The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-10-11

deep, deep down, where the cool sweet
dreams bloom in world of crystal. And
everywhere in my sleep there Were
bubDling springs and l drank and
drank and drank, and every gulp was
SWeeter han the last.
Then the dreams changed and the
many bubbling water holes of sleep
went dry, and fine hot dust sprayed W
out of the chinks where the water had
flowed. Then the wind of sleep grew
hot an dhotter. 1t scOrched my face
and sent thin needles of fire into my
! brain. And then l was standing up
coughing and rubbing my eyes and the
Kid was beside me- What did we see?
The Win had veered about while
we slept All hell was climbing up the
west and a blooming wind swept howl
ing devils through. the smoky twilight.
Above the unnatural dawn long black
ragged arms reached out into the ZEN
it'll and clOaked the stars. I heard a
horse snorting and Juggling at his lar
lat.
Good God, Kid I wheezed, let's
be off"
The Kid turned his face upon me
and smiled-that slow. brave smile
haunts me night II day.
Your horse is gone He waved his
hand toward the miles of dark that
- = NCNoiu Nitt iiNCAs II liz
stake just before you woke up; heard
him go The Kids voice didn't ever
tremble.
Quick I yelled; the matches.
Start a back-fre.'
Then a big cold hand gripped my
heart; the Kid had given me the last
match that day; l had wanted TO
smoke.
hell behind us and a horse for
ru-ai A AE~4,- Ill 49, -.
tangs of the devil, and double weight
to carry I! 1t made me sick-dizzy sick.
L forgot everything. Oh. gentlemen,
when you face hell-fire you'll know if
your mother bore a coward.
"FOr a minute we stared into the
west-a minute years long. Big pink
waves of smoke rolled into CULTS of
purple and disappeared in holes of
murk. Above. the blood-red surf
frothed and sparkled and fell in yellow
showers. Great blankets of dense
gloom dropped from the sky and
smothered out the hellish morning.
hurting momentary night down the
bowling windi Then keen, zigzag blades
of fire ripped through the belly of the
night
Il felt the Kids hand grasp mine.
Oh, Godi the feel of his hand, One
horse for two, Frenchy,' he said, quiet
as a man who proposes another drink
at the bar. One of us makes a run
Tor his life; n the other He mo-
TONED carelessly toward hell. One
more deal of the cards, Frenchy. and
the last for n of us. High hand takes
the horse: low hand-produce the deck
l produced the deck-greasy and
d~og-eared; for many's the social game
the Kid and l had played with 'em to-
gether. We squatted on the prairie in
the red twilight and the Kid dealt. Not
a tremor OF his perfect gamblers
hands! Cool as though it was a game
of penny-ante.
Il drew three deuces. Deuces, Oh.
the damned dirty deuces!
How many2' says the Kid pleas
antly- For the first time in my life 7
forgot TO guard my hand. A deep roll
ing had grown up out of the
burning west. 1t seemed 1 could feel
the prairie dell tremble like a bridge
under a drove of sheep. 'Listenp I
gasped. It's the critters coming said
the Kid; cattle and buffalo and elk
and deer and wolves-the whole posse.
How many cards did you call for?
two, wasn't it?'
He thrust two cards into my hand
One of 'em was the deuce of hearts, IT
wasn't only the printed heart he gave
me; il was the warm, red, beating
heart of A friend"
Frenchy dropped his head into his