The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1908-07-16

he left them shortly. and the train
started. Then Esther turned toward
the cabbagss.
What in the world" Alfred began.
I'm captain now" she interrupted.
I'm going to make you comfortable
before the last shred Of daylight goes"
TT won't be dark; there's q moon"
Much light a four-days-old moon
will give!" she scofed.
But I'm comfortable now, II you
will only come and sit beside me-"
Needless Of his importuning, she
continued piling the cabbages away
till one forward corne was bare.
What's that for?"
You must sleep; and 1t will be bit
ter cold. This is"
sleep! Sleep tonight, with you
here? Never!"
She smiled at him, yet persisted,
throwing the soft grass In the corner.
smoothing it carefully. Come. Let
me help you over here. 1t is too cold
there by the door"
Dear t~yrant!" He smiled happily.
and pulled himself up by the door
handle. Bat he was unsteady, and
would have fallen had she not sup
ported him. For once she was CRATE
full for her strength.
Lie down. / think you'll find that
a tolerable substitute for a hair mat
tress.'
The worm turns. / won't! I'll sit
down. though, and in that corner, IL
you'll sit beside me-"
She demurred, to indulge him final
ly; and, seated side by side on the
floor, with cabbages tumbling about
their feet, they wandered In Arcadia.
Amabel. Esther's hiding, Alfred's cap
ture and illness, his search for her.
college and business life-it was a tale
Of the years told by the light of the
thin desert moo
But Gideon's part in the story
Esther modified, allowing Alfred to be-
lieve that her flight from Colfax had
been the impulsive result of fear for
him, as was her wild race to Virginia
City.
life begins now where 1t forsook
us years ago when Amabel HaRilton
asked me to button her shoe In the
Colfax parlor."
mo. Life does not forsake, II tests
us" Esther replied.
The engine wheezed, pulled inef
fectually, and stood still.
"Oh, can there be some new trou.
ble?" cried Esther.
Il guess by the sound they've only
stopped for kindling wood" Alfred sur.
missed.
Esther looked out. Men were run.
ming here and there about in The
brush, more discernible by ear than
by eye. They filled their arms with
towering loads of sage and returned
with them to the engine, crushing the
pungent stuff into the firebox. Slowly
the wheels began to turn. The men
kept alongside. piling the tender high,
till the summit was reached. Three
times they had thus to reinforce their
small stock of green Sierra wood be.
fore the journey was ended.
The night grew colder. When the
car stood still, the biting air swept
through and chilled the two In spite
of the glow at their hearts. Esther
hustled about, chatting his hands. pro-
tecting the wound in his head with her
handkerchief, and tucking In the
blanket more closely, while he surrep-
titiously pulled II loose, that it might
be tucked again. A vagrant lock OF
her hair brushed his face as she
leaned over him.
Tell me, Stella, what have you done
TO your pretty hair; something's
turned all its gold toto dark, au-
tumn-tinted brown. It's lovely,
though"
mot I, but the salt Pacific, turned
my gold to rust. 1t treats nearly all
desert gold SO. especially II the gold
is on young heads"
AT last they touched mere serious
things.
But don't you know how you came
to be liberated from that awful placer"
NO." Alfred replied to her question:;
nor how ] came there. ! only know
that after Cadwa,lader, Gideon and I
had looked over Gfdeon's prospect we
climbed down the mountain to where
the horses were tied. Mine was gone"
only yours"
only mine. Wen look up your
nag Gideon said; you stay here Cad.
wallader came back alone a little later
to see IL my horse had returned; but
II hadn't; and Cad went away again.
It was nearly dark then. Perhaps It
was only minutes, 1t seemed hours,
that | wandered around, when some
thing hit me on the head. The next
l knew was in al old tunnel, chained
to the heavy timbeis."
ooh, OH" Esther moaned.
Il was well In from the mouth, and
only a little light came in by day; at
night 1t was Egyptian darkness. Some
brought me food. Food" he re-
peated with a SILVER. What I didn't
eat tasted best"
"Oh. my poor Lowell" Esther muir.
INJURED unsteadily.
Il counted the days at first, then lost
the count. That terrified me more than
all the rest"
How long was it? You learned
afterward?"
Nearly a month"
Don't you know where the place Isl"
"No. No one does. except the mis-
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