The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1891-05-22
A HUT IN THE PRAIRIE.

| checked my horse, and alier
one long. siraining look around
owned that | was lost. had sus-
pecied the fact for some time, but
had stubbornly fought down the
suspicion, though nv horse evil
IDENTIFY realized it. With patient
endurance he plodded along. resig-
nation plainly expressed in The
droop of his tail ard ears. A Tex
as prairie is a beautiful, soul-in-
spring sight on bright day, when
the sky is an inverted bowl of lur-
quois, and the wind comes sweep
ing over the grassy wastes as fresh h
and swee, as The bloom on baby'S
cheek, but there can be no greater
sense of desolalion born Of nature
than that aroused by this same
prairie when it lies black and bare
to the chill October wind, which
has plucked The glory of Indian
summer from earth and sky.
| felt this AS gaZed about me,
disconnected and a triile anxious,
for the sun had set a few minutes
before in cloud heap, which, clos
ing over il like a rebel horde de-
posing lis king, overran his mon
archy with its blood-red standard.
In place of The ranch, the hearty
welcome, pleasant words, bed,sup-
per and fire | had expected 10
reach by sunset. there was nothing
to be seen before, behind, on either
hand, but The dead level of the
plain. There were paths in plen-
iy; III fact, the trouble was there
were TOO many-all narrow and
winding, for whose meandering
there seemed not the slightest ex-
cuss, except the general tendency
TO crookedness most things, AMI.
mate and inarimate alike, possess.
But 1T would have taken the in
slinci of a bloodhound or trail
ing Indian to have said which
paths had been made by horses
feel or those of cattle. 1t was GER
tainly beyond my powers TO decide,
aud in addition to their doubtful
nature, they had a most perplex-
ing way of running into each other.
crossing aud recrossing, going off
in tangent and frequently wan
dering off and getting lost alto
geiher. So | soon dismissed the
problem as hopeless OF solution.
Now that The sun was gone, |
found my knowledge of the points
of The compass gone with it. As |
sat perplexed and worried the
gloom OF twilight gathered fast
and The chill oil coming rain smoie
me through aud through, while in
the distance there was the roll of
thunder. Glancing up l saw that
the masses of cloud had closed TO-
geiher i'm a curtain of gray mist.
NV horse strobe on of his own ac-
cord, and hoping that his instinct
would lead us to some house | let
him have his will. Presently il be-
gan 10 rain, a sort of hearlbroken,
passionless weeping, but with
steady determination 10 persevere
all night, that awoke~ graver ap-
prehension in my bosom than any
amount of clustering, showery
downpour coulk have done. The
fine still rain was accompanied by
a low soushing wind that added
its desolate note 10 the general
tlrca-iness OF The hour. OF course
did not mind a little rain, but the
prospect of spending The entire.
night exposed 10 it was anything
but agreeable. and | grew really
violent in denuDciation of The folly
which had led me, an utter sirang-
er in the country, IN attempt TO
find ANYTHING less than a volcano
in active eruption on bald prairie.
The Texans are fine people, In.
some-in many-respecfs the most
admirable Of hosts, but individual