The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-06-20

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out there on the edge of the desert her
school, and she is the queen of her sex.
l love her and ever.- one of the has
! breed children in her school, cause
! they're near to her. That's why I'll
/ divvy with you. There's enough in the
vein of gold for both of us. Mavbe
it's the Pegleg. While l know all about
huntin' mines you may he able to help
theorize about 'em. VIII you go with
me? It's a ." dangerous tri1- The
creeks are all towards and run under
ground and whisk-T is so scarce that
you can't use it to wet down dry
jokes.
When we get the gold I'm going to
Ireland and buy the estate of the Irish
Lord and come back and give the title
to the school-lassie."
| knew the Irish Lord had spent
years in prospecting on the desert
Knew. too, that the possibility of find
ing rich mines always existed in that
section of country that extended from
BOrega to CocoDah. His love for the
pretty schoolmarm was the most unreal
part of it. Yet here in this tramp's life
were the two elements that ruled the
world-love and gold. The Irish Lord,
a hermit almost of the desert had the
two great realities in an almost primi-
tive state.
1t did not take me long to decide that
would companion the Irish Lord on
the desert trip A strong presentiment
existed in my mind, however. that
neither one of us would get any gold
and that the school teacher would re-
main in blissful ignorance of the Irish
Lords love and his title. Some other
impulse-one of those in7pelling
thoughts that come into ones con-
science from stronger will than your
OWNED me to make the trip
DO
house made of three ex-gOvernment-
claim shanties. with an American flag
hoating over it. The name of it was
the Milquatary school. Somehow, I
knew that the teacher was the Irish
Lords sweetheart. l stopped the team
Drive on, - youn' he said excit-
eddy.
Why, don't you want to see her?''
See her! Look into her pretty ewes
now? Mo- I'll not speak to her until /
come back from Ireland with my titles
and deeds"
We drove on. l looked back, however.
and saw the teacher surrounded by
seven dark skinned children, or part
indian. her white apron, tidy dress and
youthIui appearance in strange contrast
with the sand-beaten face, the weather
worn and chaparral-torn garments of
the man at nv side
After all. it was not the gold that he
was after: it was what he thought the
gold would get him. Then for the first
time it dawned upon me that if the
vein only existed in his mind the com
ing back would be worse than going
out His assurance was catching. His
mood always sanguine of rich results.
failure seemed to be on no part of his
programme. The third day we entered
the sand. The great dunes, like mount
ans, stood in our way. He knew we'll
almost every trail. The progress was
slow. At last ne pointed to the foot
OF one of the Cocopah mountains.
1T is near there he said
We We're now in the most terrible
part of the desert. The mountains to
the west. the north and the south shut
out the moving air. The atmosphere
stood still and was hot The sand
burned the horses feet. The dried car
cass of mule that had wandered away
from some prospectors was beside the
trail. The coyotes even Stunned the
place. 1t was not the heat that putri-
fies. II was the heat that dries one up
1t does not melt. 1t absorbs. The heat
moved in thick waves like the grainer
moves the paint on the door 1t was
hot. The matches caught fire and in
a moment our wagon was all ablaze.
The key of water was barely saved.
Even the matches in the Irish lords
pocket ignited and he narrowly escaped
having his clothes burned from him
Wet rags were given the horses to
hold in their mouths. How grateful
they looked. At last night came. but
our supplies had been burned, except
some canned tomatoes. That is all We
had for ourselves and horses.
The Irish lord insisted on going on.
We were within an hours walk OF the
gold mine. We started. In this region
fibGr-a Nd
one IS death
The moon and stars lit up the des-
ert for miles. The light was weird. The
shadows in the distance ghostly The
sand yellow. 1t was the sphinxy. death
full Colorado desert in its widest mood.
MY companions face lit by the moon
showed strange shadows
Were near the place" The exDect- /
ancy OF his soul made him whisper.
Then in moment he cried:
Great God, am in it, Boiling mud,
He was but a few feet ahead of me.
jumped forward and grabbed lust as |
his hands were going away from the |
edge of the sand. All beyond him was
a mud volcano. After a great struggle. |
pulling inch by inch. the Irish lord was |
on his feet again.
He took a wild, quick glance at the /
formation of the sand: then in a voice |
full of the pain of despair said:
The mud volcano has swallowed our
mine. 1t was there. It's gone. NV /
trip to Ireland's gone. She's gone. AH's /
gone Give me a drink" l handed him
the canteen OF water
No. the whisky" he said surliIy. He
wet his lips, drank a little, nut some |
IN a cloth and laid it against his throat. /
Ihen we went back to the horses. We
irove them before us on that moving
Journey across the desert There was
20 sound in that lonesome universe ex-
eept the tread of the horses and the
lighter tread of the men. At high noon
we struck water. 1t was time. The
irish lord. strange to say. had yielded
10 the heat, and il was with difficulty
held him on his horse. His tongue
had swollen TO twice lis natural size
md he looked at me pitifully 1t was
lot the heat so much as the fact that
he millions he had pursued had gone
Town in the boiling mud / took him
rom the horse and, placing him beside
he spring. poured water on his clothes.
His bod-s absorbed can after can of
water and not until it had taken in
arge quantity through the pores of the
skin did / leave him swallow any. 1t
vas three days before we We're able
% proceed on our journey. All this
ime we lived on the canned tomatoes.
The fourth day we passed the school |.
house. The enthusiasm of the Irish
ord had given place 20 detection.
Deeper and deeper the lines burned
themselves into his face. The spirit of
he man was broken. As we passed the
school house he looked up suddenly,
urned toward it, gave a despairing cry
md fell from his horse. tried to stop
m 111f 1n foil "a 10, loo II, |