Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-02-03
in THE DESERT.

IL i LII 1EN L
We we're crossing the Bad Lands Of
| Idaho, great desert wastes of alkali sand
and harsh, puneent sage brush, over
whose vast stretches brooded mystery
and the shadow of death.
There was beauty in the Bad Lands
As there l. in all places where mans
hand has not fallen too heavily Along
the banks of the Snake river. by which
our path lay. rose tall buttes of rose
tinted sandstone, oruamentng the breast
of this siren desert And here ard there
We SAW the patient miners prospectors,
they called thcm--Workng in their mole
like excavations in loneliness and faith,
searching for the elusive thing which has
| been the hearts desire Of men in all ages.
Inside The train sat commonplace.
middle.aged woman, with faded hair and
eyes. No one knew her story; no one
cared whether she had story But she
told II To rs. nevertheless and we lis
tened: and q, ~h' spoke we forgot that
We had not cared and saw her as She
used to look IN other days, to other eyes.
And we remembered that all people have
had other days, and have been looked at
by other eyes. n whose sight they We're
good
Il grew mp on the Cape" She said. and
a listener from the old Bay State knew
what she meant and Jim that was his
| namc-Wa~ my playmate. We were to
have been married. but he took notion
that he ought to have more money and
so he went away To the west He wrote
me he was miner, prospecting for gold,
and when he'd found il he would come
home and | should have silk dress and
ieWelry aud not have To work any more
did not care for such things. but he
did. But perhap, YOU don't want to hear
about him; il was seeing the miners out
there made me speak
We urged her to tell lis the rest.
After Il while he didn't write so often
and his letter. came longer way from
home. The last one was from Arizona;
that was years ago. lie never seemed to
have much luck, 81 perhaps he was too
| discouraged TO write, or he may have
| died in a place like this
/ She was silent iIcc faded eyes were
u-uou, for a moment is wonderful
how tears will brighten old eyes aud
! then the light died out
some hours later the train stopped at
| a little station with musical Indian
~name 90 take on water for our thirsty
engine aud we all nighted. glad of the
| brief exercise On the station platform
was the usual motley array TO whom tho
coming of the daily train was a momen
! tous human incident Among them was
! the pioneer with tanned race and hardy
frame, who came from a nearby cottage
surrounded by its protecting lombardy
poplars.
There were rcWcr Corners who had not
yet progressed to the building stage. but
were still bivouacking in the prairie
schooner which had brought them over
! the plains, Their horses tethcrcd near
| by. were contentediy cropping the scanty
! heritage which only the keen scent of
! hunger could have discovered among The
| tufts of sage brush
| The little woman was with lis as we
paced leisureiy to and fro. now mingling
with the Kaleidoscope throng, now stroll
! ling to the end of the platform whose
| outskirts were fringed with the more
timid As We turned back saw her
eyes resi- for moment on a grizzcd,
weather beaten man clad in the rough
garb of a miner. 1t was but passing
glance, yet Il sigh escaped her
I'D ought TO give up thinking I'll ever
sec Jim again know it's foolish but
somehow that miner made me think OF
him"
She turned away. We had gone but
step when we both heard half .articu-
late cry and instinctiycly turned back
/ The miner started towards u-. but
stopped a. if in doubt A startled look
came over the little womans face, then
/ disappointment, hope. renunciation. in
quick succession. The miner came near
en- his hand shading his searching eyes.
One long look vas enough
Matte" he cried and the little vom-
an was in his arms.
Jim
The other eyes had found her; the
other days had returned Boston Post