The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-11-19
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enly the kesyeiiedl southwest.
Yass Iadfth out there. somewhere
lost. detenseless. torlorn, impotent to-
lift a hand to shield her face from the
blast o. that savage SUM- Y. 4
Staring beneath q shading hand, he
discerned nothing that moved upon
the surface of the desert but its
myriad heat-devils jIgging monoto.
nously their internal danse macabre
or-as seemed more probable-was
she back there among the Painted
hills, lying still and llieIess, crushed
beneath the weight Of that fallen
horse?
No rest for Alan till he knew +. :.
Descending the knoll he refined his
tagging mount back into the trail, fol-
lowing It's winding course through the
foothills and round the base OF that
monolithic mountain toward the juno.
ton with the ridge trail miles away.
It approached the hour OF noon be.
fore he gained the point where the
two trails Joined and struck out across
the desert And here he discovered
what he thought indisputable indlca.
ton that the fright OF JudIth's horse
had persisted.
Abandoning Immediately all notion
OF returning through the hills by the
ridge.trail, he turned and swung away
at the best pace he could spur from
his broncho, delivering himself into
the pltiless embrace Of that implaca.
BILE wilderness Of sun and sand.
At long intervals he would check
the broncho and, reeling in his saddle,
endeavor to sweep the desert with his
binoculars.
And toward the middle OF the after.
noon he fancied that something re-
warded one such effort; something
for an Instant swan atliwart the field
Of the gIasses: something that seemed
to move like weary horse with
human figure bound to It's back.
But now the phenomena were dis
cernibe which. had he been more des-
ert wise, would have made him pause
and think before ne ventured farther
from those hills. already beyond
reach rs they were.
His first appreciated warning came
when the surface OF the desert seemed
to lit and shake like the top Of a
canvas tent in gale. At the same
time mighty gust Of wind swept
athwart the waste, hot as a furnace
blast In a trice dust enveloped man
and horse, sitting cloud OF super.
heated particles that stung the flesh
like a myriad needles. And then dark
ness fell, the twilight Of hades. cop
per-colored pail. Nothing remained
visible beyond arms length
Blinded, half suffocated, unspeak.
ably dlgmayed and oewildered, the
broncho swung round back to the
blast, and refused to bulge another
incn.
Himself more than half.dazed, but
still bounded by his nightmare vision
of judith, Alan dismounted to escape
being torn bodily from the saddle by
that hellish sand-blast, and Selling
the bride sought to draw the horse
| fon with him. %ir
He wasted his strength In that en-.
deavor: the animal baked. planted
its hoofs deep in the sand, stiffened
its legs and resisted with the stub
bornness of rock; then, OF a sudden.
jerked his head smartly snapped the
bride from his grasp and flung away.
sounding before the storm.
Pursuit was out OF the question:
indeed. the bride WINS barely torn
from his hand before Alan lost sight
Of the broncho.
For a moment he stood rooted in
CONSERVATION as in bog-wlth an
arm upthrown across his face.
Then the thought Of Judith re-
CURED.
Head bended and shoulders rounded,
he began to forge way into the teeth
of the sandstorm.
How long he fought on. pitting his
strength against the clements, cannot
be reckoned.
In the end he stumbled blindly down
slight decline and was abruptly
conscious that he had in some way
found shelter from the full force of the
wind.
He staggered on another yard or
two, breathing more freely, and blum:
dered into a rough-ribbed wall OF rock
some sporadic outcrop, he under
stood, whose bulk stood between him
and the storm.
He thought to rest for time, until
the storm had spent its greatest
strength; but as he laid his shoulder
gratefully against the rock and
scrubbed the dust from his smarting
eyes he saw what he at first conceived
to be a hallucination: Judith Urine
standing within a yard Of him, alive
strong, free.
He stared incredu1ously. saw her
recognize him, open her mouth to
utter wondering cry that was maud
BILE, and come quickly nearer.
ALAN! You came for mel You fol-
lowed me, through all thls!"
He threw OF her hand with a bitter
laugh-that was like the croaking Of
raven as 1t issued from his bone-dry
throat-and in momentary possession