The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1915-02-26

his fevered brow and moistening his
| parched lips and throat
In the course of the first hour she
was once startled by the spectral Wis
ion through the driving sheets of dust
of horse that plodded up the arroyo,
bearing two riders on its back.
Weary with the weight Of its double
burden, 1t vert slowly and passed so
near to Judith that she was able to
recognize the features of her sister
and Tom Barcus.
Be sure she made never a sign to
| catch their attention.
Within the next succeeding hour
the coppery light lost something of
| its hot brillance. took on a darker
shade, and then one darker still Twi-
| light stole athwart the desert, turning
its heat to chill, its light to violet.
Growing more intense. the cold
eventually reused the sleeping man.
And hardly had his eyes Enclosed
| and looked up into the eyes of Judith
bending over him than he started up
and out of her embrace, got INSTEAD
| lily upon his feet and after a moment
of pause, watching her rise in turn,
strobe away-or, rather, staggered
with the gesture of exorcism.
Uncomplaining, hugging her new
born humility to her with the ecstasy
of the anchorite his horse-hair shirt,
Judith followed him patiently, at
little distance.
Not far from where he had rested
there was break in the overhanging
wall of the arroyo. Through this he
scrambled painfully. reaching the level
of the desert only after cruel effort,
the unheeded woman at his heels.
A brief pause there afforded both
, time to regain their breath and survey
the desert for signs Of assistance: it
offered none, other than what they
might accomplish through their own
1t stretched without break other than
( the black cleft OF the arroyo, cleaning
a bleached and deathly white in the
moonshine-like the face OF frozen
world.
With tacit consent both turned that
way, Alan leading, Judith his pertina-
cious shadow, with never a word or
sign between them to prove that either
was aware OF the others company.
But this was a state Of affairs that
could not long endure. Judith had the
price to pay for her own trials, suf-
fering and privation: the strain began
to tell sorely upon her. She reeled
slightly as she walked, weaving a
winding trail across and across the
straighter line of footprints that
marked Alan's course through the or
dered pattern OF the powdered sage
brush.
And of a sudden she collapsed.
Instinct alone made Alan glance
over-shoulder: for she had made no
sound whatever.
He turned and came directly back
to her, knelt beside her, lifted her
head. pillowed 1t gently on his arm
and piled her In turn with the dregs
of the canteen.
With a sigh, stified moan and a
little SILVER, she revived.
He helped her gently to regain her
In this fashion they struggled on in
strange. dumb companionship Of mis-
cry and wonder.
Thus an hour passed: and for all
their desperate struggles neither could
! see that the light on the mountainside
was yard the nearer.
Behind them other lights appeared.
two staring yellow eyes that peered
up over the horizon, seemed to pause
time in search Of the two, then
leaped out directly toward them.
OF this they were altogether ignor-
ant; and when deep, droning sound
disturbed the desert silence, like the
purring OF some gigantic cat. both as
cribed 1t to the drumming of their
laboring pulses.
The two lights were not a mile be-
hind them when silently. without