Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-03-26

| assured fler it was and we rode
ahead, whistling and singing BY turns
for very lightness of heart
She began whistling an air and
struck in with the alto. She stopped
dissatisfied with my performance. mo,
YOU lead, I'll trail" and when | took
the air she made of it mere frame,
upon which she hung and
draped the most beautiful and
fanciful minor accompaniment
then turned to me and said:
pretty. amt it? I wouldn't have
fellow that couldn't whistle nice and
ride anything that goes--would you?'
She had rich, pathetic contralto,
with note of hoarse tenderness in it
that went right to your heart, and SO
flexible that she could follow freely
any air sang with her own irregular,
sobbing alto
After we had ridden ten or twelve
miles, across divides and through draws
and hollows that all looked alike to my
eyes, she turned abruptly to me, on the
heels of a closing minor cadence,
checked her pony, pushed back her hat
and exclaimed: by George, I'm lost. "
Here was a bad state of affairs
was utterly helpless, and she had only
been over to the place on the Escondido
arroyo once before, she admitted.
But it was only three o'clock by my
watch; our ponies were good ones and
we were not more than two or three
hours from the ranch; so we kept NOV
ing ahead. she scanning the surround
ing country anxiously from the topof
every divide.
Suddenly, as we were Looping across
level, she laughed out loud and pointed
in front of us.
"Why, here's the arroyo; we've come
to 1t further north than | was before.
All we've got to do is to follow down"
We followed down, got our saddle
pockets full of resurrection plants, and
then started homeward.
''We can cross Turkey Roost and go
down Lost Mule and it'll only be eigh.
teen miles," said Tennie. ''1t's a sort OF
blind trail, but / can find it, and we
want to get mighty near home before
dark"
Il was 4:30; there remained but an
hour of daylight, and our ponies
had already come some twenty-four
or twenty-five miles at brisk gait
since noon.
We went ahead at an easy lope,
checking up every mile or SO to walk for
a breathing space. AS the sun declined
/ saw Teenie look anxious. Finally
she said: 1--WE crossed Turkey Roost all
right, and was sure we struck into
Lost Mule on this side, but ! declare il
don't look like it now"
We rode up on the divide beside which
we had been travelling and looked
around. ''Good landv' said Teenie, 81
don't see thing know. We're lost
sure enough this time-and night com
ing. Wen freeze"
While we looked and hesitated the
day visibly withdrew and night dropped
down upon us like a presence. All
landmarks by which to steer our course
were obliterated, but we pushed ahead
with feverish haste.
On and on we sped through the dark
ness, while over us wheeled the constel-
lations.
Presently Teenie pulled up and said;
ats no use; we're like as not going
away from home instead Of toward it. F"
We got down, staked the ponies,
wrapped ourselves as best we could
and sat down to face the situation.
Have you never been alone on the
prairie at night9 Then you have never
L 30
As we sat hushed under the great, white
stars, amid the boundless darkness, [
fancied we could hear the moving of
the vast machinery of the universe, the
hum of the planets as they spun
through the void, and the crealSing of
the earth as it turned on its axis and
shot forward into vacancy.
Our surroundings were obliteratcd;
nothing was present but great, soft
darkness and an immensely of star
gemmed space. And we ourselves-in-
fnity of littleness amid this spacious
gloom-we seemed but unrcmembercd
atoms.
had resolved myself to my original
components, dotted this gross corporal
DOUN, anu WAS WdntlCAili5 uDoRiS III IL y
spirit, seeking to blend once more with
the oversoul too ignorant and inexperi-
enced to realize any danger in our POI
sitions, reveled only ia is beauty and
strangeness.
Suddenly the little predatory whim-
pering giggle of coyote sounded out
of the night. and Teenie, who had been
huddled beside me in dismayed heap.
clutched my arm.
''Oh, Miss Alice! Can't you boiler?
Listen to that coyotel There's timber
wolves and panthcrs out there, too. We
ant got match, nor q thing to shoot
with. never wanted to see a man so
bad in my life-do hollerl"
took one moment to say: Would
you even like to see Johnnie Sher-
wood?" and then gathered up my forces
and sent forth powerful soprano yell
that was the effort of my life.
But no answer came back, and then
ensued bad quarter of an hour for
Tennie and me. The coyotes snickered
on the hillside and howled fearfully in
the nearer valley.
All at once our Monies neiphed ont iov.