New Ulm review., 1901-04-17

and harder it blew. Then it fell upon
them in it's maleyo1ence, to catch them
Ito hold them in it's uncanny clasp
an instant-and then, releasing them,
SO ,nadly 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
sandstorn. They heard its roar COM
ing up the valley. Audrey Glendower
| felt her nerves a-tingle This, too,
i 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 it's
widest. Suddenly tumble weed-dry
and uprooted from it's slight moor
ings somewhere away on the far side
| of the fats-came whirling toward
them broadside in the evortex of mad
rush of wind in which without warn
| ing they were in an instant enve1oped.
AS the great, rolling, ball-like weed
struck her horse, Miss Glendower took
a tighter grip on the reins and
| steadied herself for 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 stinging
| lashes.
She was alone-drawn into the
maelstrom of the maddened 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 its 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 (and most prob
ably) it was because he had but just
| been at her side. However it might
be, she was praying with all her soul
for his help-for him to come to her
while mile after mile she rode on,
unable to either guide or slacken the
pace of her horse. His pace had been
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 had
strangled her was gone, and in it's
place was the syringa-like fragrance
of the wild, white primroses, star
strewing the earth as the heavens
were strewn with their night bios
SONS. just above the purple-black bar
of the horizon burned great blood
red star in the sky. Tt danced and
wavered before her-rising and fall
| ing unsteadily-and she realized that
her strength was spent, that she was
falling. Then, just as the loosened
girth let the. saddle turn with her
swaying body, a hand caught at her
bride rein, and
All, she was lying sobbing and ut
terly weak, but unutterably happy,
on Mosquitoes breast = Mesquite's 3
arms about her! She made no re
sistance to the passionate kisses the
boyish lips laid, half fearfully, on
her face. She was only glad of the
sweetness of it all; just as the sweet
ness of the evening primroses $50
like the fragrance of jasmine, or
l CupeIoSe, Oi SyilHSd) SUNK INTO ner
senses. So she rested against his
breast, seeing still through her closed
eyelids-the glowing, red star. She
was unstrung by the wild ride and
the winds that had wrought on her
nerves. It made yielding so easy.
(. At last she drew back from him,
and instantly his arms were un-
locked. She was free. Not a second
of time would he clasp her unwilling
i ~. Neither had spoken. Neither
after resetting the saddle, when he
took her again IN his arms and lifted
her, as he would a little child, upon
her horse, did they speak. Only
when the ranch buildings outlined
against the darkness showed dimly
before them, and they knew that the
ride was at an end, did either voice
what was uppermost in their minds.
ssYo' don't Yo' amt Oh, my
pretty, yo' amt mad at me, are yo'?"
No, Mesquite came the softly