The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1908-10-01

greedily at the first touch of teDid
moisture which fell tricklingly upon
his grateful lips from the canteen of
Joe Mary, and with an effort he opened
his eyes and struggled slowly to his
elbow. All anmosity was vanquished
by the conquering, leveling thirst, and
he reached blindly out to seize the tin
which held more of the precious fluid
but with sickening sneer the half
breed stepped quickly back and SHOOK
1t, splashing and tantalizing in its full.
ness, before his longing eyes, and ther
turned 1t deliberately out upon the alb.
sorbing sand.
For a moment the trooper simply
sat and gasped and ga2ed in speech.
less desire at the sparkling water as
IT flowed and gushed. a cool, gurgling
stream, from the mouth of the up.
turned canteen. With a dry, choking
sob from a thick, swollen tongue, he
lurched suddenly forward and plunged
his face and hands into the momentary
mud of moisture, and sucked and
Tapped at It ravenously, like beast.
Then, as the last drop vanished, he
AobNNu lOhSihSiy up lol lhOINs
The half-breed grunted with graft
fication as he saw the pleading agony
in the mans eyes-an agony stimu.
lated and aroused anew with aggrava.
tion, and he stepped closer and spat
spitefully into the upturned, expectant
face, then smiled mockingly as he
slowly unslung a second canteen and,
raising It to his own evil lips, drank
long and deep.
The troopers hands worked con
vulsively as he watched the wanton
waste of water, and the light of re.
turning reason grew quick and sud
denly strong in his eyes He felt the
power of renewing strength increasing
within him, and in desperate frenzy
he struggled totteringly to his feet,
and with limbs almost refusing to sus
tain him he flung himself swayingly
upon the halfbreed and tried to tear
the tempting tin from his lips. But
Joe Mary simply dropped the canteen
and seized him stranglingly by the
throat and hurled him reeling weakly
back, and drawing his revolver GOV.
cred the thirsttempted, trembling
trooper.
"Ah! You choke-fght for water
eh?" he said, smiling slowly. and he
held the dripping canteen nearer.
"Yes." the trooper gasped. Give
me more-you devil. Just another
drop" he pleaded pathetically, with
wild, crazed eyes. Thea his hand sud
denly sought the butt OF the weaDon
at his hip. as the halfbreed shook his
head sneeringly.
"You die for water. guess!" taunted
Joe Mary with intense, savage instinct.
'Mebbe | give one big drink-all then
shoot quick-eh? Plenty water over
there" and he pointed with long lean
arm toward the foothills. 'Mebbe |
don't give water-eh, but go away and
no shoot now. You die just as same!
Which?" and he leered treacherously
forward as he again held the canteen
toward the trooper.
Water" gasped the man still
choldngly, and he snatched greedily
at the proffered tin and carried it JOY
fully to his lips. The water ran in a
Surgling, grateful stream down his
parched and swollen throat and oozed
tricklingly from the corners of his
mouth. Then, when at last the costa.
sy was over and the awful, consuming
thirst was conquered, he threw aside
the empty tin and faced the half
breeds still threatening weapon.
Now I'm ready to die. I've had
drink he remarked coolly, as ho
Win hA 10 fnc
stood still, staggering a little, as The
half-breeds eyes glittered and cleaned
death to him over the sight of his
menacing muzzle.
Overhead, the solitary buzzard still
circled and looked down from dizzy
heights and the coyote still skulked
| eXpectantly among the growing shad
ows of the sand hills.
Joe Mary paused, stepped back a
pace and again raised his weapon.
Then, just as the muzzle grew sudden.
ly steady once more, and his bronzed
| foreinger begun to crook closely
against the trigger, there came, sharp
| upon the still desert air, a quick
warning rattle and a subdued hiss at
| his feet and with a wild look of abiect
terror in his evil eyes, he leaped
quickly aside, and as he did so there
was 4 sudden spurt of flame, followed
by quick puff of smoke and sharp
report, and Joe Mary pitched forward
and lay still, face downward, in the
alkali dust
Just trick of the tongue!" NUT.
tered the trooper laconically, as he
showed his still smoking weapon back
into its holster, and, climbing weakly
upon the dead mans pony. rode off in
the direction of the foothills.