The Irish standard., 1916-02-26
they are too weak to eat.

''they are too weak to eat"
He and Gerry went back to the
house for breakfast The herders sat
and smoked. They had had coffee; it
would see them through half the day.
Before Lieber left, the horses were
herded once more and with much trou-
BILE driven out upon the desert. Lie
Der turned to Gerry. Don't let them
back in until tomorrow. please" he
said. "If you do. they'll founder"
What about the cattle?" asked Ger.
~.
THE cattle are all right. They
haven't enough spirit left to kill them.
selves eating. They'll begin lying
down pretty soon. Good-by, and re-
member. you'll get warm welcome
up at Lieber's whenever you feel like
riding over"
Thanks" said Gerry. "Good-by."
He watched Lieber ride away on
the road the priest had taken. Fa-
zenda Flores. his isolated refuge. was
beginning to link itself to n world.
Man. like vine. has tendrils. To
climb he must reach them out and
cling.
The reward of those long months of
preparation was at hand. Once every
spade thrust had seemed but the pre-.
cursor to barren effort. Now every
stroke Of the hoe seemed to bring forth
fresh green leaf. Life fell into an
enhancing monotone. 1t became an
endless chain that forged it's own links
and heightened out into an endless
perspective. Days passed. The ar.
rival of Licbcr's foreman to see how
the stock was progressing was an
event. He brought with him an old
saddle and bridle-a gift from Lieber
to Gerry. "He says" the foreman re.
marked with leer on making the
presentation. "you can ride anything
you can catch"
Gerry felt the foreman needed put.
ting in place. He went into the house
and reappeared carrying something in
his hat He climbed the fence and
called. The horses raised their heads
and looked. Some were lazy after wa.
tertng but the others trotted over to-
ward him. They stopped few yards
of and scrutinized him as though to
divine his intentions. Then they ap.
preached cautiously. with tense legs,
ready to whirl and bolt. A greedy colt
refused to play the game Of fear to q
finish. He strobe forward and was re.
warded with large lump of sugar
The sugar was coarse and black, first
| cousin to virgin molasses. but it was
redOlent. The horses crowded around
Gerry. They paved ut him. He had
to beat them back. They made bold
assault OH the empty but odorous hat
Gerry laughed and cleared the fence to
get away from them. II think your
master must he mistaken" he said
with Il smile to the foreman "Some
Of these colts can never have been
backed"
The foreman looked his admiration.
He began to take Gerry seriously; 1t
was man to man now. He pointed out
the horses that were broken to saddle
and named their gaits and mcttle.
Then his shrcwd eyes looked around
for further details to add to his report
to his master. He noted that few,
very few, of the cattle were still
lying down when they should have
been on their feet and eating. These
were hcrticd into Il corner OF their own
and old ROnifaciO was tending them.
Beside each was a pile of fresh cut
grass. AS they ate they nosed it away,
but Bonifaci0 made the rounds and
with his foot pushed back the fodder,
keeping it in easy reach.
The foreman's eyes caught on two
newborn calves. They had been taken
from their weak mothers and were in
a rough pen by themselves. The fore
man did not have to count the stock
to see that none was missing. He wns
cattle bred. A gap in the herd or the
bunch Of horses would have flown ut
the seventh sense Of the stockman the
moment he laid eyes on the field. In
stead there were these two calves.
"Mastcr," he said to Gerry. you have
made up your mind not to lose a head.
You would save even these little ones,
born before their timer
Gerry nodded gravcly. Hc had
worked hard to save all. He WINGED
at the mere thought of death ut Fa-
Zenda Flores even down to these least
weaklings. He himself had fed them
patiently from a warm bottle. In trou-
BILE and valuable time they had cost
him an acre Of cotton. But an acre of
cotton was small price to pny for
life.
A grip of the hand and the foreman
was Off III a cloud of dust. At the
bridge lie pulled his horse down to the
stumbling fox trot that spares beast
f., and man but eats steadily into lonC
| journey. A bearer Of good tidings rides
| slowly.
Gerry turned to his work but cry
from the house arrested him. He
dropped his field tools and ran to tie
house. Dcna Maria glanced at him.
clawed and hustled him out of the
room-out Of the housA The door
slammed behind him. He heard the
great bar drop. He was locked out.
Gerry paced angrily up and down
the verantla. Calm came back to him.
He saw that he had been a fool. He
stopped and sat down on the steps VI
the vernnda. Here, before he had
made his benches, she had often sat
beside him careSsed him. sung to him