The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1908-08-06

/ greedily at the first touch of tepid
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 sheer the half.
breed stepped quickly back and shook
| it, splashing and tantaliZing in its full
ness. before his longing eyes, and then
turned it deliberately out upon the alb
sorbing sand
For moment the trooper simply.
sat and gasped and gazed in speech.
| less desire at the sparkling water as
| it flowed and gushed, cool, gurgling
stream, from the mouth of the up
! turned cante IN. With 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 a beast.
| Then, as the last drop vanished, he
! looked longingy up for more.
The halfbre grunted with graft
| fication as he saw the pleading agony
in the mans eyes-an agony stimu-
| lated aAd aroused anew with aggrava-
ton. 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-
vusively 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 half-breed 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 Keeling weakly
, back, and drawing his revolver Gov
cred the thirst-tempted, trent lina
| trooper.
"Ah! You choke-fght for water
| eh?" he said, smiling slowly, and he
| held the dripping canteen nearer.
"Yes!" the trooper gasped. "Giv'
me more-you devil. Just anothev
| DROP" he pleaded pathetically, with
wild, crazed eyes. Then his hand sud
| denly sought the butt of the weapon
| ho h,l oh
head sneeringly.
You die for water, | guess," tainted
Joe Mary with intense, savage instinct.
| "Mebbe l 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
chokingly. and he snatched greedly
| at the proffered tin and carried 1t joy
| fully to his lips. The water ran in
| gurgling, 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 a
drink" he remarked coolly, as he
wiped the moisture from his lips and
stood STILL staggering little, as the
halfbreed's 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
forefnger 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 abject
terror in his evil eyes, he leaped
quickly aside and as he did so there
was a sudden squirt 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 a 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.