Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1899-02-01
A DESERT ROMANCE.

Christopher Morgan sat upon q box
in the shade Of some large powders and
within whip reach Of the circular path
about the arastra, and at each rotation
of the mule stimulated him by touch
Of the whiplash.
1t was n drowsy occupation. The
monotonous creaking Of tho wooden
shaft, the grating Of the crush stones
and the sound Of the dull, thick wash Of
the tailings thus kept in muddy commo-
tion acted as a sedative on Morgan.
who bad already almost dropped asleep.
He was about falling into a still deeper
doze when he was made alert in mo-
ment at the sound Of voices from a lit
tie mesa above the camp
Presently, riding down the steep and
almost obliterated trail, came first
lank. elderly man in faded ovoralls and
IA flannel shirt, and after him a girl
dressed in coarse blue denim and a sun
bonnet of the same material, riding
astride on a mans saddle.
che had a light, girlish figure, and
her face was 20 Morgan a revelation Of
loneliness, and his estimate Of her at
fractions was not altogether without
some foundation. Her mouth was per-
haps little too large and her nose &
trife too ".ip tilted" for an exacting
taste, but her gray eyes were full of
life and sympathetic intelligence her
hair golden. her teeth as white and
regular as n young animals, and her
complexion fresh and blooming.
The elderly man hailed Morgan in a
loud voice, which woke the echoes all
about: Good mornin, companerol How
goes i;?'
Morgan acknowledged the vOciferous
greeting, and went TO meet his visitors
as they rode up toward the arastra. My
names Bascom," said the man, land
this here's my daughter Boly. short for
Bohvyer. A man passin along the road
night before last said as how you i
bought in this here BelShazzar prop
erty, and Boly and me lowed it'd be
the square thing TO come over and get
acquainted "
Meantime his guests had dismounted
and, holding their ponies by their
brides, sat down on broad fat rock
near the arastra, while Morgan resumed
his seat on the box facing them.
You done we'll when YOU bought
this here property, continued Bascom.
I've known the ledge this ten years,
and if you go slow you il come ont
ahead of the game. Them there fellers,
the creditors, shut down on and busted
up all natural enough, as 1 seen they
would when / first set eyes on 'em.
Bull Horns all right"
Miss Boly said nothing, bat fixed her
gray eyes on Morgan and sat silently
regarding him in a frank and interested
way which somewhat EN- barrassed him.
Mr.. Bascom was not only curious as
to the past. present and future of his
host, but was loudly OVERLOOKING with
information as to himself MY place
IS just over t'other side of this here
ridge in the other canyon, he explain
ed. 81 took up land there ten years
ago, never thinkin I'd stay there this
time, and 1 wouldn't if it hadn't been
for thievin pardner of mine"
''How's that?"
why, this away. I'd made a stake
before ever I'd come in here, landin arms
for Bolivyun insurgents, and this pard-
ner, this ere trifiin Teller Meeks, was
in with me- We had 81 5, 600 profits be-
tween us, mostly in big yellow TWEEN
ties, and he comes up TO my place here
sayin as he'd help develop the claims
back over the ridge on which we had
located together. We was goin to put
that coin all in TO developin, but one
mornin wakes up to find him clean
gone, along with his share of the money
and mine too. | tracked him out on to
the desert down Mud Springs way, and
then lost his trail altogether, AID /
never seen hide nor hair of him or
beard where be went to. Since then
I've had to rustic for q livin. Boly, here,
she helps out herdin few cows I've
got ON the bunch grass fats on t'other
side the ridge"
When his guests had remounted and
slewly climbed the trail again, Morgan
watched them till they were ont Of sight
with an unaccountable mixed feeling of
wild JOY and deep depression in his
heart, to which he had hitherto been q
stranger.
During the next few days the image
OF Boly grew more and more deeply i'm
pressed on his hitherto unsusceptible
heart. This state of mind was progress
i've, and when, Oh the third day after
Boly's visit, he had made a mos, salts
factory test clean up, it was in the best
Of snirits that he determined TO knock