The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1901-1982, 1908-08-13
THE GREAT POWER
BY Henry Oyen
Copyright, by shortstory Pub. Coz


OF course, there is no reason why
you should believe this story Judging
by all rational standards, the tale is
quite impossible in this day and age.
You can hear the story told almost
any sunny day, if you will linger in
the little 'dobe squares or along the
roads that are in the vicinage OF llde-
fonse, where the air is so dry and
light that there is nothing to breathe
fer, and there is sun, and sun. and
the only material things are the dark,
clear-cut shadows on the light sand.
San Miguel hundred dirty, red
'dobe houses, an old mission, and
great square-lies to the south and
west of Ildefonse, on the very edge
of the never-changing desert of yellow
sands. At 1ldefonse there are boards
and sidewalks, and some Of the houses
have even floors in them; but at Mi
guel this is all left behind and there
is only the atmosphere of the old
dobes with the clay floors the crum-
bling mission, and absolutely naught
to suggest the year or the century.
Bradley, the northern doctor, came
to Miguel because of many things, ac-
cording to the people of the village.
He was bank robber, this blue-eyed
man of the north he had killed
man; he had weak lungs; he was
there to write of the old mission to
let the modern world of the eastern
and northern states know how near
they were to the seventeenth cen
fury and the miracles of the church.
The reason for Bradley's presence
in Miguel was quite inconsequential
and trivial. Miguel was 200 miles
from the railroad So Bradley came.
There was peace and rest, long sun
ny days and cool nights, during which
there was nothing TO do but sit in
long chair and soak in the joy of liv-
ing, and this is what Bradley needed.
But the fact which is of importance
is that it was at Miguel that Bradley
met Meta.
Bradley had dreamed of Meta for
the better half of his life. He had
dreamed of her while a boy at school;
she had followed him through his
medical studies, to Germany, where
his education was completed, and all
through the rest of his 81 years He
went to balls where the women were
by all accorded the palm for beauty
and found himself wondering why
none of them We're like Meta. He
was entirely practical, was Bradley
but Meta was in his dreams for a
good share of the time, else he would
have been married long ago.
This discovery in itself was moth
ing so remarkable, for many man OF
the north has found in the eyes of the
girls of Meta s people that for which
he searched long and vainly among
the maids of his own north. Many
men have done So and forgotten.
Bradley was different.
II the daytime Bradley was one Of
the few AmericanOS of the new quarter
of the town as matter OF form. He
dressed for dinner and kept his face
clean and his clothes white But when
the shadows of the 'dobe houses
grew long in the plaza and the cool
hush of night called the people from
within the doors, Meta and her lover
sat on the roof bench of the 'dobe
house and communed in the tongue
which is peculiar neither to Saxon or
Castilian. Sometimes Meta sang the
love songs of her own tongue, and
then the people on the roofs two
houses away heard strong, subdued
voice 90 haltinely through the chorus.
Then. one day, Bradley was called
away to professional duty, and Meta
was left alone to wait for the return
of her lover. 1t was to Sangre De
Cristo that Bradley went. Sangre De
Cristo is on the other side of the I'M
traied desert from Miguel. The road
around is five days long, and no man
was there alive who could say he
had iourneyed through the sands
since the wells were dried up.
There was a distemper of some kind
at Sangre De Cristo. Was it possible
that it was the little plague? Pray
the good saint whose picture hung
on the MISSION wall llletJ IL W. MT
But would the great doctor from the
north come with his great wisdom and
bag of medicines to look upon the
faces of the sick at Sangre De Cristo
and make them well? 1t was the old
padre who sent the word The pro
fessional instinct was developed strong
in Bradley.
Il must go, dear heart he said
to Meta. 1T will not be long. If you
need me, call for me, and | will hear;
| know | will
The conditions at Sangre De Cristo
were much worse than the messen-
ger had told There was much fever
there, the people were stark with
fright, and the sanitation was awful.
But the poems were slow to think
and slower TO act They were safe
now. OF course, the senior of The
Medicines was here. They had no fur
Their concern in the matter, the senior
be blessed a thousand times. So they