The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-16

him. and the alkali got into his shoes
and burned and blistered. but 1t waa
not until the sun disappeared from Nl6
heavens that the deserted threw him.
self down on the ground and knew that
he could go no further.
For half an hour he was in semi
unconscious state. Then he sighed and
moaned and sat up. What he saw was
darkness around him; what he felt was
such utter loneliness as he had never
felt before or thought possible. Had ha
been at sea in an open boat there
would have been the dash of the wa
ter, If nothing more. Here he stared
into the darkness and heard no sound
except his own hoarse breathing. It
was absolute and appalling stiffness.
and he shuddered under 1t. Hunger
went away and thirst vanished as he
stared into the darkness and remem-
bered that he was alone-as much
alone on the face of the earth as il
no other man had ever been born. For
several minutes he trembled like one
in great danger, and the heavy beating
Of his heart panied him. Then hes
sprang up with laugh and ran from
the spot. He felt that he was pursued
by something, and terror lent him
wings for little while. Then he fell
down and moaned and wept and bab-
bled
Hank! The silence is broken at last
by the chirp of a cricket-the only
sound ever heard to break the solitude
of the desert at night. Chirp! Chirp!
Chirp! The man raised himself to his
knees and reached out his hands In
supplication as the sounds reached his
ears. Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! 1t was
living thing-it was company-it was
familiar sound, and the deserter
laughed like a child with a toy At
frat no obirnc
but as the minutes passed and the
soldier stretcher out at full length they
softened and seemed to take the form
of words.
Danger! Danger! Danger" called
the cricket, but the man smiled and
did not even lift his head. There might
be danger, but what could he do?
"Out that way-in the darkness-in
the loneliness!" chirped the cricket:
but the man closed his eyes and lay
quiet. Could there be darker or more
lonely spot than the one on which he
rested?
"They are coming-crawling -skulk-
ing" warned the cricket. but the de-
serter smiled. almost gladly. He cared
not what happened If he did not lose
the voice Of the only living thing be-
side him. Had the bones he had 50
often stumbled over during the day
| been reclothed? Had the phantomS
he had seen as darkness come down,
gathered out there to take his life?
60! Go! Col" chirped the cricket,
| as she seemed to draw nearer. but the
| man sighed and smiled. Go where!
No! He was sleepy now. He was go
| ing to sleep and dream of springs OF
| ice-cold water. of banquet bOards-Of
beds of down. The skeletons might
come dancing and the phantoms circle
round him. but he would sleep. To-
morrow he would push on, and then
would come the tree covered noun
tains, the green grass and the flowing
rivers. Tomorrow-tomorrow
1T is danger-it is DEATH" chirped
the cricket. but the man heard nothing
ut Is here-it is here!" came the
call a moment later. but not even a
sigh answered.
Then an Apache warrior came creep
ing forward. with no more noise than a
lizard would have made in moving
about. The vultures had trailed the
deserter from above-the Indians from
below. Inch by inch the warrior crept
until he he was bending over the
sleeper with knife appraised.
He is dead-he is dead!" chirped
the cricket.
A dusky hand fell lightly upon the
recumbent body and fiuttered about
until it rested upon the heart. 1t had
ceased to beat
HUI Dead mani said the Indian, az
he rose to his feet
More bones to bleach!" chirped the
cricket, and then she crept under a
bunch of wire grass and was still as
the death around her