The herald., 1894-01-01

burden of impslpable, ali -corroding
dust; by night the wind was bitter cold.
vet SO dry that mans skin ahrunk like
tanned hide, growing stif and sore.
1t had come about this way: Kfeck-
ter had been newspaper proof reader
working on the Morning Irumpeter,
watching for the ghoet to walk on Mon
days, feeling comfortable when there
ere no roars and cureing pretty heart
ily-to himself OF course-when he
"fell down." uatil one of the editors
fired this at the copy hook;
J@ueM4 ( ny
Plain as copper plate, OF course. Every :.
editor writes hand plaiuer-in his own
estimatios-than BREWER type. But
in the evening there was dreaciu ro2r
because Howell was thief and Stowell
had en- given credit for the other lei
lows performances. The amenie hon
oraDle was made and the galley came
into the proof room like thls
we said Stowell was thief,
it is true; and we are sorry Tor it. :"
The galley WAS read and the revise
0 K'd. Then the galley boy pied line
Oh Eyp6 anu T65Sb IL ess 4iO hNboh bSth6
but a printer's devil can set type. This
is tine way it showed up N the paper.
page the next morning:
we said Stowell WAS q thief;
it ia true, and we are sorry ior ii,
Kreckter went to the office in the
evening and was invited to get job on
the Evening Freight, where they didn't
read proof, or TO try preaching, where
accuracy was not important.
When q man hae followed one occu-
patton all his lie it is diihcut to hnd
other employment. Kreckter found
none, anu when things grew desperate
Joined an outfit whose members were
going out on the desert to eat grub stake
and bring back lies about the ledges
they haan'G found.
The grub stake eaters started out
across the Mojave desert, heading Tor
Resting springs, wneTe pikds OF that
feather were wont to flock together.
They camped one night just on the
edge OF Death valley, at q good sprlng-
good, that ls, Tor The Death valley re-
gion, where good" spring IS one
whose waters are wet aud not deadly
poison. kreckter reluaed to go any
farther, and stayed at thsspring when
the Others went on.
Stories OF or from Death valley had
often come into the proof room. OF
course. they might have been e1sg-
qerations, but ~ Kreckter looked out
across the stretch OF sand and salt and
borsx and aikali, he laid out his pro-
gramme lie would prospect around
near that epring, and not u hill OF silver
nor mountain OF gold should tempt
him out OF sight of it.
For week ne went out upon the dse-
ert st early dawn, returning to camp
! when his csnteen grew light. This day,
iust at nlghtfsll, he had stumbled upon
pile of nuggets swept from the noun
tain side by the waters oil condpurst
and deposited where the water eddied
about great rock and there was more
of it than man could carry.
/. Kreckter tied part OF it in the corner
OF his blanket aud hid the fest in the
sand. He lay down to rest; and think
ing of the woman with patient eyes and
the children whose faces had grown
somewhat pinched OF late, he felt sure
that Divinity had made smooth the end
OF the life that had been roughhewn in
wearinees OF body and hesviness OF
heart; if the wife and babies were but
placed beyond danger OF want, he him.
!
OF All should write so against his name
on the book of life. So thinking he ept.
He rose at dawn, as one who wakes
from nightmare to find himself in hell.
| The brazen sun glared through horri-
| Bile, choking Jog Of sand and alkali and
borax dust; the cold wind had given
place to that awful blaet in which an
un protected man dies of thirst while he
drinks from his Canteen.
Kreckter was not Weak man nor o
coward. He wrapped the blanket about
his face and crouched close to the shell
tering rock, thinking Of the woman with
patient eyes and the children with
pinched faces, moistening his lips when
he felt that he must drink or die.
The Devil, at home in Death valley,
laughs at q mans strength and courage.
Before an hour had passed, Kreckter's
water was exhausted; when the hour
had passed the man was stark mad IRON
thirst, wandering over tie desart. He
roared college songs and shouted the cry
| of Maize and Blue, till his tongue swelled
and filled his mouth, thrusting itself out
between bleeding lips, turning black and
cracking until it bled. AS ia not un-
commonly the case with men dying from
thirst, he thought himself in danger of
drowning, and threw away HE clothes,
that they might not impede swimming.
/ All his white body turned red, and blood
oozed from cracking skin at elbow, knee
and groin.
To men about to die in the thirst
madness there comes little period of
sanity. 1t came to Kreckter, who found
himself standing naked before pool
crusted over with borax and alkali. OF
his possessions he had kept only his
pen and notebook; why, ne could not
say. But the woman with patient eyes
! should have @ message.
He sat down by the pool; the thirst
madness came back upon him and he
stopped and drank deep OF The poison
GUS water. Rising to his knees, with
accuracy begotten of long practice, he
made certain marks in the little note
book, and fell forward with his face in
the caustic waters of the pool.
A Piute buck came along next day /;
rolling the body over with his foot and
picking up the notebook. he saw this :
fhefes dtm3j@ H@f sNas
our ends e rouobI bew t9g