The Delta independent., 1914-11-06

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 pitiless embrace OF that implaca-
BILE wilderness of sun and sand.
At long intervals he . ould 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 athwart the field
of the glasses: something that seemed
to move like a weary horse with a
human figure bound to its back.
But now the phenomena were dis
cernible which, had he been more des-
ert wise, would have made him pause
and think before he ventured farther
from those hills. already beyono
reach as they were. =
His first appreciated warning came
when the surface Of the desert seemed
to lift and shake like the top of
canvas tent in gale. At the same
time a mighty gust of wind swept
athwart the waste. hot as a furnace
blast. In trice dust enveloped man
and horse, sitting cloud of super
heated particles that stung the flesh
like myriad needles And then dark
ness fell. the twilight of hades. a cop
per-colored pail. Nothing remained
visible beyond arms length.
Blinded, half suffocated. unspeak-
oh nd no a
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 seizing
the bride sought to draw the horse
on with him.
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 a rock; then. of sudden.
ierked his head smartly. snapped the
bride from his grasp and flung away.
scudding before the storm.
Pursuit was out OF the question:
indeed, the bride was barely torn
from his hand before Alan lost sight
Of the broncho.
For a moment he stood rooted in
CONSERVATION as in a bog-with an
arm upthrown across his face.
Then the thought of Judith re-
Head berded and shoulders rounded.
he began to forge a way into the teeth
of the sandstorm.
How long he fought on. pitting his
strength against the elements, 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
aad the storm.
He thought to rest for a 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 Trine
standing within a yart. ct him. alive,
strong. free.
He stared incredulously. saw her
recognize him. open her mouth to
utter wondering cry that was inaudi-
BILE. and come quickly nearer.
Alan, You came for me. You fol-
lowed me. through all this,"
He threw off her hand with bitter
laugh-that was like the croaking OF a
raven as 1t issued from his bone-dry
throat-and in momentary possession
OF hysteric madness. reeled away from
tho woman and the shelter of the rock
and delivered himself anew to the
mercy OF the dust-storm-