, 1896-07-07
LOVE IN THE DESERT.

One day n boy came running to his ia.
ther with n book. What does this word
meaL?" he asked, for he believed that
his father knew all the world and most
of the things beyond. The parent be-
lieved that, too, and that is how the
child had come TO imbibc the idea. The
man looked and saw the word ''love."
DO you know what that word means,
papa?' asked the boy.
"Oh. yes" said the father. And he
began thinking. He thought for u long
time, for there We're so many things
love is that he hardly knew where to be.
gin defining. And the longer he remain
ed silent the harder it seemed to find a
beginning. 1T is difficult to answer"
he observed, and the boy interrupted
him.
when we find Il difficult problem at
school, he said, I'VE go to the rule.
What is the rule about love?"
The father looked at him, but did not
answer. He thought. Then he gazcd
a~nxiously about. and out through the
wlndow he saw a 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.
Ford. being quite satisfied that the
story was a lie from the beginning and
that his search for the wonderful lost
desert tribe would result i'll no benefit to
the Smithsonian institution. stopped to
rest in the shade of the water wagon,
the wheels Of which were sunk 10 inch
es Il the roasting sand.
Look out, he yelled to one Of the
drivers, "or this Nevada SUI will get
action on you and you will pop like
corn! Lord, isn't it hot!' And he looked
about at the blistering white and blue
and cudgeled out of his memory certain
verses:
And when grim spirits como to that curs'd
To DO 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 it to find the desert tribes
man, who is n lie"
by the powers, it isn't a lie!' yelled
Graves. his assistant. "Look!"
"A Chinese boy!' roared Ford. ''And,
ye gods, a redheaded Chinese boy, and
on a camel, and in Nevada!'
Hong Foy was a dismal failure. Nc.
Goggin told him so daily. He could not
lamp Southern Pacific ties half rs we'll
as 70 Heave. or whatever the pockmark-
ed Chinaman's name was, and Fon Kee
could almost carry n $50 pound to tho
yard" rail by himself. while Hong Foy,
being young and pale and calm, found
it difficult to lug even the spike maui or
tho 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 u weird and wonderful failure
only McGoggin used words Of the
same import. but of different pronuncia-
ton. Hong Foy, however, could cook,
and he showed Maggie McGoggin how
to make II soup out of potato 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 OH when the section boarding
house is at a place i'll Nevada where the
water is brought in a tank from n sta
tion so or 100 miles away. McGoggin
appreciated the soup, and because of it
refrained for two weeks from discharg-
ing Hong Foy. But on n Saturday night
Of the month Of June. in the year 1881,
he threw n bolt at Hong Foy, hit him
with q crooked spike and made u run to
the Toulouse to get q 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 a dog which had been whipped out
Of its kennel but knows not where to 60.
He knew two lines Of steel over which
Cinnamon labored, while a redheaded
white man swore volubly ut them. He
knew a blue horizon, and these things
were all he knew in that land-except-
ing the sun. Where could he go? As he
leaned dejectedly against the Toulouse
and thought Of his love making, he
wept, and weeping, Maggie found him.
Hong Foy had not dreamed of the fu-
ture, 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 u huge bottle, and
it had water in it. I'VE will 90 that
way" she said, pointing out into the
desert.
It is not 80 bad to walk all night
through the desert if you arc sure you
are going to have shade in which to
rest the mex day. But the next day
came, and as Maggie and Hong Foy
looked about them all they saw was
what a couple Of ants in q plasterer's
box Of lime see. Far, far. far away,
round about and neal 1t was white.
And 1t was 20 dat that they seemed to
look up out Of . basin to q brim which
wa white and blue, and the alkali and
the sky nestled 10 close to each other and
the sky arched over as though it were
the roof OF the plain in such wise that
Maggie thought they might a we'll
have been imprisoned In the shell Of .
monster eeg-ouly It would have TO be
the biggest egg and biggest shell ever
created. and there would be room for
only one a snch lie in tho world. The
]. W. STRYKER.