Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-04-26

brought a whirl of desert dust. Harder
and harder it blew. Then it fell upon
them in it's malevo1ence, to catch them
to hold them in it's uncanny clasp
an instant--and then, releasing them,
go madly racing off into the farther
twilight, moaning in undertone as it
went. Then heat lightning struck Wv
idly at the horizon, and the air every
where became surcharged with the
electric current of a coming desert
sandstorm. They heard it's roar COM
ing up the valley. Audrey Glendower
felt her nerves a-tingle. This, too,
was an experience. In sheer delight
she laughed aloud at the excitement
showing in the quivering horses
their ears nervously pointing forward.
their nostrils distended, as with long,
eager strides they pounded away at
the wind-blown levels.
Then the storm caught them at its
widest. Suddenly tumble weed-dry
and uprooted from it's slight moor
ings somewhere away on the far side
of the fiats-came whirling toward
them broadside in the vortex of mad
rush of wind in which without warn
ing they were in an instant enveloped.
AS the great, rolling, ball-like weed
struck her horse, Miss Glendower took
a tighter grip on the reins and
steadied herself for a runaway rush
into the duststorm and the darkness.
The wild wind caught her, shrieked in
her ears, tore at her habit as though
to wrest it from her body, dragged at
the braids of heavy hair until, 1oos-
ened, the strands whipped about her
head, a tangled mass of singing
lashes.
She was alone-drawn into the
maelstrom of the haddened element;
alone-with the fury of the desert
storm; alone-in the awful darkness
| it wrapped about her, the darkness
| of the strange storm and the darkness
of the coming night. The fright
| ened, furious horse beneath her terri
| fed her less than the weird, rainless
storm that had SO swiftly slipped in
between her and Mesquite, carrying
her away into it's unknown domain.
Where was he? Aside from the mas
| tering fear that was gaining upon
her, spite of her struggle for cour-
| age, was consciousness that more
than all else-more than everyone
else in the world-it was Mesquite
| she wanted. Had an army ridden
down to her rescue she would have
| turned away from them all to reach
out her arms to the boy vaquero
Perhaps it was because she had seen
his marvellous feats of daring in the
saddle (for Mesquite was the star
| rider of the range), and she felt in
| stinctively that he could help as none
others; perhaps it was because of the
past days that had so drawn him to-
| ward her; perhaps land most prob
ably) it was because he had but just
been at her side. However it might
be, she was praying with all her sou
for his help-for him to come to he1
while mile after mile she rode on
unable to either guide or slacken the
pace of her horse. His pace had beer
terrific; and not until it had carried
him out of the line of the storm
and up from the plain into the SAND
hills did he lessen his speed.
She felt about her only the softest
of west winds; the dust that hal
strangled her was gone, and in it:
place was the syringa-like fragranc,
of the Wild white primroses, star
strewing the earth as the heaven:
were strewn with their night bios
SONS. Just above the purple-black ba'
Of the horizon burned a great blood
red star in the sky. It danced ana
wavered before her-rising and fall
ing unsteadily-and she realized tina
her strength was spent, that she wa
falling. Then, just as the loosenei
girth let the saddle turn with he
swaying body, hand caught at he
bride rein. and
All, she was lying sobbing and ut
terly weak, but unutterably happy
on Mosquitoes breast = Mesquite
arms about her! She made no re
sistance to the passionate kisses tn
boyish lips laid, half fearfully, OF
her face. She was only glad of tn
sweetness of it all; just as the sweet
ness of the evening primroses Is
like the fragrance of jasmine, o
tuberose, or syringa) sunk into he
senses. So she rested against hi
breast, seeing still through her close
eyelids-the glowing, red star. Sh
was unstrung by the wild ride an
the winds that had wrought on he
nerves. 1t made yielding so easy.
, At last she drew back from hin
and instantly his arms were III
locked. She was free. Not secon
of time would he clasp her unwilling
ly. Neither had spoken. Neithe
after resetting the saddle, when
! took her again in his arms and LITE
her, as he would little child, upo
her horse, did they speak. Onl
when the ranch buildings-out1ine
against the darl<ness-showed diml
> before them, and they knew that tn
ride was at an end, did either voic
what was uppermost in their minds