forever from
his sight. The thought Of his bright life
plars, the sweet girl waiting for him, the
hon that would never be his added to his
agony. The bauble for which he had periled
his life dropped from his fingers, a long,
pite Dus cry for help burst from his lips, and
be cried again and again; but from the
prairie solitude there was no answer
With the strength Of a dozen men. it seemed
10 hun, he made his last desperate effort to
6ghs down and overmaster the sliding sand
He trained narva and rnf,sc.a he fo,,-,, an. .
mar fights where life Is at stake. He gained
a little, then quickly lost the advantage. 1t
was useless, worse than useless, against that
deadly undertow. Still struggling with the
terrible odds which the quicksand offered,
still he was sinking, sinking
Suddenly he thought Of the YodeI's echo
II might have been fancy when he thought
there was an answer TO his song: but
the ringing call Of the Swiss mountaineer. IL
was said, would reach farther and echo longer
than any othsr cry in the mountains In his
college days Andrew had been proud Of the
stro 1gest aud sweetest tenor voice OF the col
lrge glee club. All its strength and resonance
wers needed now!
Drawing a deep breath, Andrew threw the
whole power of his voice into such call as
surely never any yodler of the plain had given
before;
''Yeo le-o-le, yeo le-o-le,
Yeo le-o-le. yeo leo,
Heo lo-o-e, yeo le-o-le
Yeo le-uleo-o-of'
They were waiting for him now, TO doubt,
In tie adobe house, the tea table ready, the
curtains drawn, Helen at the door perhaps,
wat hing and wondering why k4 did not
come. How the sweet face would pale and
sadd N, how the light would go out from the
brig At eyes and the joy from the young heart
when he should be given up as lostl Would
II De hours before this watching would turn
to al xiety, before a rescue party would start
out from the village TO search for the missing
mani Oh, long before that time the SHIN
mering sands would have closed over him,
and it= tr-schsrous surface would tell no
tale.
''Yeo l--ole, yeo le-o-l-
Neo ie-u-le-oo-o0!''
Twice, thrice, four times he gave the cry.
listening between each call Then, distant
out clear, there came answering back over
the plain the refrain:
"Yeo-le-u-le-oo!"
= 5ain and again Andrew gave the yodel.
and again the answer came back And then,
against the background Of the sky, appeared
the outline OF a gauoping pony and his rider
spec ling over the prairie
v Oulu the ulsthnt rider See hunt Could
his voice, his strength, hold outf And, OH
could the piaiusman cover that shortening
distance between them, and devise some
means OF help before IL was too latei He
was dashing rapidly onward like a reckless
rider OF the plains but wheeling his pony
about, now and then, as If to see whence
came the invisible yodler's cry.
A 1drew had settled in the sand nearly to
the oelt- The undertow dragged more heav-
Iy. lie was sinking faster and faster. The
desT air of death cry rang in the next yodeI
hat went up from his strained throat. and :,
was ended in the piteous call:
Here, oh herel Helpl Heinz
Tie rider had stopped IN the center OF ,hs
prairie, and was 10, Hing about in perplexity
me wss4ho eomrade securing over the
pi..l at his own break neck speed-what he
had expected to see when he answered the
yodel. But as Andrews last despairing call
reao he'd him he caught sight of the tethered
horse, the sinking figure, with wildly wav-
ing arms, struggling in the sand. Then.
witt the speed of an arrow, he spurred his
pony across the plain, untwirling as he came
a CO wboys lasso from his saddle.
Never did an Indian pony make a swifter
flight across the western plain, and never