The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1905-11-02
CHAPTER v.

wv in a repressed and melan-
choly circle that suggested
the suspended animation Of a funeral
gathering. The fat lady had turned
back her skirt to save her travelling
dress. The stage was late, and there
was no good and sufficient reason for
wearing it out. A similar considera-
ton of economy led her to flirt off
flies with her second best pocket hand
kerchief Mrs. OAK presided over the
gathering with awful severity.
"Chugg's never ben so late as this"
said Mrs. OAK, rocking herself furi-
ously. Leander, the fat lady and Miss
Carmichael meekly murmured assent
and condemnation.
"And there amt a sign of him." said
Mrs. OAK, returning to the house after
straining the landscape through her all
observant eye and not detecting him
IN any OF the remote pin pricks on the
horizon in which these plains folk in
variably decipher a herd Of antelope,
an elk or two or a horseman.
Judith had continued her unouiet
pacing in the binding glare while the
group within doors, somnolent from the
heat and the incessant shrilling of the
locusts, droningly talked and dozed.
Each time she turned Judith would
stop and scan the yellow road. shading
her eyes with her hand, and each time
she had turned away and resumed her
walk. Mary, who gave the postmis-
tress 10 unstinted share Of admiration
for the courage with which she faced
her difficulties and who had been seek
Ing an opportunity to signify her
friendship, now that she saw the last
OF the gallants depart, inquired of Ju-
dith if she might join her.
They walked without speaking for
several minutes, enjoying a sense of
comradeship hardly in keeping with
the brevity Of their acquaintance. A
freedom from restraint spared them
the necessity of exchanging small talk.
that frequently irritating toll exacted
as tribute to possible friendship.
The desert lay white and palpitating
beneath the monday glare, and from
the outermost rim Of desolation came
dancing "dust devils" whirling and
gliding through the mazes Of their
eerle dance. Il think sometimes" said
Judith, ''that they are the ghosts of
those who have died Of thirst in the
DESERT"
Mary shuddered imperceptibly. GLOW
do you stand it with never a glimpse
Of the sea?''
you'll love it or hate it. The desert
Is too jealous for half measures. AS
for the sea"-Judith shrugged her fine
shou]ders-''from all I've heard Of it. it
must be very wet''
Each felt a reticence about broach-
ing the subject uppermost in her
thoughts-Judith from the instructive
tendency toward secretiveness that
was part Of the heritage Of her Indian
blood; Mary because the subject so
closely concerned this girl for whom
she felt such genuine admiration.
Judith finally brought up the matter
with an abruptness that scarce con-
cealed her anxiety.
"You saw my brother yesterday at
Mrs. Clarks eating house. Will YOU
be good enough to tell me just what
happened?' ..
Mary related the incident in detail.
Judith cross examining her minutely as
to the temper of the men at table to-
ward Jim. Did she know If any cattle
men were present? Did she hear where
her brother had gone? ..N
Mary had heard nothing further after
he had left the eating house. The only
one she had talked to had been Mrs.
Clark, whose sympathy had been en-
tirely with JIM Judith thanked her.
but in reality she knew no more now
than she had heard from Major At
kins.
Judith now stopped in their walk and
stood facing the road as it rolled over
the foothills-a skein Of yellow silk
glimmering in the sun. Then Mary
saw that the object spinning across it
in the distance, hardly bigger than a
dolls carriage, was the long delayed
stage. She spoke to the postmistress,
but apparently she did not hear-Ju-