The Cairo bulletin., 1908-05-12
THE WAY OFTHE TRAIL
erucie Annie Dunno.

with LOOK or fear IN his eyes. Ills
glance stared across the grim level,
down the faint, white line of the trail,
then back, to fall upon the face OF
his companion, and the look deepened,
Sleeping? He knelt feebly, again
placing his hand upon the face of HE
companion and the look deepened.
AS he did so the always shoulder
ing wrath of his soul toward that
other man miles ahead now-that
man who had robbed them, swelled
to its height. He had always mistrust-
ed him, but his hate had never as,
sumed strength as this. He became
conscious, as he had never been be
fore, that that man was responsible
for it all, the strayed pony. leaking
water bottle, even to the browning
horror and certainty of his and this
his brothers. death.
His distorted brain wrought upon
the knowledge that plainsman owned
of the desert, knew IL as well as his
own name, had told him so-lnew the
secret spot of his and his brothers
mine of golden ote back there In the
faraway hills. He had left them to
slow death, to claim It; taking the
only remaining horse, the last dror
of water
But We'll live. and Wen get the
better of him yet" be muttered TO
the unheeding form.
A long time he sat there, motion
less as the unconscious man In hts
arms, staring down upon the hypnotic
calm of the blank features, formleBs
anathemas in his heart.
As. he watched the stiff caked lips
began to move, and disjointed words
whispers, halfformed sentences fell
from them, peopling the penetrating
silence with fearsome sounds
"Jim-tell her to-wait for-me
We're rich gold-yellow gold Tel
--'her to walt-she promised gold
yellow gold!--"
Then silence. a rhythmic pause, and
the beat of the words again.
A groan choked past the lump In
the throat OF the man listening, and
by and by his fevered eyes lifted In
a prayer, slowly up to the drowning
deeps
Save him. oh, God!--not me. Save
hint"
over and over these words fell
half unconsciously, while he wiped
the damp forehead as gently as o
woman would.
Releasing his left arm cautiously
he laid his burden back on the out
spread coat and stumbled oyer to
the dead horse. With fumbling
hands he removed the saddle blanket
and dragged 1t across the few ron.
TO the sick mans side. where, around
his head and shoulders, by the aid
OF this and a chaparhl bush, he built
sort of screen to shield the staring
eyes from the light Of the moon.
This done his gaunt figure swayed
a biz as he stood for moment and
looked down at the helpless. whls.
pering wreck Of him who had once
been bigger and stronger than he,
then with, a muttered word he turned
his steps forward to the dim, white
trail, tangling and twisting It's tor
tuous way, faint and fainter, on to
the point of disappearing uncertainty.
All night the dragging, feet shufled
doggedly, making little Roadway,
stopping every now and then at short
and shorter intervals, to start again
with a pickering squirt of strength as
the thiekening sense Of necessity
urged, pursued by the thought OF the
form under the chapparal bush. back
there--somewhere.
But when the silver-yellow light
flooded the east the lone figure ceased
TO stumble and hitch along; II sank
down on the crest Of sand dune and
sat bowed over its knees.
The sun came over the desert, rlIll
and red, and famed into the face Of
the man, who stared and nodded. The
man shiyered, too for the fever had
communicated itself to him and had
full control. while the grip of It's haze
settled upon him.
Higher rose the sun, beginning at
once its shimmerlng dance over the
arid waste. II danced I'm giddy cir.
cles. maddening waves, chasing each
other, deep into the cavernous eyes
that stared into vacancy; and by and
by wrought In them the cowed. help
less appeal Of dogs under the lash
of his master. He moved his head 20
and fro, and closed them, blInkingly
They opened again, shut, opened and
axed upon a dark spot directly in
the path OF the grinning SUM-
II grew large and distorted. that
spot, to the ewes watching which
opened wider. staringly, flashed and
steadIed, and great cry rose 10 the
mans lips--choked- sonndless: while
a sudden spasm. wild and glad. swept
his face, and he dropped weekly to hts
knees.
"Jim--it's Jim He never meant
TO desert--us. Helm" With
this strained. thickened whisper On
his lips he fell face downward in the
sand.
For a moment he stirred there. then
lay quite still, tn eglad light on his
foco. 4ust as the two men in tho