Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-02-14

IL -
those who hate ana gene Rock in all his hard
~ life had not read one line 81 verse Perhaps
II he had resd a little poetry he would never nave
given M bra King on the Santa Fe ius: because Lucy
MshOney bolted with bookkeeper. Perhaps lac would
never have bought that small ranch on The hot edge
OF the great akal desert and gained the well earned
reputation OF being quite the hardest and almost the
worst man in his broad district Perhaps now year
later, he would not have been riding YEARLY across
that terrible waste with the fear or death on every
hand and the hatred OF God and man in his pounding
heart
1t had happened suddenly, all things happened to
Rock, and ouly week before he Nould have had no
hesitation In giving odds ON his Sb"iy To whip the
whole Bueseld outfit single handed But when
gang Of horse thieves-two white men and ten half
breeds-come upon your shack AT midnight, when
they surround 1t and set fire 10 II and drunk with the
pllage OF all the country round about begin TO pour
hot lead into the hames. then the most that the
ora'eSo mar may nope :" ~" - - S'o.' .""Pe "'u
man N,ean kes"N -, ~. ny - '' va" "''u wv. Nv,
py, ~ " @ =, -. ,% ,, ~,
the dasert
,.-, 49,. $50,
49,, ."SN, ~ 80, 's,1 r, ~ 20 ' a., 80,
his mustang Law the little strip of green country that
the drunken desperadoes had left blackened with
are and wet with tho blood OF massacre and in all
his ride thus far he had lodged the accustomed trails
because he knew the certainty OF tracking hatred
rom those whose only safety to leave victim
olive. The sun poured down molten blast upon the
beserts cleaning coat Of mail and from sand hillock.
seserts armor sent back the rays OF unreentinr IN
until the ruCitiycs skin baked and his tongue thch
ened and his bursting eyes began Go sec strange
VISIONS
He saw so many things out OF the paSt-so many
things which lie had almost managed to forSct-that
soon the logical and the unexpected changed places
and the people OF the lost years became more real
than the facts OF the great waste about him, which
Is "ny he did not feel any sensation akin to that OF
surprise when the wreck OF Lucy Mahoncy herself
up from hcrore his horses hoof~ and fell fsntng
across inc p"mi"e' OF his N'N''"" saddle
"oh." said Gene, Its you. is IT.!
] '%u Jo'ite S''p, ueau "nu ,'''
Ioyea ant, nn, our si,II cocr"a f f',',n ,ar
-, 80 ~ -, 80, ~" Va Nv -
80 -, a.. ~, "l " - ~ W ''
a,."i, 80 - 49, s%S i0"' '''
IL G., ,b,,',or az ra', 81, ,.r. .o,,o,.. 5
- ' So "''' "' "
"'"i''"'eu'
That query was the herald OF returning common
sense He lifted her face looked hard at the clos.
ncnt,r g. bio orr, '''"' ''' 80 wv"
..r mo
Plumb keTapsed'' he commented and laid her
gently on the sand.
Kneellng there in such fashion as to shade her IN
degree from the hercest OF the suns rays hc
opened her bleeding lips and as might father at the
bedside ~ his little child slowly poured between
them q few drops ~ water from his canteen
The first time sho opened her eyes-wonderful deep
blue Irish eyes they were-it was only to close them
again with tired smile OF recognition and then TO
fall calmly asleep But just Gene was THINKING
that last he might leave her and picket his horse
aud burro the eyes opened again, full OF re
membrance and terror
Tom" she cried Il had forgotten Tomr
Gene turned upon her the hard weather beaten
face with lis black -cowI which had done than
AWNING c'Se |" WI" MN bis bad name. Tom was
" 'r,,"i MON ID spite OF al
w. 1919 W. ,s' - ''FI !" . Io.se.
"e..' ~ '"."' wa, a"'ul i'tn'
vas '''''E "P't"' NV """"e"eo' !" ever!