The Washington herald., 1907-02-10

ing the pistol upon the ground. King
Plummer had seen enough for one day.
They watched him until the broad back
passed over swell and was lost. Then
Sylvia. blushng remembered, and took
her arms from Harley's neck
You have saved my life, said Harley.
Il do not think that he would have
fired"
You have saved it, anyhow. Now it is
yours, and you must take il. He cannot
claim you after this
The blush became brilliant.
He has not given me up. He has not
said so"
But he will give you up. He shall.
You are mine now. Gomez
He took her unresisting hand in his, and
again they walked side by side. SO close
that the strong wind once more brushed
the little ringlet against his cheek.
1t is popularity of Grafton that the
low swells around il. rolling away toward
the mountains. look just alike everywhere.
One has 10 be a resident, and an old
timer at that, TO be able to tell one from
another Harley and Sylvia hand in
hand. had little thought Of such things as
these. nor were they anxious to reach
Grafton quickly; yet the time when they
must be there would come, and Harley al
last interrupted a pleasanter occupation
by eXclaiming:
WHY, where is Grafton? We should
have reached it long ago..
Sylvia saw only the low sWells, rolling
away, one after the other, there was no
glimpse Of a house. no smoke on the hori-
zon to tell where the village had hid
itself 50 suddenly Around them were the
low ridges and afar the circle OF blue
mountains. Save for themselves. it seemed
a lone and desolste world. Sylvia became
white; she knew their situation better
than Harley
I'VE have lost the town! We mistook
the direction she said
We can easily find IL again; il must De
there"
He pointed in the direction in which he
thought Grafton lay. and continued:
1T viii merely make our walk back TO
town the longer. and that is what l like.
But she who had lived her life on the
plains and in the mountains. was not so
sure. She knew that they had walked
/ far. because not even the smoke Of Graf
/ ton could be seen now. Yet he was with
/ her.
Suppose We try that direction" she
/ assented.
And if il isn't right. we will try an
other: our train stays al Grafton all day
They walked on. saying 10 each other
1 the little things that mean nothing 10
others, but which lovers love, and Graf
/ ton yet lay hidden in its place between
/ the swels. The skies, changing now from
a bright 10 stecly gray. were unmarried
| by single wisp of smoke.
Harley felt at last an uueasiness which
/ Increased gradually as they went on; the
country was prOv0kinEly mOnOtouOus. one
| swell was like another. and the dips be-
/ tween were just the same, there were
( patches Of brown grass eaten down by
cattle but mostly the soil was bare; IL
| seemed to Harley. at that moment q
weary and ugly land, but IL set of the
| star iH the midst of it-Syvia-like a
/ diamond in the dust He looked up,
/ the mountains. before blue and distinct ~
/ the clear sky. were now gray and vague.
1--WE must have walked fast and far"
/ he said. Look how that range of noun
! tains mas moved away
/ Sylvia looked. and her face whitened
/ again.
1t is not distance. john" she said.
/ 1t is a mist See, the clouds are COM
/ ing"
The mountains moved farther away and
! became shadow the steel-gray Of the
. skies darkeued mp from che southwest
rolled ugly brown clouds, there was a
rush of chill air
/ Harley understood all. and a shiver
/ passed over him. But his fear was for
/ her. not fer himself
1t is going To SNOW" said Sylvia.
/ And we are lost ia this desert. 10
was J. TOO, who brought you here said
/ Harley
She looked up into his eyes, and her
! face was not pale.
/ we are together" she said
lie bent his head and kissed her. fer the
/ second time that dag.
You are the bravest woman in the
| world. Sylvia" he said Now we live OF
die together. and We are not afraid"
/ we are not afraid.
He put his arm around her waist and
/ she did not resist. Both expected 20 die.
and tEey felt that they belonged To each
/ other for eternity. & strange spiritual
! eXJltati0n possessed them. the world
/ about them was unreal uOw-they two
were all that was real.
THE snow comes. dearest she said
/ Up from the southwest the ugly brown
/ clouds Were still rolling. and the sky
/ above them still darkeued. the noun
/ t3ins We're gone in the mist. the chill
! wind strengthened ana shrleked over The
! plain Harley kept his arm around Syl-
/ Was waist. and drew her more closely to
him that he might shelter her
! Let the snow come" he said
! Great white flakes. borne upon the
/ edge Of the wind, fel damp upon their
/ faces and suddenly the air was filed
with them as they came in blindiue
/ clouds, the wind ceased 20 shrek and
died and the brown clouds. now fused
into one mass that covered an the heav-
ems, opened and let down the snow in
unbroksu volume.
Eve must 50 on. sweetheart" said Har-
/ ley rOUsinE himself ITO stand here is
death We may find some kind of shell
ter il We go there is none i'm this place.
! They walked on, their heads bent q
! little, as the snow was coming straight
down. They could not see twenty yards
/ before them through the white cloud, and
Harley was scarcely conscious whether
/ they climbed the swells or descended into
the dips between.
/ Sylvia covered her head with a small
shawl that she wore. Hurley wanted to
take of his coat and wrap it around her
but she would not let him.
Il am not cold" she said: L think it is
the walking that keeps me warm
Il was partly that, but it was more the
/ presence of Harley and the state Of spir-
itual exalt3tign Ia which they remained
| Both took Ii as q matter of course that
/ they were TO die in q few hours. but they
had ro fear of this death, and il was not
even worth while to talk or think of it,
Harley had spoken merely through habit
and instinct of moving on lest they die
; and IL was these same unconscious mo-
tives that made them struggle. although
they took no interest in their own efforts
We may come to q Ciump of trees
said Sylvia. "Or TO q hollow in rocky
hillside that happens sometimes in this
part of the DakotasF