Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-04


genufecting as they entered. but ALL as though
Il by tacit understanding, avoided the path of
hght stood in packed masses at the sides Of the
room, leaving broad aisle in the centre Even
! carlo removed his chair from the illuminated
space. Behind him. disregardine the vacant seat.
stood Pete From his station beside the altar
the priest gravely observed the entering thronq
1here was movement and low shufhing Of
feet as the crowd settled itself TO quiet outside
the brilliant path, and therefore in darkness
save. where the faint reflected light dimly out
lined prominent figure here and there, or was
caught by the metal Of pistol-butt protrriding
from the holster ON its owners hip. The padre
raised hand, and two women CARRYING baskets
hlled with candles, entered and walked up the
aisle, distributing the candles among the wedding
guests until all were supplied Stepping into the
aisle, the priest took the candles Of the men on
each side of him, lighted them at those which
we're burning on the altar and handed them back
From these Others were lighted. and the light
was passed from man to man. One flame after
another bazed, sank, and rose again; the dark
ness at the sides Of the room gradually lifted,
until at last only the gittering eye of the lantern
| showed that though unseen its beam still was
| there, and the courthouse was aglow with dis
tributed light that made the shadows faint and
gray and brought out in minute detail the tanned
faces and rough dresses against their background
| of canvas, boards, and studding.
The sand drove against the side Of the build
ing with that drowned the shrieks of the
wind The curtains bellied and tugged at their
tastenings, and the lights would gutter and purr
as, from time to time, puff harder than the
rest would make the oists and rafters groan like
the timbers Of laboring ship at sea.
A thick-growing scrub of mesquit protected the
entrance to the courthouse. The door curtain
was thrust aside. All the company, except Pete,
who stared straight before him, turned towards
the door johnson, blinking in the bright light
stepped over the sill. For "a moment he stood
as though irresolute; then moved with slouchng
shoulders and nervous walk towards the altar
In desutory way he had washed from his face
the dust of the journey, but his skin retained the
yellow, powdery look that characterized it. He
wore uneasy and conciliatory smile and sought
to hide his embarrassment by inserting into his
mouth from time to time bits of something
which he took from the pockets Of his linen
duster. As he reached the chancel he glanced
over his shoulder at the doorway, outside of
which huttering gowns could dimly be SEEN
One of them, little apart from the rest, was
white.
For moment the storm hushed and the ST.
lence was startling. Suddenly scream, shrill
and full Of terror, rang through the ROOM and
as though the scream had summoned it, mighty
gust swept over the oasis The building rocked
and gave; a curtain behind the altar tapped loose
and by freak of the wind, closed again and for
an instant held. Pete sprang forward, his face
white and working with rage. blast, still
mightier than the last, drove by. There was
storm. Several curtains were torn loose and van
ished Every candle went out instantly, and
the beam from the great lantern sprang into
bright prominence again. 1t fell on Greaser
Pete, who, with pistol drawn, stood crouched
as though for spring; upon the terrified priest,
staring with wide eyes at the window behind the
altar where, in the full glare of light, there APP
peared the ungainly head of camel framed in
a halo of flying sand. Close beside it there was
human face, dark of skin and glarng malig-
l.fzr.e,
then they vanished into the bowling storm.
With bound Pete reached the window, laid
one hand on the sill, and, vauting over it, dis
appeared. A flash, showing rusty red, winked
rapidly three times The reports were carried
away by the wind.
The priest drew back, crossing himself and NUT
tering Latin prayers Spanish oaths as they oc-
CURED to his mind The building rocked again,
and the lantern, shaken from its nail, rolled on
the floor and was extnguished. The roof lifted
little, dropped again with slight jar, and
brace clattered down.
For time the door was blocked by a jam OF
men-a heaving invisible mass, breathing hard
and straining against itself as it tried to force
an exit Some of the men, feeling their way to
the windows dropped through them; the rest at
last passed the doorway, and all made their way,
crouching and leaning against the terrible blasts,
to the nearest SHELTER there to spend the night
in vain endeavors to keep out the wind-driven
sand that blew in choking clouds through every
crevice.
Towards daybreak the wind fell, and as the sun
rose it was still The oasis had disappeared.
The sand, in waves and wreaths like snowdrifts,
Law thick upon it. In few days. to be sure, the
grass would struggle through and once
cover the SOIL but now the only green things
visible were branches, wrenched by the wind
from cottonwood trees, lying here and there, en-
bedded in the drifts. The springs glittering
spots set in the yellow expanse bordered by
brown bands, where the water had darkend the
sand. Gathered about one Of the springs was
knot of men staring at large track, shaped like
the impression of huge French roll, that had
been pressed into the moist sand Now and then
someone would wag his head solemnly, but mo-
body spoke. Presently Sam joined the group, and
all eyed him interrogatively.
''No," he said, in answer TO their unuttered
question, "she amt nowhere The women they
say that she let JUS one yell, an then the san
shut down SOS they couldn't see nothin. They
all run anyhow, reckon. Hog, he's gone too
He might "a run, but nobody amt seen him
since-since the lights went out. Oh, Lord!
This lcks me-"
''I seen many cameltrack in the OF days
when they used to be goin' through" said
thick-shouldered miner who stood near, "an',
dead or alive, Hghjolly's come back fer his wife.
an on a camel, like he said he would. He's took
her off with him-somewhere."
''That wasn't no live man we saw, urged Sam
with conviction.
"What happened to them is that they got scar
ed and got lost in the storm out there on the
desert somewhere" said the gambler impatiently.
ga gang ought to be sent out to look for them
and sent out quick"