St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-01-02
CLEAR GRIT.
An Incident on the Famous Gall.
E euto Trail.

In their weary journey across tn,
the barren mesa the travellers had sud
denly come to q halt. What they hal
dreaded from the time they had left th,
stage-r0ad station and set out On tn,
trail had come to pass and they wer,
sore distressed. had water and tn
transferable heat Of the desert had
stretched Big Bunster out on his blank
etA and he was talking about his moth
er and asking the others to break the
news 70 her gently.
Bunster had not felt well when hs
left Flagstaff. but, like the well-mean,
ing young idiot that he was, he Per
sisted In facing the dangers Of the trail
Wisas the Others So. as he grew less
steady ON his burrd. and the fever took
a firmer hold upon his big. lazy body,
his head dropped lower over the pom.
mel, nd Jim Yost. the guide and the
6nly man Of the whole six of them who
really knew what danger the big. fel.
low was in, determined to call . halt
81 don't want to see him die in his
saddle, Jim said in . whisper to Zach
kawlinA and unless We kin git him
inter moro comfortable shape, he'll
.croak sfore sundown."
SO they paused in the shade Of . mass
of rocks. piled up in the fashion the
Ti&nns had of doing things In the days
when the Grand canyon Of the Colorado
was young. And they were nightly
glad to rest there. for to be stared out
Of ~contenance all day long BY such .
u IS only the great desert knows, Is
enough to drive . man . long way TO-
ward . shady spot
Big Bunster felt easier, but he knew
he would die. he said, unless he cou Id
get . sip of decent water. He saw
clearly enough that that was impossi-
he. and 50. in his lazy way. he was
letting 60 Of the strings Of life.
Don't wait for me to die. boys." he
said; ..kee? along on your way, or you
will oil drop down as I have done. /
always was ratSer slow, and / want to
take my W time dying. Don't stop
for me-" Then he looked mp into Zach
Rawlins' face and smiled one Of the
qu~eerest, ghastliest smiles Zach had
ever seen. And then Zach, who was
the best and truest friend Big Runster
had eve had. stuck his heels in the
sand, and said it was beastly shame
that such . good fellow should come to
such IN end. He wanted to know Why
IAefr miserable guide had led them SO
Tar out of the way. why they were
here, forty miles from nowhere. and
Why the guide had promised to find 81
when he had known nothing of
is existence, and why. in the name Of
Ill that was holy, something could not
be done.
''wal, yer needn't git SO cursed
rasped out the grim Yost |
'Nuthin' kin be did now. We can't
70 no further, or your man'u dropdead
Is that snake-skin thar. As it is, he
stands some show. Well strike c.
iente trail afore dusk. when its gifts
'ooler. It's right owe thar and the
'ugged Yost pointed . knotty fore6n-
FER across . white expanse, over which
ines of heat were q~uivering IS IL the
'ery air writhed under the pitiless Ore
rom on high.
"What good will it do Bunster, il We
get there?" whispered some one.
'Good?!" returned the guide; "why,
hairs water four mile from that air
rail-ef we kin git down to it."
"Git down to it. OF course we viii"
poke up Kawlins- 'Cheer up, old
man," said he, sootlsingly. to the
Bunster, whose tongue was
and whose eyes were staring
cross the train toward Calientc trail:
there's water owe there. and you
hal: have a good drink. my boy"
''Water-yes, l see it; it's sort of
ray-blue, isn't it: Why. there's
reat lake-what a sight, and the
hirst-plagued man stared at the pic
nre his disorted vision had conjured
p; and, drawing in his tongue. he
ressed his cracked lips together, rs IL
LUNG them to the brim of . glass full
: the sparkling liquid, for which he
'ould have given anything he pos
.ssed for one soul-satisfying swallow.
is torture, and that of the friend who
atched over him while he lay tossing
! his blankets. was allayed to . de.
= few hours later. when the fierce
repented and the night stole on |
,wly. As the evening air famed his
ow. Rawlins, riding by the side Of
sick friend, made light Of the days s
and ven managed . joke c
out Big Bunster's burro being small s
than its rider, which joke seemed b
near the truth, though it lacked s
nrttnesk
The little caravan its way to Caliente
IL and along it to one of the outer 4
lis Of the greatcanyon, where it halt \
for the night &
yery early In the morning. before .
sun had ceased his repentance. two Z
~ Zen slung their cantsens 20 their 2
= aad started for The river; though g