The Mena weekly star., 1911-07-13

alone. anu
 Aoout them night finally closed in
 Diack and starless, yet fortpnots,~
 "len a gradual dying away of tha
 storm For an hour past they he'd
 oe<A struggling on, doubtins the,r d,.
 rection, wondering duly if they were
 hot iost and merely drifting about fin
 circle. They had debated thi,
 nercsly once. the ponies standing a.-
 lectediy, tails to the storm. Neh arm.
 Ing that the wind still blew from ths
 south, and Keith contending if had
 sniiteo Into the westward. The white
 man won his way. and they staggered
 on uncertain. the negro grasping the
 nrst pony's tail to keep from heinz
 separated from his companion. Soma
 anstinct of the plains must have guid.
 cd them. for at last they dragxeS
 themselves out from the desert ths
 crunching sand under foot changing
 into rock, and then to short hrftf,e
 grass. at which che ponies nfbbied eax,
 erD The slspe led gradually down
 ward. thc animals soenttng water. and
 struggling to break away. swayinr
 in their saddles, the riders let them
 go, and they never stopped until hallv deep In the stream, their noses buried.
 me mon shivered in their saddles. untii, at last satisfied, the ponies con senteo to be forced back up the bank. where they nibbled at the short tufts or nerbage, but in q manner expres- sive of weariness. Keith flung him seif on the ground, every muscle of ms body aching. his exposed flesh still smarting from the hail of sand through which they had passed.
 lie had not the slightest conception
 s to where they were. except he knew this must be the Salt Fork. Ut terly confused by the maze of shifting dunes, through whose intricaoies they had somehow found passage, the black ness of the night yielded no clue as to their point of emergence. The vol ume Of water in the stream alone suggested that in their wander.ngs they must have drifted to the east. ward. and come out much lower down than had been originally intended. If so, then they might be almost directly south of Carson City. and in section with which he was totally unaoquaint- ed. One thing was, however, certain they would be compelled to wait for daylight to ascertain the truth. and decide upon their future movements. There was another barren. sandy stretch of desolation lying between this isolated valley and that of the | Canadian, and their horses would | never stand to be pushed forward | without both rest and food. As to | themseives-theyh had eaten their last l crumb long since, but this was not | the first time both had known starva. ton.
 Keith arose reluctantly. and remov- | ed the saddles from the animals, hob | bling them so they could graze at | will Neb was propped up beneath an 5ut-cropping of the bank, which partly | protected him from the wind, . mere | hulk of a shadow Keith could not | tell whether he slept or not, but made | no effort to d'sturb him. A moment ne stared yacdhtiy aoout into the | black silence, and then lay down, pil- | lowing his head upon saddle. He found 1t impossible to sleep, the chill of the wind causing him to turn and twist, in yatn search after comfort while unappeased hunger gnawed in- cessantly. His eyes ranged about over tho dull gloom of the skies until they hS suddenly sat up, half believing him self in dream-down the stream, how far away he could not judge, there gleamed a steady. yellowish light It was no flicker of camp fire. yet re- mained stationary. Surely no star could be so low and large; nor did he recall any with that peculiarity of color. If such a miracle was possible In the heart of that sandy desert he would have sworn 1t was lamp shin ing through window. But he had never heard of any settler on the Salt T Olhs tthu hlulOeb iduSnCu dt thV thought, believing for the instant his brain played him some elflsh trick Yet that light was no Illusion; he rub bed his eyes. only to see 1t more clear ly, convinced now of its reality. He strode hastily across. and shook Neb Into semi-consciousness dragging him bodily up the bank and pointing down the stream.
 Do you see that% he inquired anx- iously. There. straight ahead of you7"
 The negro stared, shaking with cold. and scarcely able to stand alone.
 Maybe 1t am de moon. Massa Jack" he muttered, thickly, "or goblin's lantern. Lawd. I don't jest like de looks ob dat ting"
 Well, do," and Keith laughed un- easily at the negro's fears. "All l wanted to know was if you saw what I saw. That's lamp shining through a window, Neb What in heavens name 1t can be doing here I am un- able to guess, but I'm going to find out It means shelter and food. boy, even If we have to fight for 1t. Come on, the horses are safe, and we'll discover what is behind that light wonder"
 CHAPTER VIII.