Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1907-06-07

CHAPTER v1II.-(continued.>

>>~c~>~,>~~~'
CHAPTER vIII.-(Continued.>
reiit the candle and, taking Psyche
into the next cavs, pointed to her alcoyo
and bade her lie down. At the same time
a. she had q great thickness of the hay
and straw sent down from time to time
for her use, I took an Arnful :or my
own use and babe her seoi-right. I
She seemed puzzled and disappointed
for a minute at the separation which
she saw I intended, but when l spoke
gravely inc pointed again to the alceve
she accepted my bidding and, having Civ
en- my hand one last caress with her
cheek, ran to the alcove and threw her
self down. I made myself comfortable in
the sand In the next cave, and, having
refilled the followed chalk to the brim,
blew out tho light. But it was a long
while before l could go to sleep for think
ing over the means of escape and trying
to devise some better expei:ent than the
laborious one of cutting through an m
known quantity of chalk, and it must
have been nearly daybreak when ! at last
fell asleep.
It was broad daylight when 1 awokc,
as I knew by the faint gIimmer in the
snail cave which revealed the outline Of
tho opening.
There's no need to wake the poor
child" thought /, as my mind turned to
Psyche. Naturally my first thought was
Of the water l had to filter, and l
should certainly have, sprung UP to ex-
anime the reck but for the awful dread
of finding the water impure. While |
lay there fearing to put this question to
t14 ov,A1 7 sc IOWA.
thing warm, and turning my eyes, now
accustomed to the semi-light difused
through the cave, I perceived Psyche
ceilel up beside my litter, her face against
my head. My heart melted with this
testimony Of affection-the more because
1t showed such ignorance of civilization
and WA 50 purely instructive.
S1s was not asleep, and at the slight
movemeat Of my head she rose on her
knees and, locking down into my open
eyes, ung her little effsh song over me.
It WIS 70 sweet and weird and umat-
ural that a sudden terror seized me, as I
inasiDsd It might be the frst sign Of the
madness nat comes with insu6erable
thirst.
I sprang up and, striking u light, held
the match with trsnbIinx fingers to the
crock. Il was fall to overaowing. and
the water was bright and transparent.
I put my lips to the edge and, finding
it sweet and good, lifted it with a cry
of Joy to my dear little friends mouth.
She drank eagerly, and yet there was
enough left TO Stake my burning thirst.
Thank heaven J" I cried, in the full
ness Of my joy. "New we shall live, and
live to beat these old r~ascals, after all"
CHAPTER TX.
Now that we had water in abundance
I became reckless, and dividing our lit
tie store Of hard crusts VIC ate all at
one meal, leaving nothing eatnble in the
store hole-except the end Of a candle.
Then, having set more water in the filter,
we went into the small cave and contir-
ued the work we had began the night
before, enlarging the cutting to three feet
In width and six feet in height. In this
occupation we hacked on without inter-
mission, turn n turn about, until mid
day, and then after the las. bout, feel
ing sick and faint for want Of proper
fosd, I would not let Psyche take the ak
frsn ny hand.
mo, Psyche" said I, I'VE must take
sur dinner hour the same as other work
men, Albett we have nothing 70 eat"
We enptied che crock Of sweet water,
and Psyche seened quite coatented md
happy. We sat down side by side, and
I gave my companion q lesson in speech,
naming all the things around us and max
ing her repeat them after me, ana then
point them out when I named .hem
again and surely no master ever had a
more quick and pleasant pupil. In this
way we beguiled an hour away, and feel
ing better for the rest, I returned to the
work, put not so hopefully as in the
early morning, for certain symptoms al
ready warned me that without food we
sheuld be almost az badly of as without
water, and that our strength could not
hold Put against starvation long enough
for US to get through even ten feet of
the cliff, and fifty feet must, as I rock
oned, be the average thickness of the
block.
at il no good, Psyche. not a bit of
good" said I; I'VE haven't cut half a
foot deep in the rock. It's useless kill
ing ourselves with fatigue for nothing at
all. Il must seem a cruel sport to you,
poor child, who have no idea what all this
hard work Il for. Why, you poor little
soul, your hands are full OF blisters. You
may well vince when I touch them !;
and now you are smiling and cooling as
II it were q pleasure to suffer by me-.
I can understand It, though. I know
how I shsufA feel toward any living thing
in human form that came to me In q ssli-
tude such - this. I'm the only compan
lon ron have ever known In this second
lie OF your1 that's Why you cling to
me, ISN'T tt1s
I As1dly knew how I got through the
-.t ~ ~ Aay pavEhA alunt r.lurlv