The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times., 1916-03-23
cHAPT v.
Wild Blood and HorseHesh.

lhll hi'" oii aBaNNs
the austere gloom OF the mighty coun.
Try thrilled Sandry with a strange
compelling: rftener Il held him at a
dripping window with load OF lead
on.his heart. lie had no companions
John Daily, easy. simple. suggesting
tried force was his only comfort. In
him he found something vaguely fine.
as the plain little stone at the bottom
of clear waters takes on certain
simple beauty. They spent an occa.
sional evening together In the little
office. talking OF the work. and the new
owner asked and learned many things
Into the ample heart OF white.haired
Ma Daily Sandry had stepped that first
night. wholly without intent.
"ie speaks like a man." she opined
decisively. AN you mark my words
he'll prove himself so. II his hands are
white"
or the girl Siletz he had scarcely
taken a moments notice. He did not
even know that when she served him
silently at the oilcloth covered table
the two long braids were tied togeth
or at the nape OF her neck so that by
no chance could they fall against his
hand. Neither did he know that the
dog Coosnah watched him always with
pale eyes. OF these two he knew less
than OF any others In camp with whom
he had as much TO do. As for the girl
herself, she kept away from his vicin
ity Oftener they two. the girl and the
dog, silent with a common consent
like wild things of the woods. sought
the wind.swept top OF tho great stump
on the western ridge. Here Siletz
looked down on the dropping slope
and wondered OF the cities and the
sea. He had come from them both
She had never seen man like him.
His clothes were different. HIS speech
was unlike. So were his hands, white
and fine grained.
Also there was another OF his pos.
sessions that she knew In every line
and turn. Black Bolt. the splendid
horse that stamped and whinnicd with
impaticnce In the lcanto behind the
filing shed. She could no more let him
alone than she could refrain from lying
down 10 drink from a mountain rill
/ He called to her blood with irrcslst.
ible force. Day after day she crept
shyly TO the leau.tc and dreamed,
watching the slope and the logtraii.
"Oh. you boauty!" she whispered
with n soft hand on the arching neck.
| "Oh, you beauty of the world God
made you strong TO serve and beauti,
! ful 10 be lovcd!"
! And at that moment. on that par
! ticular day. Walter Sandry stepped
| into the doorway OF the lean.to. Al
his foot on the sill the girl whirled
| upon him, her dark eyes wide with
fright and confusion.
"l-l-' she stammcred like child.
Sandry looked at her for the first
time keenly.
You are fond OF the horse?" he
asked.
But her tongue Glove suddenly 20
the roof OF her mouth and one OF the
inherent silences that sometimes fell
upon her shut her lips
She dropped her eyes, twisted her
fingers in Black Bolts name, and them
with gliding motion. soft,foOted and
swift, went past him, running toward
the cook.shack.
The incident was nothing In Itself
but II set the man thinking of her
lie had seen alteration In the eyes she
bent on the splendid animal, heard II
in the words. stilted and incongruous
Queer youngster," said Sandry to
himself.
That night after supper he came out
contrary TO his custom. from the little
south room with It's patchwork quilts
It's crocheted mat and It's antique
Bible, into the big eating room.
He found Ma Daily rocking In the
little chair, her tired old hands lyinl
comfortably on the Portland Weekly
spread out on her slanting lap. The
wall lamps In their tin refectors sii