The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-03-04


talk beban to grow less. his raving sub
sided into a weak, incoherent Dabohng,
at last ii ceased altogether, and ne lay
staring wide-eyed into the relentless sky.
! Az they had done everything else, they
did this silently, stoically. a shallow
bed was scooped out. and the canvas
taken OFF the wagon for a winding sheet.
When the broken circle closed in around
the open grave, the boss cleared his
throat and said: Boys, before we go
any further. some one must make pray
err, sabe?"
They sabed, but although every mans
soul must be consumed with yoiceles5
cry 10 some power above himself for the
repose OF the departed soul. and release
/ from like fate. they were all dumb
when confronted with the thought or
taking the name of God reverently In
stInctively they turned TO East Side"
''It's your lead. East Side =. they said.
And East Side" cropping blindly back
ward toward the memories OF his youth,
tried TO recall something Of religious inn
port. Slowly through his desiccated
brain percoIated line from church
hymn From Greenland's Icy Noun
tains." but although the thought was
, pleasant in this burning desert the
words were not to the point-besides.
that was all he knew OF it. He shook
his head sorrowfully. I'm the begin
right lead therein the beginning. God
created But again he was stuck and
could go no further.
lead up. East Sider" they urged.
Then the light broke. The backward CROP
ing had brought him down to the days Of
his childhood to the words his grandfath-
err had been wont to say as with bowed
heads the family. TO the third and fourth
generations. was gathered around his
table on Thanksgiving day. So under the
burning sun, whose only shadow was cast
by the fiocks of carrion birds that circled
above the remnant OF the outfit, they
stood over the grave OF their dead COM
panIon. waiting for like fate. or death
by their own hands. to be torn by coyotes
perhaps before the breath was out Of
their bodies. the six gaunt men with bow
ed, uncovered heads while East Side
proceeded in solemn tones:
"Oh, Lord, for what we are about to re-
ceive. make us devoutly thankful Amen"
prayer was a prayer to East Side"
Anything that began with Lord" in rev.
erent terms and ended with amen" was
a prayer. His grandfather had been a
cody man, and he had said IL, therefore
IL was appropriate on this occasion. The
effect was the same upon the Others for
the words smacked of the phraseology of
the wandering exhorters they had heard
After the passing of the Missourian there
was even less to do: the men were more
taciturn with each other, but there was
noticeably less profanity among them,
possibly because they harbored their
strength more jealousy and the exertion
was unnecessary. or because their mouths
were too dry to articulate many words
IL was now six weeks since they had set
out across the sink" expecting to get the
cattle of their hands and have a little
time" IN the city before starting back
to the camp but the wild-eyed sorry-look-
ing things seemed nnpromising enough
now even for glue factory.
As"Bast Side" lay on the ground looking
up through the holes in his hat--they stood
upright and walked no more than was alb
solutely necessary. for that required an ex-
pendture of strength--lazly watching the
hneks OF birds that swooped and poised IN
the air above him. he discovered or thought
he did that they cost shadow against
the sky-a tiny gray shadow that ne
watched for the utter lack Of anything else
TO watch. when the birds few lower, the
shadow seemed TO grow larger but when
finally they flew away there still TIE
shadow. larger and darker. With a Wild
whoop he sprang to his feet. forgetting the
value Of harboring his strength ~ he
grasped the import of that shadow II was
a cloud Every sprang up at that tiny
speck and went to work with white face
and unsteady hands. The speck grew
hole or trough that led to the basin was
cleared for action so that not one precious
drop might be lost Their words wera few
but kindly az they scraped away. with one
eye ON the ground and the other on The
cloud slowly but unmistskahly growing
larger and coming their way.
During the night those sun scorehed
dreamers dreamed of moist winds and rain
clouds strengthening over the moon, then
of rain drops patterlng gently until they
made a soaking downpour. But they had
often dreamed that-~dreamed Il when their
parched tongues hung out OF their mouths
and cracked for dryness BY this time they
had grown weary Even IN their sleep .iiey
were on their guard and not TO be beguileI
into believing
When at hast IN the early morning the
rain did come. with the frat patterlng
drops every man forgot everything In the
world but the an-consuning passion 70
stake his burning thirst untr their aats
had caught enough 70 drain. they sucked
their shirt sleeves, Then. because his own
need tar that last charge was no longer I'M
perative the cunt boss drew a bead on the
hkelicst animal in the herd. and they feast
80 royalty ioyouSly. uproariously on steak
and water And IN the cxuherauce Of their
Else no one noticed that for convenlenca
they had chosen the mound that covered
The Mlssaurian for their table
After the feast every man lay down tn
his trench which was now allied with wat
er and soaked, soaked through 10 the
marrow. Fpusing himself only 10 drain sis
hat then failing back and soaking more
Ard when efter tweuty-taur hours 81
soaking. they GOT up oct ct their trenches.
each Watori0gged man was a Arm heliev-
L., nsfts4 of