The Portland daily press., 1895-01-07
that harder task than dghting-the wait
inc with a great patience,


ing with great patience.
Except for the daily tramp to the
Puerco for water, and the cooking of the
increasingly scanty food over a slender
fire, there was nothing too do. The sbits
of household sewing had long been fin
ished, and the relief of active manual
labor was forbidden by the heat. They
slept late, an unaccustomed habit, and
sat late into the night under the large
stars of cloudless sky until the strange,
I'm canny desert wind drove them indoors.
One mourning the woman varied her
sual question to "Joe, how COULD we
get the doctor if one of US got sick?" and
after that Joe sat with one protective
fist doubled across the paby's cradle,
and avoided his wife's eyes.
Once, too, a Navajo chief, who from
his hog an on the hills had seen no long
line of dun smoke along the valley and
missed the burr OF the trembling trestle,
came Looping to the door to inquire polite
ly if the "white medicine man" at Wash
ineton was cheap sick" And Joe, who
was kindly disposed to his kindly ways,
drove him away with rough speech. AND
still they believed.
AS July approached its end the days
grew hotter and the nights colder. The
baby fretted less and slept more, or SO
the mother thought. But the lids
showed between them always line of
blush white and, the restless little head
rolled often from side to side, while
faint sigh futtered from the lips at
longer and longerSintervals.
For the sake of the nights chill, Joe
stumbled to theIriver before it was quite
dawn. He had never seen the Dirty
river so low. The tiny stream chat con-
nected pool to pool was wholly lost,
and the pools themselves were narrowing
hourly. 1t must have taken him an
hour to fill the large pail that held the
days supply. AS he reached the platform
a shadow came toward him out of the
dusk. His wife's white face and burning
eyes flashed upon him as ina vision.
She ierked at the handle of the pail,
her lips formed themselves soundlessly
into the word Hurry" and she was
gone"
the water with painful care. As he
swung the bucket over the step of the
kitchen door his wife came to meet
him. She was still breathing heavily,
but her voice was clear and quiet:
"Poor Joe! you needn't have hurried
SO. The baby don't need anything any
more" She gave a little laugh that
a principle, didn't she, joel" Suddenly
her eyes dilated widely; she put up her
hand to her throat as if choking and fell
forward, striking the bucket, which
rolled away with noisy CHATTER down
the step.
As Joe laid his wife on the bed beside
the baby, his hand brushed the tiny
fingers They were already stiffening.
Long he stood looking down at the two
white faces. Mechanically he drew out
his wife's handkerchief from her dress,
and wiped her dripping hair. Then,a
frenzy seized Shin. The blood surged
from his heart to his brain. So this
was what it all came to? This was how
"the boys" served him? In this hour OF
darkness MS wife had fought death
alone. and why? When she Weakened.
what would she ask and what would he
reply? Why need she waken or he be
there to answer?
He staggered to the office and pulled
fumblingly at drawer, through the crack
of which showed the CLEAN of steel.
when suddenly sounded the sharp,
familiar click: "a. PA. PA. P"
it called. Automatically his fingers closed
upon the key as by supreme effort his
brain responded, and he re ad: Billings.
Strike broken. Clear track for No. g."