The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1894-08-29


as soon as IL was made. The job was
tough one, but the porters couldn't
resist the bribe fund which we raised
for the sake of ice.cream.
"In the dry season the desert is the
driest spot on earth, but the rainy
season had just begun, and the humid
ity was something that New York peo-
pie can't even imagine. We got
through the night somehow, though
many of the people didn't doze, even
for an instant.
''But the day that followed was
worse than the night. The sun blazed
down on that parched desert, and its
rays and heat were reflected back ut
us. 1t was impossible to keep the
windows shut, and the result was that
our eyes, nostrils, mouths and throats
were filed with that indescribably
horrible alkali dust. Now and then
through the day il rained, but the al
kali soil of the desert instantly soak
ed up all the rain that fell, and the
effect of the showers was to make the
humidity like that of the steam room
in Turkish bath.
81 am no kicker, and / am willing
to endure good deal for the sake of
travel 1t wrung my heart, though to
witness the terrible torture that
Marie suffered. l famed her, but the
breeze stirred up by the fan was so
scorching that she begged me to stop.
Just about sunset, when we were
about thirty miles out from Salton,
the train came to stop in the middle
of the desert, for the engine, despite
the slow speed it had made, was suf-
fering from n hot box
"That meant an hours delay, the
conductor said, so proposed to Marie
TINT we leave the unbcarable train and
take short, slow walk. The idea APP
pealed to Marie, for she was tired of
the car and felt sure that the desert
couldn't he any worse.
"Probably there wasn't much relief
in that walk, but we thought there
was. We talked great deal, and in
spite of our sufferings from the awful
heat and intense humidity 1 was be-
ginning to grow sentimental. believe
that 1 was actually on the point of
proposing, when toot from the en-
gine's whistle, followed instantly BY
a shrek from Marie, brought me to
my senses.
'The train, some distance away, was
beginning to move. 1t was out of the
question to run after it, so we simply
stood there, shouting and waving fran
tic signals. But no one saw or heard
us.
"In desperation drew my revolver
and rapidly emptied its chambers in
tho air. The train was now too far
away for the reports to be heard over
the noise of the revolving, rattling
wheels.
"By the time that we stopped our
noise and signals, the train was
mile off, and going at thirty miles an
hour
~ gazed into Marie's face, and saw
there an expression that strongly re-
sembled utter despair. She was
plucky girl, but the situation was too
terrifying. Salton was thirty miles
away, and between us and that little
desert station there was not house
of any kind. To walk that distance
over the treacherous alkali soil. and
through such hot and humid atmos-
phere, was a task from which men
used to the desert would have shrunk.
+" What shall we do9' Marie gasped.
=" Il don't want to alarm you, I re-
piled, 'but we have n choice between
only two courses. One is to walk on
to Salton; the other is to calmly lie
down and die. Well walk, won't we?'
" But surely, she insisted, 'as soon
as We are missed the train will come
back for us.
e" My dear girl, I'm afraid YOU
don't understand California railroads.
They won't alter their schedule time
by putting back after us. The train
may keep on for half an hour, or an
hour, before we are missed. Then the
passengers will demand that the con-
ductor put back after us. He won't
do it-he wouldn't dare to.
"'And tho next train?'
Z" will not come along for twenty
four hours Traffic over this desert
isn't extensive enough to demand any
better service. Come, Miss Moson