Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-28

der. closed the bars again, remounted, and
trotted over the sun-cracked adobe Two
hundred yards away, q fringe of grease
wood bushes marked; what, at this dis
lance, appeared to be water course. Such,
in a way, 1t was. But Ray had never seen
more water in 1t than he could have jump
ed across. 1t was a narrow arroyo of gull
ly, varying in width from twelve to twen<
ty feet, and averaging fifteen feet in depth.
1t ran almost due north and south for a
distance of five miles, through a bare, level
prairie tenanted only by rowing cattle and
horses, If one excerpts rabbits. prairie dogs
rattlesnakes. owls. lizards and scorpions.
There was no vegetation except grease
wood. cactus and sagebrush. In heavy
rains or during sudden MEETINGS of the
snow back on the mountains, each of sew
eral small gullies bore it's share Of water
to the junction at the beginning of the
arroyo, from whence it sped, tumbling and
churning through the miniature gorge,
southwark to the river.
To Ray, who loved adventure, the arroyo
was ever source Of pleasure, with its
twilit depths and firm sandy bed. He knew
every inch of 1t. Many were the ina gfnary
adventures he had gone through in its
winding depths, now as a painted Arapa-
hoe on the warpath, now as a county
sheriff on the trail Of murderous despera-
does, again as mighty hunter searching
the sandy floor for the tracks of bears and
mountain lions. He had found strange
things in the arroyo-rose quartz arrow
heads, notched like saws; an old, rusted
picture of the holding up of a stage coach
engraved around the chamber; queer tiny
shells of some long gone fresh water snail;
bits Of yellow pottery, their edges worn
smooth and round by the water; to say
nothing of bird nests, villages of ugly,
water-white scorpions; and lizards, from
the tiny ones that change their color
ohameleon-like, to racers well over a foot
long.
From end to end of the arroyo there
were but two places where 1t was possible
to enter or leave. Both of these had been
made by cattle crossing from side to side.
One was just back OF Rays home and the
other was nearly two miles south. It was
toward the latter that Ray was heading
his horse. He thought with pleasure of the
comparative comfort awaiting him in the
shaded depths. Brushing the Precipitation
out of his eyes he glanced northward Even
as he looked the SUBMITS Of the peaks were
blurred from sight by dark gray veil Of
rain. Above, all was blackness save when
for an instant wide, white sheet of light
ming blazed above the mesa, and was fol-
lowed moment later by the first tremen-
dous roar of thunder. Scamp pricked up his
dropping ears and mended his pace.
1--WE are going to get good and wet be-
fore we get home" muttered Ray Come
on, ScampH
They reached the edge of. the arroyo and
the little pony, lurching from side to side,
clambered carefully down the narrow path
to the bottom. Once there, Ray used his
gallop that carried them fast over the
sandy bed. On both sides the walls of
adobe and yellow clay rose as straight as
though of masonry Along the brink grew
stunted bushes of greasewood and of sage.
Here and there the tap-root of a grease
wood was half exposed for it's entire length,
just as 1t had been left by the falling earth
Many Of these yellow-brown roots. tough
as hempen rope, descended quite to the
bottom Of the arroyo, for the greasewood
perseveres astonishingly in its search for
moisture.
AS Scamp hurried along the brown and
gray lizards darted across his path, and the
mother scorpions, taking the air at the en-
frances of their holes, scuttled out of sight.
Ray took off his hat and let the little
draught of air that blew through the
chasm dry the peTspiration on face and
hair. Presently the sunlight above gave
way to sullen, silent shadow. The air
grew strangely quiet: even the lizards no
longer moved. Ray gazed straight upward
into the slowly rolling depths of dark
cloud. and heartily wished himself at home.
He had seen many storm but the one
that was approaching now made him al
most afraid. The little twigs Of grease
famed his cheek. There came a great
Drop splashlng against his bare brown
hand then another; then many, each feav-
Ing q spot of moisture on the dry sand as
brero on and drew the string tightly back
of his head. He buttoned his blue flannel
shirt at the throat patted Scamp encour-
agingly on his reeking neck and rode on.
For the last ten minutes the thunder had
been roaring at intervals. drawing nearer
and nearer. and now It crashed directly
overhead with mighty sound that shook
the earth and sent Scamp bounding out
the rain. 1t waz a. though = million buck
cts had been emptied upon him: e fell "a
Iivid, hissing sheets and wallis, tAkine
. .s. shapes. me pillar ana eolamn.