The Greeley tribune., 1905-11-30

when she saw the beds of alkali grow
more frequent and that the trails Of
the range cattle turned back. snifred
the lack of water in the air, slackenc
her pace and turned an interroyatorv
ear toward her mistress.
ITS all right, old girl" The roupt-
leted hand patted the satin neck
We're In for'-Judith flung her head
up ana confronted the infinite desola
tion yawning to the sky line-"God
knows what"
Dolly broke into light canter. This
evidenuy was not an occasion for
dawdling. There was touch of busI-
ness about the way the reins were held
that made the mare settle down to
work. But her flying hoofs made little
apparent progress against the space
ana silence of the desert. Five. ten, fif-
teen miles and the curving shoulder
OF the mountain that she must cross
still Knocked In the distance. Only the
sun moved in that vast world of seem
ingly immutable forces.
There was no stole Sioux In Judith
now. The girl that breasted the crests
OF the foothills shrank In terror from
the loneliness and the suggestion of
foes lurking in ambush. The sun
dropped behind the mountain, leaving
blood red pool in his wake, like
fugitive Cain. Already night was
sweeping over the earth from noun
tain hadows that flowed impercep-
tibly together like blackened pools.
"Ah, Dolly, my dear, house is the
place for women folk when the night
comes-a house. the fire burning clear,
the kettle singing, and Dolly whin-
MED an affirmative without waiting for
the picture to be completed. The will
derness was being gradually swallowed
by the shadows, as deliberately as
snake swallows its victim. They were
nearing the mountains. The hot blasts
of air from the desert blew more and
more intermttently. The breeze swept
keen from the hills, towering higher
and higher, and Judith breathed deep
Of the piny fragrance and felt the ten
sion of things loosen little.
Whitening cattle bones cleaned from
the darkness, tragic reminders Of hard
winters and scant pasturage, and Ju-
dith, with the Indian superstition that
was in the marrow of her bones, read
ghostly warnings in the empty eye
sockets of the grinning skulls that
stared up at her. She dared not think
Of the dangers that the looming dark
ness might conceal or Of what she
might find at her journeys end Or
whoa, Dolly! Softly girl. Is it my
foolish, white blood nerves, or is some
one following?"
The mare had been trained to re
spond to the slightest touch on her
mouth and stopped instantly. Judith
swayed slightly in the saddle with the
heaving of the sweating horse. The
blood beat at her temples, confusing
what she actually heard with what her
Imagination pictured. She was half
way up towering spur of the Wind
river when she slid from the saddle,
and, putting her ear to the ground.
listened, Indian fashion. Above the
throbbing stiffness of the desert night.
that came to her unanimously, like
the imprisoned roar of the sea from
shell, she could hear the regular beat
of horses hoofs following up the steep
mountain grade.
She scrambled up with the desperate
nimbleness of u hunted thing, but when
she attempted to vault to the saddle
her limbs failed, and she sank clinglng
to the pommel. Twice she tried ana
twice the trembling Of her limbs held
her captive With the loss of each mo-
ment the beat Of the hOOfs on the trail
below became more distinct. The very
desperation of her plight kept her cling
ing to the pommel. Incapable OF
thought, SO that when she finally flung
herself to the saddle she was surprised
to find herself there. To the left the
trail dropped sharply to precipice.
choked by the close crowding of many
scrub pines. To the right the snow
clad spires of the Wind river kept their
eternal vigil.
The trail had begun to widen. The
horse behind her again stumbled, loos-
ening a stone that rolled with crashes
and echoings down to the precipice De-
low. She took advantage of the widen
ing of the trail to urge Dolly forward
Her Impulse was to put spurs to the
mare and run, to take chances with
loose stones, narrowing trail and the
possibility Of Dolly's stumbling and
breaking Il leg, but discretion prompt
ed the showing of brave front. the
pleasantries of the road, with nignt as
the last resource Of desperation.
~,
Suddenly gaining what seemed TO De
a plateau, she wheeled and waited the