The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1916-06-08
O@N0GHT SY pO2l MEAD AN0 cOfz14NY '

l'"i 'ldHE'u 10 the tnuildcr OF tnt
spheres. 1t appalled, the hearts Of
men, stayed their hands In fright. Al
throughout the darkness of rollins
smoke wherein they worked between
the raging torrent and the East Belt
that mighty voice commanded ccssa
ton.
lnstantancously, without orders. as
one a where there was no commu
niCation save between those a few fee,
apart, they dropped their spades. their
tattcred blankets. their axes. They
Strengthened from their labor. leaving
the cross.cuts In the trunks. Here and
there. above the solemn thunder
hoarse voices began to call. It was
the time TO quit and they realized It
instirctiye!y.
out! out! OUT" they cried to
each other in the dusk. Get OUT
Get OUT"
Walter Saudry. working near the
apex Of the pushing line. saw men be
ginning to run past him back along the
trench and the cutting. He lifted des
perate eyes TO the ridge whose dim
crest he could see between the bolcs
so near had they Won 70 victory. Only
a few more big pines, a dozen salliugs.
a scant few yards OF trench and II,
would be d0ne-the long lane Of safety
stretched across the neck OF the Eas,
Belt,
stop! Stop! Stop" he cried with
a great voice that came from the very
depths OF his lungs with borrowed
power. stand by me. men! For God :
sake stand by"
He saw dim shapes fal,er. hall turn
toward him and start on. Again he
raised his s]tentorian cry and dying
figures halted a moment. STOPPED
against their will by It's compelling
power.
I'm Johnny Eastern. all right but
I'm going to stay. Who'll stay with
me-"
Out Of the dense obscurity came Cot.
Inns. n huge, fantastic figure. and stood
beside him without a word. In the ten.
sion OF the time Sandry reached out
a hand and gripped the giants shout
der.
"a dozen men and we've wont" he
cried.
He saw the hating shapes turn
gather another and another. rctrace
their steps and spring back into the
darkness. Every man OF them was
western born and the taunt had gone
home. He leaped himself for the
handle Of a saw sticking out from the
bOle OF a ljO-foot sugar pine and the
whining song Of the Cross.cuts rose
again under the dwarting roar.
Fourteen men had heard and an.
swcrcd that call. and they were alone
In the purgatory OF heat and smoke
All the rest were running for their
lives down the cleared fall toward the
valley beyond the dip
From time 10 time Sandry glanced
upward at the increasing light. The
sugar pine fell with a rending roar
and with Harris. who, he saw for the
first time, had been pulling with him.
he ran 10 the neXt.
lie saw as he ran that one OF the
men, working like a fury to fell the
sapliugs, was Murphy who had greet.
ed his pompous "Dilnngworth" with
such grinuiug irony IN the old days.
He had q moments vague wonder al
this odd stripe OF humanity that could
hold such prejudice, tight with Hamp
dcu's men In savage cumity. TO joiu
their ranks later with happy irrcspon
slbility at the call OF gold. and was
still willing TO turn back TO feht with
him on deaths brink, because he tag
returned their tauui OF East and Yves,
one hy one, In silence. Ia a tension
that drew the skin tight on their faces
they saw the ls.t remaining mouarrus
fall. the kiudliug sap.!urs laid On
,nrth, the trench, much narrower and
s~hallowor, creep upward 70 the ridge
Against time, against heat that
scorchcd their bare arms and tortured
their starting cyeballs, against a sti
fling atmosphere that drove them
ncarer ana nearer 70 the earth for
breath, they drew the last blade, sent
the last big pine crashing toward the
north.
The ridge was clear in the incrcas
ing glow.
Now cried Sandry with the tri
umph OF a general on a victorious
field, NOW for the ridge and Overt"
But even as he dropped his saw and
ran, calling his men, Collins big voice
came through the rolling smoke with
the calm OF hnalIty.
Amt no over It's a ninety.foo,
drop on to hard rock beyond tina,
ridge"
Sandry stopped in his tracks. his
head cleared as II with a whin OF salt
air by that call.
The men had closed in with the in.
stinct OF their kind to be together in
danger. as II so the danger were les.
sened.
But the Fastener was u%ndaunted.
Then wen take 10 the East Belt,
he cried, even though II IL a crown
tire and coming fast, | think our trench
will hold IT,"
With all confidence he turned TO the
south. lnstinctiyely the men had
dra 49, In h.hKnd Mn, ri ...l