Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1896-07-25
LOVE IN THE DESERT


father with book. "What does thi
word meant" he asked, for he believe,
that his father knew all Il world an,
most of the things beyond. The paren
believed that, too, and that is how tn,
child come to imbibe the idea. III,
"Do you know what that word means
papa?" asked the boy.
ION, YES" said the father. And h,
began thinking. He thought for a Ions
time, for there were so many things il
love that he hardly knew where to be
gin defining. And the longer he re
manned silent the hard 4 it seemed tc
find a beginning. alt is difficult tc
answer" he observed, and the boy in.
tcrrupted him.
''When we find difficult problem al
school," he said, "we go to the rule.
What is the rule about love?"s
The father looked at him but did not
answer. He thought Then he gazed
anxiously about, and out through the
window he saw man passing.
"Ah," he said, "there is Mr.. Brown,
and want to see him.
And he hurried out to speak to the
man, and the boy never heard what
love is or what is its rule.
n ~
Ford, being quite satisfied that the
story was lie from the beginning and
that his search for the wonderful lost
desert tribe would result in no benefit
to the Smithsonian institution, stopped
to rest in the shade Of the water wagon,
the wheels of which were sunk IS
inches into the roasting sand.
"Look out" he yelled to one of the
drivers" cor this Nevada sun will get
action on you and you will pop IKE
corn! Lord, isn't it hotr And he looked
about at the blistering white and blue
and cudgeled out of his memory certain
verses
And when grim spirits come TO that curs'd
land
To be where wanderers fell,
They look in terror at the burning sand
And hurry back to hell
"And that's desert Nevada, and where
we are driving and swearing and sweat
ing through tito find the desert tribes
man, who is lie"
"By the powers, it isn't Hep yelled
Graves, his assistant. "LookT'
IA Chinese boy" roared Ford, "And,
great scott, rcd headed Chinese boy,
and on camel, and in Nevadap'
Hong Foy was a dismal failure. Nc
Goggin told him so daily He could not
lamp Southern Pacific ties half as well
as Yo Heave,or whatever the pockmark
ed Chinaman's name was, and Fon Kee
could almost carry 100 pound to the
yard" rail by himself. while Hong Fov,
beng young and pale and calm, found
it difficult to lug even the spike maui or
the pinch bar. Wherefore the invest
ment of the Southern Pacific Railroad
company in Hong Foy was denominated
by Mike McGoggin, the section fore
man, as weird and wonderful failure
only McGoggtn used words~of the
same import, but of dilIs4r1I pronuncia.
don. Hong Foy, however, could cook,
and he showed Maggie MeGoggin how
to make a soup out of po.ato sprouts
which McGoggin declared to be the tri.
umphant work of the devil. Soup, by
the way. is a thing not to be expert
mented on when the section boarding.
house is at place in Nevada where the
water is brought in a tank from a sta
ton So or 100 miles away McGoggin
appreciated the soup, and because of 1t
refrained for two weeks from discharg
ing Hong Foy; but on Saturday night
ofthe month Of June, in the year 1881,
he threw bolt at Hong Foy, hit him
with a crooked spike and made a run TO
the Toulouse to get a wrench To kill
him with. He had seen Maggie when
she kissed the young Chinaman in the
kitchen.
In the shade of the Toulouse, after
McGoggin had retired, Hong Foy crept
like dog which had been whipped out
of its kennel, but knows not where TO
go. lie knew two lines of steel over
which Cinnamon labored, while red
headed white man swore voluably at
them. lie knew blue horizon, and
these things were all he knew in that
lard-excepting the sun Where could
he go5 As he leaned dejectedly against
the Toulouse and thought of his love
making, he wept, and weeping Maggie
iound him. Hong Foy had not dreamed
ofthe future, and had not expected the
coming of the girl. He had expected to
sleep in the Toulouse that night and
be beaten again in the morning But
Maggie had planned. The best part of
her plan was that she had brought a
huge bottle, and it had water in it 1--WE
will go that way" she said, pointing
out into the desert.
1t is not so bad to walk all night |
through the desert If you are sure you
will have shade in which to rest the |
next day. But the nsxt day came and
as Mauoia and Honu Eov IooEed about