Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1902-07-10

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him and he went to II doubtingly II
was in slightly better case than he,
for II could still talk. II said:
For Gods sake, waterl'
Hope mumbled something, intended
for There is not water in this coun-
try He stared at the figure; the fig
ure stared at him from under loose
| hair. In these circumstances sex
ceases. He put his arm about the fig.
ure's waist and supported it. He was a
brave man, was Hope, and he told him
self IN that instant that here was a life
miserably dependent upon his own and
that he would work harder to save it
than he had yet worked The thought
seemed to give him strength, and he
stood erect for the first time in many
hours. His implacable science told him
that there was no drinkable water in
Death valley, but he remembered that
when he was an idle and purposeless
boy he used to read Beadle's dime now
els, and in one of these novels was a
heroic Indian slayer who had got water
in the valley by digging for it with his
tomahawk. He almost smiled at the
recollection and he wished that he
might have the snug, well-fed. un-
thirsty author Of that romance for As
hours in the valley itself, instead of
in his New York room, with hot and
cold water pipes within ten feet Of
him. Nevertheless he kept his arm
about the figure and gently urged it
| onward.
They came 20 a cleft, or lengthy de-
preston, in the internal soil Possibly
, 30.0O0,000 Of years ago IL had been
creek. It's bed was still defined and
il was of sand. Hope cast about
him until he found a silver Of red rock,
sharp-poiuted, q foot wide and three
feet long-iust a scale Of the stone, in
fact-and with this he set 10 digging
slowly The sand was loose, and by
heroic effort at the end Of an hour or
two be had gone down four feet in a
narrow hole. The woman sat near him.
She had not uttered a word since her
first pitiful plea and she did not watch
him while he dug. Six inches further
and the sand became moist. Another
foot and water could be squeezed from
It; another foot and a small pool of 1t,
six inches across and half inch deep,
was visible, II was hot but sweetish,
evidently q seep from some one of the
saline or alkaline lakes. and the min
eral had been filtered from 1t in its
passage. Set II down TO the everlast-
ing credit of Francis Hope that he
climbed from the hole, went to the
woman, brought her to its edge, took
a half pint in his hat and poured 1t
down her throat, while his own lips
were bleeding. / say that Sir Philip
Sidney, riding from battle with a
broken thigh and giving his last drop
TO a wounded soldier, did not do finer
deed Five small swallows Of the water
restored the scientific mind 10 its nor
NAL precision, and he saw that neither
his companion nor himself got too
much OF Il, They rested by the little |
pool until the sun set. then took final !
draught and set out. Reason had come
back TO her eyes, and she placed her |
hand in his as she stepped out bravely, !
his eve on a fixed point dimly seen in |
the dusk. At ten that night they came |
to a trail. broad and beaten, and lay |
down beside it TO sleep, the woman
resting her head upon his shoulder ike
a tired child. AT midnight a 16-mule /
team came by. Il dragged a huge |
wagon loaded with crude borax, and /
the driver alternately swore and sang. |
He gave them food and drink. asked /
few questions, and. supposing them 10
be man and wife. offered them bed
in his huge enormous vehicle. Sex had
reasserted itself. Hope laughed and
the woman blushed. So she curled her
self in the rear end Of il and Hope went
10 the forward end. 90 feet away, and
between them was mountainous bar
rier Of borax.
Next day she told him her story. Her
father and brothers were Californians
and prospectors camped upon the edge
of the desert. She had quit school and
accompanied them for the novelty of
II and had wandered from the tent in
pursuit Of beetles. She had been more
saving with her water bottle and hard
been out u hours longer than Hope.
Her name was Beatrice Holden. and
while she rode she blossomed out won
ierfully, finally ending as a frank,
somewhat plump and very pretty girl
Of 20. with a constant trustfulness in
and dependence upon her rescuer.
They went to the Needles together and
rom there to Los Angeles, where she
had friends. The end Of II was that he
J sked her to marry him, and she did
lie took her 10 Washington with him
md has got out of his experience a
wife. a magazine article or
wo. an impressionistic description Of
he pangs Of thirst, an elucidated and
printed theory TO the effect that wom-
p are capable Of more endurance than
men and a profound pamphlet on the
and desirability Of irrigst-
ng Death valley.
"Thirdly" Was Missing.
Dr Gordon who was the first min :