The evening world., 1912-03-12
"ME---SM NTH"
Biggest Cow6ov Story Since "7he Vhvhnaan"
By Caroline ,Lockhart


two OF rank. saw-edEed grass. These
things meant water! lie turned . beaA
and there. beneath q high bank, Was .
pool crusted to the edge with aikan!
smith knew that Il was etfoag1y
alkah: that II meant certain Hines
enough Of Il. death. But Il wee Wss-
u was water!-and he must drink. -
Tell. rather Than kneit. IN u.
h taste cams ack he realised
that u was Nat and iukewarm, but hs
continued 10 Euip Il down. AZ aay
other time II would have nauseated
him. but now he drank to his capacoty.
When he could drink no morO be eat
up. rsalizing what no he'd Aens.
He had swallowed liquid polOon-
nothing less. The result IVES insvaeGoaa
lie was going to be ill-sxcruciaupe1y.
terribly III. alone IN the ned Loqos.
This was ~ certain - wAs ~ 4oet
that night had come.
II WAS 20 dry" he whimEsrsA, II
couldn't help II! was 20 dryi"
He scrambled TO his feet
q" gotta get back to camps 1Als
watsr's Goin' to rsiss <hunAss WIN Il
besins to get In its work. ! GOtta -
back 10 my blan&ses aad iAy lown."
Before he reached thc heap Of asAss
which he called am obe irst oymo-
toma Of his coming agony began 10
show themselves. He felt slightly 100
seated; then . quick. gripinG pala Wnloh
was . f~orcrvnnsr Of others WAosh
were 70 make Atm swsat bisoA.
Many OF these springs and otaSnaat
pools carry arsenic IN larOs Quaati-
ties. and Of such was The Waeer Of
haustion the poison and aoeeaaoany-
Ing impurities tool hold Of him With
. ~nerceness which Il might not lave
done he'd hs been In perfect yhysteal
condition. but his stomach. already ois-
ordered from irregular and tmpgoDsS
food. absorbed the peissu with avid
ity. and ths result was IN agoay IN
describAble.
A. he wrtthsd on his saddis.blanksts
under the stara. he grosnsd end cursed.
Ills face md HANDS were covseUA With
q cod sweat: his forehead md 0Aoor.
tips were icy. Ths might ar was GAlL
but he was burning With aa inward
fever. n his thirst now IVES akfD 10
he fought against his desire 70 rotRfn
TO the pool.
smith did not expect b d. H Nit
that " no could kssD his ssnses as1 nDt
crawl beck 70 drink assAn. ~ wealA
pull through somehow. The living I'LL
he now endured would pa0.
lie wallowed and vhssshea aeout NE
a suffering animal. beating he Gasth
with his clenched asia, during tho
paroxysms Of cutting. wrsnchiag pain.
His suffering wa supreme. All et0o In
the world shrank into instgulncanoo b.
side II. No thoughts OF Dora 6ortt1sd
him: no mothers face came 70 csnfort
him: nor that Of any human being he
had ever known. He was Just 011th-
self-centred-aione: Just Smith. hOestins
and suffering n struggling for bis
hfs. HIS anguish founA ~s1proee1oa n
the single sentence:
I'm sick! I'm sick! Oh. I'm stGk."
lie repeated It In every key with every
infection. and his means lost themselves
In the silence of the desert.
Yet underneath II oil. when his a0oay
was at It's height. ne stiil believed IN
himself. In q kind OF s~sbconsctous Ar
rogance. he believed that he nj GtPo0a-
er thar Fate more powerful nan
Death. He would not die: he would I'VE
because he wanted to live. Death Was
not for ~him-sSmith. For others, but cot
for him.
At last the paroxysns became isse ire
duent and lost their violence. When
they ceased altogether. he lay liup ed
half-conscious. He was content to ~
main motionless until the flies and tn
sects OF the sane roused hin to the oct
that another day had IN
He was Incredibly weak. and u took
all his remaining strength to throw his
f~orty-pound COW saddle upon his horses
back. His knees SHOOK under him. and
he had to rest before he could iift Bis
foot TO the st!rrup and pull himself Into
the seat.
Before he rode away he turned nd
looked at the hollow in tie sand whers
his blankets had been.
That was a close squeak. ernith." WAS
all he aid.
He had no desire for breakfast: u
fact, he could not have eaten. IT, hts
tongue was swollen. and his throat lslt
too dry 10 swallow. His skin was the
color OF his sadd,e-lcather. and bic
infamed eyebaiis had the rsdnseo Of
live Goals. Smith was far from hAaA-
some that morning,
His own recent sufferinss had In no-
wise made him more msrciful; he
spurred his stin and ~lifeless horse WITH
out pity. but he spurred uselessly. II
stumbled under him as he drove the
spiritless band toward tho hopeleus
waste ahead of him.
Unless I'm turned around. we euaht
to get out OF this to-day" he thought.
The effort Of speaking aloud IVES TO
great to be made. 'Uniess I'm ~. Or
fan of my horse. We ought to maks %
sure"
Distance had meant nothing y HIN
during the first evening and nlght u
his ride. lie had fixed his eye uDou ~
furthermost object Within he ,yanGo ~
visiou and ridden tor it-buoyUAk 60
ndent, as . horss's nxtpGs&pet GoA
the intervjh hing miles.
Ito Be Continue1) 10