The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-29


 fine plains and casting the long, eliptca shadows of the wheels the sand Far in the west, where the sky leaned to the land, the faint blue line of vegetation
 EphTaim Peterman shook his pipe and opening the box-seat of the vehicle, took out thumbed book It printed in Spanish language that he had learned read during occasional trading trips the military outposts in Florida. The date upon the title page I682; the volume had been found in the Great Desert, between the hands of skeleton zuan who knelt beside skeleton horse.
 Ephraim spelled out and translated slowly to Caleb, his brother.
 'They said they travelled west, three months jour ney from the Empire of the Sem1noles, until they reached the Desert, where nothing lives, and thence the Tobacco River, which never runs dry, eSS- eept toward the end of the ranless season. Then, if shall dig among the sands between the pools, he will find gold. But they met fair women there, of devilish origin, who besought them that they should the debonair Saviour, and they would show them wealth in such quantities might ransom all Christian captives of So1dan and Dey. Some, then, remained; but the rest escaping by night secretly, bore witness to what they had seem.
 That is the Tobacco River' said Ephram, pointing westward again.
 Caleb filled his pipe with a loose handful of Caro- lima tobacco, and lit it with coal he had saved shield ing the flame against the little wind.
 Do you believe in those devis?" he asked looking upon Ephraim curiously.
 Maybe" the younger answered. "But I believe more in gold. Look you, Caleb time settled down at horHe. I twenty-four and Beulah is twenty, and have been betrothed two years And you are thrty-an old man. he added clasping his brothers afectionate1y, land it is for my sake that you have not married. It is time gave travelling and bought farms in the Carolinas, Tennessee where they to be had for a few pence the acre"
 "If there Is gold there" began Caleb slowly. "But the Spaniards lars and perhaps he was liar who wrote about it"
 "It is there" creid Eptran, irnpatenty. Come, Caleb, let take it and return rich"
 Well then," said Caleb. 'Tet us not halt. and by noon shold be there"
 He piled the whip, and the thin beasts pulled will ing1y. They were wasted with the long journey s1ali p1ains nevertheless they would have long fatten upon the beside the river. The creaking wagon alternately sank axedeep in the white sand and bumped the stony outcrop. After while little signs of vegetation began to appear. First, stnted shrubs and patches of into view and the blue line the horizon resolved itself Into trees then appeared eurnps of thckets and ture land green between the dry beds of little rlls. Finally the river lay bare to their gaze, valley of sand still sharply scared with the impress of the hoofs of the buffalo herd that had passed months before, when the whole land green after the rains. The plunged forward, and the wagon began descend the sharp dec1ivty of the bank
 Suddenly Caleb uttered an exclamation of astonish-
 ent and seized his brother by the directing his gaze into the middle of the river beed Before them rose the canvas covering of dismantled wagon, bieached white the sand by the hot suns In front of it were hides and bones.
 The first glance told the story. The occupants had evidently been endeavoring to make the of the desert; but the oxen exhausted by the long journey had been unable to pull the wagon through the soft sand and had fallen to die, hundred yards from safety The inmates had either escaped horseback, abandoning their vehicle, perished with it.
 The tragedy must have occurred recently. The ani- als dead but few days, for the hides still clung to the carcasses and even as the brothers preached specks of black stirred and resolved them selves into ha1f-score of buzzards which, repete with sheir nauseous meal, waddled some paces, Tapping sasir wings gain momentum, with slow dignity,