The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-10-05


of the missing boy in charge Of the
Sheriff, for the disposition was still
strong in him to make short work of
the supposed murderers of his child
Endless vistas of desert sand stretch
ed away in every direction, with never
a. trace of vegetation save a scanty
growth of sagebrush. and overhead the
clear. thin blue of the desert sky.
TWO days and nights We're passed on
the burning sand, and on the evening
of the third day Hoover described
flock of buzzards wheeling in ever
lessening circles in the transparent
heavens Too we'll he understood why
those unneighporly birds had assem-
bled themselves. Galloping ahead of
the party, he scrutinized the sand.
Presently an exclamation of mingled
triumph and dismay burst from his
lips and the rope that in fancy he
had been wearing about his neck
loosened its hold.
Look Eff it amt Billy it's some
other poor devil that's gone mad in
the desert. Mebhe We kin save him yit
eff he amt gone too fur. He must be
t'other side o. the ridge now. He'll
come trudgin' round to this side pretty
soon, an we kin ketch him an wrap
q wet pldi1kCL nam CA II L<lrACo
every blasted drap we've got in the
crowd he whispered to West.
Eyes, eff he amt done petered out an
drapped down. But what's them buzz
yards a-doin' here? Looks like there
war somethin, dead 'roun' loose" West
returned.
At that moment the Sheriff was
pointing out TO Joe Harris the beaten
path in the sand--the wide circle that
Bits blistered feet had Travelled a
hundred times since the torment of
three days in the desert had dethroned
his reason. A dumb, white anguish
ssettled over the sturdy ranchman and
his body relaxed for a moment in the
saddle. Then suddenly he started up.
put spurs to his horse and, with a
yell that must have aroused the de-
mons in torment, galloped across the
ridge. At the first shot from his re-
vo1ver the vultures fiuttered up from
their repast and raised themselves
majestically into the clear blue above.
Harris flung himself from his horse
and sank on the sand beside the awful
remains of what was once his hope and
pride. The body was bloated almost to
bursting. From the left cheek and
brow the flesh was goone, leaving one
great staring eye loose in it's socket,
and among the clots of hair the naked
skull cleaned through. AS the rest of
the party approached the father,
crouched like a hunted beast and COW
cred the wreck of a face with his hat
! Don't let 'em see,'' he whispered to
| the Sheriff But Hoover was not to be
shut out of that group. With the ten
derness of a woman he raised the boy
hi f6n 0r7Ixa az
around him. His companions advised
! that the body be buried in the sand,
for the modern process of embalming
was not to be had in the desert. But
the sturdy old miner heard not their
remonstrances. With his awful burden
clasped closely to his arms he turned
his horses head toward Cloverdale
| ranch.
AS soon as darkness settled brush
fires were kindled on the highest por-
phyry ridges to notify the other search
parties that their services were no
longer needed. Most of them went at
once to New Boston to resume their
work, for a funeral that had not been
preceded by a fight or a lynching pos
sessed little charm for them.
Beside the merry little CIoverdale
Creek the ranch hands dug shallow
grave, close to where Billy's mother
had been buried five years before. AS
the loose earth ratified down on the
rude pine box Hoover threw his arms
around the heartbroken father and the
two men wept.
Its all the curse o. gold, Joe," he
said. 81 almost lost my soul for it; but
my mothers prayers kept a-ringin' in
my ears, an now the Lord has scared
me back"
The following day Hoover was blown
into eternity by a belated shot in the
WATSON silver mine. Two weeks later
Dan West. in search Of Hoover's claim,
met the awful fate of madness, the
circular path and death of nameless
horror in the desert. How many other
men have followed in his footsteps in
search of that chimerical lode only the
vultures can tell.-St. Louis Globe
Democrat.