Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1909-02-03

plant is almost entirely composed. In
q few moments he arose.
Now l can empty my canteen in the
eoffeepot, sure Of fresh supply of
water by the time | am ready to
mosey along"
Ee filed the pot, set it on the fire
and then pressed the uncorked and
empty canteen down into the mGcer-
ated interior of the bisnaga
While his coffee was boiling the pros
pector continued his examination OF
the fertilization, beginning, in the man.
ner OF his kind. with the more minute
"signs" and ending with what to a
tourist would have been the first and
only subject of observation-the view
On the inner side of the large bowlder
in the wall he discerned the faint out
line of cross painted with red ocher.
Scraping with his pick beneath the
rock to see if the emblem was the sign
Of hidden treasure or relic, he unearth
ed rattlesnake. Before it could strike
with a quick fling of his tool he sent
the reptile whiriing high in the air to-
ward the precipice. But from the clump
of cactus growth along the parapet
arose a sahuaro with branching arms.
and against this the snake was flung.
Wrapped around the thorny top by the
momentum Of the cast, it hung. Kissing
and rafting with pain and hatred.
The prospector looked up at the i'm
paled rattlesnake with a smile. Rem
iniscences OF Sunday school flashed
across his mind.
Gee, I'm regular Moses!' he ejsc
ulated. First l bring water from the
face of the rock, and then l lift up the
| serpent in the wilderness. The year
I've spent In the mountains and desert
seems like forty to me. and now at
| last | have a sight of the promised
land. God. what magnificent view!''
Dropping his pick, he stretched out
his arms with instructive symbOliZa-
ton Of the wide prospect and express
sion Of an exile's yearning for his IA
| tive land.
"Over there is Gods country. sure
enough he continued, giving the trite
| phrase a reverential tone winch be had
not used in his first expression of the
name Of Deity. Thank him. the paral-
lei with old Moses stops right here.
Many a time / thought ] would never
get out Of the mountains alive and that
my grave would be unmarked by So
much as q bowlder with red cross
upon it. But now before night I'll be
back in the Sta ties and in three more
days at home on the old ranch.
promised to return in year, and II
make good to the hour | sure did hate
to leave that strike. though. after al
the hard luck l had been having. Sixty
dollars day and growing richer! But
the last horn was bIowing-no tobacco
six matches and nothing left of the
bacon but rinds. Well. the gold is
there. and the claim II bring whatever
/ choose to ask for 1t. And Echo shall
have a home as good as Allen Ha
cienda and ranch as fine as Bar One
Yes. it'll be Bar None, my ranch!"
Out OF the sea of molten air that
stretched before him. that nebulous
chaos Of quivering bars and Delts Of
heated atmosphere which remains
above the desert as a memorial OF the
first stage Of the entire planets exist
created paradise of his own. There
took shape before his eyes a Mexican
hacienda. larger and more beautiful
even than that of Echo's father, the
beau ideal of home to his limited
fancy. And on the piazza In front
covered with Towering vines, there
stood awaiting him the slender figure
Of a woman, with outstretched arms
and dark eyes. tender with yearning
love.
; "Echo-Echo Allenr' he murmured
fondly repeating the name. mo, no,
Echo Allen, but Echo Lane. for Dici
. Lane has redeemed his promise and
T returns to claim you as his own
!. As'he gazed upon the shimmerins
: heat waves which distorted and dis
. placed the objects within and beneath
e them q group Of horsemen suddenl.
i appeared to him in the distance and a
D suddenly vanished in thin air.
"Ruralesv' calculated Lane. IT won
) der If they are chasing Apaches. Tha
u internal mirage gives you no idea Q
= distance or direction. If the red devil
have got away from Crook and sliI
a ped by these greaser rangers over til
border, they'll sure be making straigl
le for the Ghost range and by this yer
. trail. If so, I'm at the best place on
= to meet them, and here,I stay till til
e coast is clear Turning to the re
cross on the rock, he reflected, "Pe
!. q haps. after all, it's case OF 'Nebo
- lonely mountain
"a Lane had hardly reached this concl'
9 sion before he found 1t justified by tt
~ sight of mounted Apache in the r
!. gala of war emerging from hidde
- dip In the trail below the fortificatio
- Lane dropped behind the parapet, ey
= IDENTIFY before he was observed, as Il
c. steadily increasing number and lou
80 ness Of the hoof beats on the rocI
., trail indicated to the listener
srou sy,c 1aan To se, ~,