The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-09-24
'LISH OF ALKALI FLAT.

~ G'hul y Va hbbSSSA! SstSsi hAS" Stisa4AASs
the shack, aud scratched its implanted
side when the wind blew hard. But it
was not blowing at all now, and the
same heat that throbbed over the
desert and warped the skyline was
curling the shakes atop the shack and
sending every breathing thing on al.
kali Flat, even to the lizards, into the
shade.
'Lish--the whole of it was Alicia
sat in her room and talked with her
mother, who was peeling potatoes in
the kitchen. Although in separate
rooms, their sharp, Alissourian voices
were clcar enough to each other.
There was just one thing to talk about,
and nearly everything that could be
said about it had been said, SO they had
been going over it again. 1t was pap's
big strike.
at amt dead sure, We know, Lish,"
wound up the mother; "but it looks as
near like it as one jack rabbit looks
like ernother.
"0P pap's workin' awful hard, amt
he, maw?"
~ reckon he is.
'Lish looked out through the small
window. Her glance shot past the two
rails that glimmered under the angry
sun, down there by Alkali Flat Station,
past the two scurrying dust demons
hnk 81, nV,va1 thnrn Rpu nj n motion
somewhere, even though sporadically,
and away over the blue buttes-SCrub
Canon, they call it. Pap was working
there in that notch, under that awful
sun, in the restless way that Pap al.
WAYS worked. He was there alone,
digging his pick into the dry ground,
and scanning each clod and broken
rock for the yellow specks that meant
so much for him, and that were to put
something better than shake roof
over their heads.
The. afternoon wore on. The glare
had gone out OF the day. They opened
the house to let in the glowing GOODNESS
outside, watching for "op pap's" dust
meantime. and wondering what news
he would bring,
"There no comes" 'Lish would say
but it was only dust demon trying to
trick them.
And so the night grew on; but the
horn OF an early moon shone down, and
still they watched.
Guess I'd better go over an sec ef ]
KANT raise him." said 'Lish. An et
he's a-goin' ter stay out all night he'll
need blanket. I'll take him one and
come back with the news, whatever it
8. Git the blanket out NAV, an I'll go
an buckle the skeepskin on OF JIM"
The desert night told its secrets to the
girl as she rode the slow mustang over
the trail to the buttes.
At last the girl reached the canon,
which seemed to be done in black and
white, so light did the moon make the
exposed parts, and so inky were the
shadows. 1t was frightfully quiet in
there. As she went along she heard
the whinny Of her fathers horse,
tethered beside the wall OF rock. She
left Old jim to MUNICH the mesquite
near by, while she tripped up steep
trail, and came to the cash her father
had made with pick and shovel in the
lone canon side.
There he was, sitting on the ground
and leaning against rock. The moon
shone upon his patched oVeralls and
upon his dusty shirt; but she could not
see his face, for his head was bent for
ward and hidden by the brim Of his
SLOUGH hat.
Pap" her sharp voice stabbed the
quiet, 81 came up ter see eli you was
ever comm home. brung blanket
pap, case yer wanted to stay all night
You oughter "a come home hours and
hours ago, stead O. workin' an wofkin'
till you was all tagged out"
He did not lift his head. A puff Of
cold wind came down the canon and
striking the girls breast, made hel
shiver.
"sleepin' on the rocks. Wal, l swunI
Tux too much outen the black bottle
I'll bet"
She stepped nearer.
"Hullo, pap! You amt drunk agin,
be you? Pap, pap, I'm clean 'shamed
she leaped to the rock, gave him a
dig in the side OF, his leg with her
stoutly leathcred toe. and then shook
his shoulder.
pap, wake up! You'll catch yer
death a-cold, sleopin' out this way. An
here we've ben a-watchin' out fer We
an watchin' till our eyes was most give
out, while you've ben up here havin' q
good oil guzzlin' time, all by yerself, an
not carin' cuss. It's playin' us darn,
ed mean, pap, an you know it."
She shook his shoulder again. Hit
head fell back. The lace was chalky
white.
"God, pap! What is it?"
She felt his face. 1t WIS stone cold.
The touch froze her, She felt his heart
The throb was gone out OF it.
,"Pap, pap" and all the can on heart
her sharp, desolate cry, SHY OF pap
He amt dead"
She gulped and gasped. Her breath
seemed cut off. She would have falleI
at his side but that her ear caught the
coyotes howls and caught, too, theil
horrible meaning. She stayed hersel
by her two hands against the rock anC
tried to get her breath. the coyotel
howled again in awful chorus, and sht
"They shan't get you, pap; theyshan'
get you. I'll take you home"
Her breath came FREQ as she spoke
She grasped the dead mans shoulders
and, keeping as much OF his body from
tho ground as she could, she dragged
him down the rocky trail toward thu
spot where the horses were tethered
She WINGED when she heard his boo
heels scratch the ground, but she pulled
and tugsed with all her might, and
painting, she laid his form near Old jim
who snorted and jumped and pricked W
his ears. Then, with glance back
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