The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1892-07-16
desert.

| stirring, and the whole world was to
them as dumb as death.
Mart had counted on the journey be-
ing a hard one, but not so hard as this.
He had not dreamed that the water
would give out SO soon, nor that the
horses would sink down and die as they
did.
Still they staggered on. their forms,
bent under their heavy burdens, stand
iAg out sharp and raw above the white
earth. on which their clearly defined
shadows fell with inky blaeklass.
IL that clou0less, I1istless cir, distance
seemed set at naught, Tor they travelled
on and on toward the buttes, and yet
they seemed to grow nc nearer.
Il was toward evening that they
reached d rocky islet in the sea Of aIl1ali.
and there, after Il very bad meal Of hard
tack. they fell asleep, Robbins dreaming
Of clear cold water, drawn from marble
fountains IT. crystal goblets. The Young
man WIS the first to awake. The sun
was beginning to shoot his fiery needles
over the mountain. Robbins lifted lis
hand % rub his eyes.
"R-r-z-Z-z..'
Then IL tongue Of flame dartea toward
him and struck him on the palm Of the
hand.
My God" he groaned, its a rattle
snake, and he's bitten me-
, His voice seemed toawaken q hundred
echoes, and to these responded a hun
bred ~rattles.
Selby satup in his blanket ani stared
at him stupidity. As he made the love-
ment a rattlesnake struck him in the
face, and another at his side would have
done the same had he not thrown him
self out Of reach of his deadly fangs.
The rattles resounded on everysside.
The two men ran back to a streahRof
sand beyond the roekssand gazed a tech
other wildly.
Hold still" demanded Mart. "Let me
look at your bite"
He grasped the boys hand.
THANK God, it's not in the vein!"
He seized his knife and quickly hol-
lowed out a piece of the flesh.
There, hold your hand down and let
the blood run free, while 1 tie this cord
around your arm"
He twisted the stout cord until it cut
into the arm.
Now, the whisky" he gasped.
No." said Robbins, slet me cut the
poison out of your wound"
Mart held still a moment while this
was done.
Now, the whisky-quick." cried Rob
bins.
But Selby did not look for the bringing
forth Of the flask with any light Of hope
in his eyes.
1T is yours" he said quietly. "There
is only enough for me-, and barely that"
Then it is yours, Mart"
'No-yours."
But you are the worse bitten. Your
face is already beginning to swell.
Drink it."
There was anguish in the tone, as there
was heroism in the words; but it was
heroism of the weakly sort. He held out
the bottle at arms length, while he
turned his face away.
No, by God! It's yours, boyr.' came
in frmer and more commanding tone
from Mart Selby. you have a mother;
and a sweetheart back in the states.
And II have nobody. There was some
n once, but there amt nobody now
nobody at all"
In the face of this fearful temptation
Robbins felt himself weakening. He
grew less strong of resolution with each
tick Of the watch in his pocket, heard
SO plainly in tho desert stiffness. What
a coward he felt himself; but-how
sweet was life.
Was there not help to be had from
some other source: He could not take /
this. The drinking Of that liquid was
the drinking of Se1by's life, and that life
meant much to him now. Here was the
whole man.
His eye swept the hopeless plain. He
looked for the dust. of a traveller, but
he saw non The heat of the day was
growing. He thought he felt the poison
pulsing through his VEINS.
Mono" he said, sinking down upon
the sand. And there was d pit..bla I
weakness in his toRe.
Sel5y took the bottle from his hand.
As he did SC. a shade Of fear arose to
Robbins face. Selby sav it and safel. /
The swollen face made the .saaile e
tesque; but none the less it was the smile
of a god. He came forward and k,:elt
beside the ccouching form OF Robbins.
who, lying on his face. with his eyes
shTt, begged him net to think Of lisn,
but Of himself. But the tone was grow
ing weaker. jas
The other said TO worl. but lift;ng his
friends hncl hn nncnrI-nl Tia Ill ..i /