Middletown transcript., 1909-10-16

- - 1850 - 49, - = " tAf@~F -
the last dipperfnl of the fluid
that meant life. It was like
throwing thimblefnl in a fur
nace. Cutter bit the cup savagely,
smeared his tongue and lips
across It. then hurled it across
the sand
I'm burning up, Joe! he cried.
Most master Of himself, Baines
! caught his partners arm and be-
gan to lean him forward.
The silence of the desert was
even more profound than ia the
daytime. Ii seemed as they lurch.
ed forward, almost as unstable.
It seemed to swell and sink un-
der their dragging feet. Pres
emily Cutter fell and pulled
Baines down with him.
Water, he cried. For Coils
sake, water!
With difficulty Baines raised
him to his feet. Again they
started, choking, gasping, and
reeling like drunken men. Their
ears rang with the pounding Of
their pulses. Baines had released
his grip on Cutters arm. In the
delirium of his thirst he forgot
bis partner. He was alone, all
alone in an abysmal silence and
utter blackness. He was on FIRE,
there was an iron band round his
throat, and it was red hot. His
blood seethed. Every step was
torture, yet he forced himself
hlindly on and on toward the
cool, deep water hole that his
frenzled brain pictured. H 9
knew it was there, somewhere
ahead in the sinister silence that
would give no clue.
The early summer days found
him still painfully cropping his
way forward. He was really
alone, but he did not notice it.
Cutter was a thing Of the long
ago, As the light burned sud.
denly above the mountains, he
stopped and cast a despairing
look round. The ridged and
canon.split wall was very near,
but between him and it was q
swelling dune that his worndy
could not pass.
He saw without emotion that a
wagon had passed that way. In
chat breathless valley tracks
sometimes remain undisturbed
for years. But his eye followed
the parallel lines mechanically,
and stopped at an oval black OBJ
iect marked by an upright rod
and dropping pennon.
He staggered up to it; then,
with bis heart beating sickening-
ly, he fell on his knees and
Wrenched weakly at the white
plug in the little barrel. Itcame
at last, and with a. sob Of joy he
put bis lips TO the hole and drank,
but sparingly. As soon as the
sides of his throat ceased to
cleave together, he filed the
palms Of his hands with water
and dashed it over the burning
skin of his face and bosom.
He was so absorbed that he
did not hear the shout from the
dune. A shadoW-that rare thing
in the desert-ssartle him, and
he looked up into the healthy,
keenly interested faces Of two
men.
Cutter he cried with a pain.
ful return Of memory.
Is there another one of you ?
exclaimed one of the men. John,
get the team and we'll find the
poor heggar if he's in Death
Valley.
When Baines came to himself
he was under q little A tent, and
the man called John was bathing
him in deliciously cold water.
Hetalked soothingly as he welded
the sponge.
The boy'll find your partner all |
right. He can't be far of. Lucky |
yon stumbled on one of our kegs,
wasn't it9 We're surveyors for
the 7. & T. Railroad, you know,
and we drop a keg at every /
camp. Makes the back trail safe
and sure. Wed just left before
you came-running a chain over
that ridge. There's 3 providence /
even in Death Valley, isn't thereP /
In his heart Baines said yes,
but he lay silent and anxious,
thinking of Cutter. It seemed
an interminable time before be
heard the swish of wheels in the
sand. AS be started up from his
blanket, hearty voice called
ont
Got him all right And just
q. 49,.