The Greeley tribune., 1905-11-30

| " 'le magic OF ner voice, the mystery
Of ti~ night, the shadow world in which
| tney TWO, 'tWiXt earth and sky, were
alone. They rode without speaking
Peters hand sought hers, and all her
woman's terror of the desolation, her
fear of the vague terrors of the dread
full night, spoke in her answering pres
sure. 1t was rs if the desert had
given them to each other as they
groped through the silent darkness. In
the great company of earth, sky, ST.
lence and this great hearted woman
Peter grew conscious of n real thrill.
There were depths to life-vast, still
depths. This wonan's unselfish love for
| him made him realize them. He felt
his soul sweeping out on the great tide
of things. Farther and farther it
swept. His patron saint, caution. beck
oning frantically from the receding
shore. was miles behind. "Judithw he
said, and he scarce recognized his own
voice. Judith He struggled as
swimmer in a drowning clutch. Then
his patron saint threw him life line,
and he saved the situation
Judith" he said. IL third time, and
now he knew his voice.
| Look" she whispered. The sky had
lost its forbidding blackness. The
sharp notches of the mountains. faint
| ly outlined in white, undulated through
an eternity of space. Venus hung in
the west, burning softly as shaded
lamp. The trail they climbed seemed
to end in her pale yellow light.
| Peter had saved the situation, but
the wild beauty of the night stirred in
| him that gift of silvery speech that
was ever his tribute to the sex rather
than the woman. He bent toward Jul
dith. A loosened strand of her hair
blew across his cheek. The breakneck
ride to Kitty was already the madness
| of dead and gone incarnation. He
pointed to the pale star and told her 1t
was the omen of their destiny; the
forlnless blackness through which they
had groped was the way of life, but
| for such as We're not condemned to
| eternal darkness Venus held high her
lamp, and they scaled the heights.
And Judith, listening. found her
heart battlefield of love and hate.
| Were women dogs, that men should
play with them in Idle moods, caress
! them and fling them out for other
| toys?" she demanded Of herself, even
while the tones of his voice melted her
innermost being to thankfulness for
| this hour that he was wholly hers.
Gayly, with ready turns of speech
and snatches Of song trolled In his
musical baritone. Peter rode through
the night even as he rode through life.
Sir knight of the Joyous Heart, un-
brushed by the wing Of sorrow. loving
his pale griefs for the values they gave
the picture. And Judith understood by
reason of that exquisite perception that
was hers in all matters pertaining to
| him and, knowing, only loved the more.
Peter put a restraining hand on Dol
ly's bride and called Judith's name.
and all the mountains made music OF
| 1t. The echo sang the old Hebrew
name as IL 1t had been psalm. Peters
voice gave it to the mountains joyous
ly. but the mountains gave it back In
the minor. And Judith was reminded
| of the soft, singing syllables that her
mother in the Indian way had made or
her daughters Indian name. The re-
| membrance tugged at her heart. In
her JOY Mt seeing Peter she had for
gotten that the errand that had brought
| her was an errand Of life and death
| life and death for her brother!
But Peters ready enthusiasms press
ed him hard. Surely love making was
the business of such a night. "Ah, Ju-
dith. goddess of the heights, If l could
sing your name like the mountains.
| would you love me littleF
| For his pains he had flash of white
| teeth in smile that recalled his first
acquaintance with Kitty. the sort OF
smile one would give to "nice boy
when his maneuvers were trite OBJ
| yious. Not If you sang my name as
the chorus of all the Himalayas and
| the Rockies and Andes and with the
fire of all their volcanoes aud the beau
ty' of their SHOWS and the strength OF
all their hills, for It's not my way to
love little"
He bent toward her to brush her
cheek lightly. but Judith. who said Ut
tie because she felt much, was in no
mood to brook such dalliance, and, urg-
ing the mare sharply, she cantereu
| down the divide at peril Of life ana
limb. Peter, cursing the heavy footed
beost he rode, came stumbling after.
Judith rode wildly through the night,
leaving Peter laps behind to beseech,
to prophesy dire happening II she
should slip, and to scramble after us
best he might on the heavy footed
beast he repudiated with all his ances-
tors MS oxen to the fourth generation.
But the woman kept her pace. she
had stern questions to put to herself.
and they were likely to have truer an