The San Francisco call., 1904-02-28
.rWeIl. an right" he assented.

lIOu DGuCdln II OPeA6Cs ~
walked few rods away and, clearing
a space in the sage, began to dig. The
woman prepared the child for burial.
The silence that had been disturbed re-
settled. broken at intervals by the thud
of the spade. The heat began to lessen
and still serenity to possess the bar
rem landscape The desert had re-
ceived its tribute and was appeased.
The rites Of the burial were nearly
completed, when a sound from the
wagon attracted the attention Of the
man and the woman. They stopped.
listened and exchanged a glance Of
alarmed intelligence. The woman
walked to the wagon rapidly, and ex-
changed a few remarks with the other
wife Her voice came TO the man low
and broken. He did not hear what she
said, but he thought he knew the pur-
port Of her words. AS he shoveled the
earth into the grave his brow was con-
tracted. He looked angrily harassed.
The second wife came toward him. her
sunburnt face set in an expression Of
frowning anxiety.
Yes" she said, in answer to his
look, "she feels very bad. We got to
stop here. We can't go on now"
lie made no answer, but went on
building up the mound over the grave.
He was younger by year or two than
the woman with whom he spoke, but it
was easy. to be seen that of her as Of
all pertaining to him, he was absolute
master. She watched him for a mo-
ment as if waiting for an order, then,
receiving none, said:
I'D better go back to her. 1 wish
train'd come by with a doctor. She
amt got much strength"
He vouchsafed no answer. and she re-
turned to the wagon, and this time
climbed in.
He continued to build up and shape
the mound with sedulous and evidently
absent minded care. The sweat poured
off his forehead and his bare, brown
throat and breast. He was a lean but
powerful man, worn away by the jour-
ney to bone and muscle, but of an iron
fiber. He had no patience with those
who hampered his forward march by
sickness or feebleness
When he had finished the mound the
sun was declining toward the tops Of
the distant mountains. The first color
of its setting was inflsming the sky and
painting the desert in tones of strange,
hot brilliancy. The vast, grim expanse
took on a tropical aspect. Against the
lurid background the chain of hills
turned a transparent amethyst, and the
livid earth with its leprous eruption,
was transformed into a pale lilac blue
Presently the thin, clear red of the sun
set was pricked by white star point
And in the midst of this vivid blending
of limpid primary colors, the fire the
man had kindled sent a fine line of
smoke straight up into the air.
The second wife came out of the
wagon to help him get the supper and
to eat hers. They talked a little in low
voices as they ate, drawn away from
the heat of the fire. The man showed
symptoms of fatigue; but the power
erful woman was unconquered in her
stubborn splendid vigor. When she
left him, he lay down on the sand with
his face on his arm and was soon
asleep. The sounds of dole that came
from the wagon did not wake him. nor
disturb the deep dreamIessness of his
exhausted rest. The night was half
spent, when he was wakened by the
woman shaking his shoulder. He
looked up at her stupidly for a minute,
seeing her head against the deep blue
sky with its large white stars.
It's over. It's little girl. But
Lucy's pretty bad"
lie sat up, fully awake now, and in
the stiffness Of the night heard the cat
like new of the newborn. The can
-F ~
fiery effect from the lighted lanterns
within.
rs she dying?" he said hurriedly.
'No-not's bad as that. But she's
terribly low. Wen have TO stay here
with her till she pulls up some. We
can't move on with her in this way"
He rose and. going to the wagon,
looked in through the opened flap. His
wife was lying with her eyes closed,
waXen pale in the smoky lantern light.
The sight of her shocked him into
sudden spasm of feeling. She had been
a fresh and pretty girl of IS when he
had married her, four years before at St
Louis. He wondered If her father, who
had given her TO him then, would have
known her now. In an excess of care
less pity he laid his hand on her and
said:
We'll Lucy. how dye feel?"
She shrank from his touch and tried
to draw a corner of the blanket, on
which her head rested, over her face.
lie turned away and walked back to
the fire, saying to the second wife:
Il guess she'll be able to so on to-
morrow. She can stay in the wagon ali
the time. l don't want to run no risks
'er gittin' caught in the SHOWS on the
Sierra. I guess she'll pull herself to-
gether all right in a few days. I've
seen her worse n that"
CHAPTER IT