The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1912-01-19
CHAPTER XIII.
The Ford Of the Arkansas.

|
They were sill in the midst of the
yellow featureless plain, but the weary
horses had slowed down to a walk,
the heavy sand retarding progress. It
was a gloomy, depressing scene in the
spectral gray light, wide circle OF
intense loneliness. unbroken by either
dwarfed shrub or bunch Of grass, a
sSrren expanse stretching to the sky.
Vague cloud shadows seemed to fl
across the level surface, assuming fan
tastic shapes, but all of the same dull
coloring imperfect and unfinished.
Nothing seemed tangible or real, but
rather some grotesQue picture Of de.
lirium, ever merging into another yet
| more hideous. The very silence of
those surrounding wastes seemed bur
densome. adding UNNECESSARILY to the
horror They were but specks crawl
ing underneath the sky-the only liv-
Ing. moving objects in all that i'm
nense circle Of desolation and death,
Keith turned in his saddle, looking.
back past Neb-who swayed in his
seat. with head lolling on his breast
as though asleep, his horse plodding
! after the others-along the slight trail
;hey had made across the desert So
sar as eye could reach nothing moved.
nothing apparently existed Fronting
again to the north he looked upon the
came grim barren ness, only that FAR
6ff AGAINST the lighter background of
distant Sky. there was visible faint
| blur. q blush haze; which he believed
to be the distant sand dunes border
ing the Arkansas. The intense dreari-
| ness Of il all left a feeling ofdepression.
His eyes turned and regarded the girl
riding silently beside him. The same
/ iooa of depression was visible upon
her face. and she was gazing off into
the dull distance with lack-!uster eyes,
| nor slender form leaning forward, her
hands clasped across the pommel.
| The long WEAKNESS of the night had
| left. traces on her Young face. robbing
1t of some of its freshness. yet Keith
found It more attractive in the grow
Ing daylight than amid the lamp shad-
ows of the evening before. He had
mot preyiously reanzod the neculiar
clearress az her complexion. the rose
| flint showing tbroush the olive skin.
| or the soft and siIkv 6neness NJ her
hair which disarraneed was strange
ly becoming under the broad brim of
the hat she wore drawn low until It
| sbadowed her aves II was NOT a face
| IN he easily associated with frontier
Econaert halls or anv surrender TO
| evil Athe chin round and Arm the Inns
mu Vet snficiantlv compressed. the
whole expression that Of pure and
dignif,ed womanbood She nuzzled
him and be scarceiv tnew what to
believe or ex.ct,v how m not toward
her
"our friends bacl vonder sbou,d he
trrnir, ont fron, tba c.rra, nv now !"
he sai5 'Anallv any,ous 10 hrear the
e,Ienca for she bod no, sroron since
no arded bis ta,o 81. n.,u not he
long untiI ,hey discoyer uawlev,s
predicament and nerhans the well,in
already rings with nrofapitv THAT
NAV even account for the hlpe haze
out yonder.o
she turned her ewes toward him.
and the slightest trace Of a smile an,
peared- from out OF the depths Of their
wearlness
III they would only remain satisfied
with that viii they follow us. do
Won thuk9 And are we far enough
away BY this time to be safe?r
III is hardly likely thev viii let rs