Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1891-03-06
A HUT IN THE PRAIRIE.

a HUT IN THE PRAIRIE.
1 checked my horse, and after one
lons. straiuing look around owned 70.
myself chat 1 was lost. / had suspected
the fact gafno time since, but had stub
bornly fought down the suspicion, though
my horle evidently realized it. With pa
tent euGurauce he plodded along, resig-
nation plainly expressed in the droop of
his tail and ears. A Texas prairie is a
beautiful, soul inspiring sight ona bright
day, when the sky is an inverted bowl of
turQuOis, and the wind comes sweeping
over the grassy wastes as fresh and sweet
as the bloom on a baby's check, but
there can be no greater sense OF desola-
ton born of natare than that aroused by
this same prairie when it lies black ana
bare to the chill October wind, which
has plucked the glory of Indian summer
from earth and sky.
felt this as | gazed about me, discon-
certed and even a trlhe anxious. for the
sun had set some minutes before in a
cloud heap, which. closing over it like a
rebel horde deposing its king, overran
his monarchy with its blood redstandard.
In place Of the ranch, the hearty well
come, pleasant words, bed, supper and
FIRE I had expected to reach by sunset,
there was notling 10 ls seen before, be-
hiaH ~ oit taJ the dead level
ait lty;
. re 100
maul .- whining. for
wiz. el.Is All not the
81 t l,cN. tl' general Tend
ency la c4Oo- lass, A4O-t things. ami
mate and i~nani.nA.e aAie, possess. But
it would have taken the instinct Of a
bloodhound OF a trailing Indian to nave
said which paths had been made by
horses feet or those Of cattle. 1t was
certainly beyond my powers to decide,
and in addition to their doubtful nature
they had a most p%erpleSing way of run
ming into each other, crossing and re-
crossing, going off at a tangent and fire.
quently wandering off and getting lost
altogether. SO l soon dismissed tine
problem as hopeless OF solution.
Now that the sun was gone. 1 found
my knowledge of the points of the com
pass gone with it. AS / sat perplezed
and worried the gloom Of twilight gath
cred fast and the chill Of coming rain
smote me through and through, while in
the distance there was the roll Of thun-
der. CHANGING up I saw that the masses
Of cloud had closed together in a curtain
of gray mist. My horse strobe on of
his oyvn accord, and hoping that his in
stinct would lead as to some house / lei
him have his will. Presently it began
to rain, a sort of h~eartbroken, passion
less weeping, but with a steady deter
mination to persevere all night, that
awoke graver apprehension in my bosom
than any amount Of clustering, show
cry downpour could have done. This
fine still rain was accompanied by a low
soughing wind that added its desolate
note to the general dreariness of the
hour. OF course | did not mind u little
rain, but the prospect of spending the
entire night exposed to it was anything
but agreeable, and 1 grew really violent
in Remuneration of tue folly which had
AIA me al hAAEA oAAAAaEA III INC LOAAA-
try, to attempt to find anything less
than a volcano in active eruption on a
bald prairie.
The Texans are n fine people, in some
i'm many-respects the most admirable
Of hosts, but individually ana collect
lively they lack any appreciation of dis
tance. This Is due Of course to them
having so much space around them, but
to a stranger ignorant Of the extent to
which the phrases "a little piece OUT
and "just outside O town can be
stretched this contemptuous regard of
miles is a little mi.lel ling. But in the
face of that dreary. u5notouous moan
ing of rain and wIll even my anger at
my own folly could not burn long, and
though chilled TO the bone and tired and
hungry 1 plo4ded ON duly, grateful
that no niSAt. ever the longest, could
last forever, 1t WIS now quite dark,
and ', dark at th-t, though at short
intervals close to the horizon a faint
CLEAN Of lightning showed, too distant
to cast Brightness on my path and only
sufficient to intensity the blGckness
aOOu. Le.
All rHee tt' g man walking about
ffto lla o. ne. Yes, / know
said i, lat dark. but all the
SAM, iroplatit D. man walking in
FRI -Jia 4 could see
tia a man, dressed in
ror veil az clo.aes; that he
W .yy reI 1aard. and that he
loo al me From time to time