Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1918-06-20

ne was simply gaining the capacity II
feel It. He was ready to die now, he
was so ill; moreover, his left arm
dangled and got in bis way. Only that
subconscious realization Of the neces-
sity to keep going for Rosa's sake sus-
tanned him.
Daylight came at last to show him
his way. More than once he paused,
alarmed, at voices in the woods, only
to find that the sounds issued from his
own throat.
1t had grown very hot now, so hot
that heat-waves obscured his vision
and caused the most absurd forms to
take shape. He began to hunt aimless-
ly for water, but there was none. Evil
IDENTIFY this heat had parched the land,
dried up the streams, and set the
stones aire. 1t was incredible, but
true.
Esteban reasoned that he must De
near home by this time, for he had
been travelling for days-for years. The
country, indeed, was altogether unfa-
miliar; he could not recall ever having
seen the path he trod, but for that mat
ter everything was strange. In the
First place he knew that he was going
west, and yet the morning sun persisted
in beating holly into his face! That
alone convinced him that things had
gone awry with the world. He could
remember a great CONFUSION of some
sort, but just what it was he had no
clear idea! Evidently, though, it had
been sufficient to change the rotation
of the earth. Yes, that was it; the
earth was running backward upon it's
axis =; he could actually feel it whirling
under his feet. No wonder his journey
seemed so long. He was laboring over
a gigantic treadmill, balancing like an
e%quilibrist upon a revolving sphere.
Well, it was a simple matter to stop
walking, sit down, and allow himself
to be spun backward around to the
place where Rosa was waiting. He
pondered this idea for some time, I'M
til it's absurdity became apparent. Un-
doubtedly he must be going out of his
head; he saw that it was necessary to
keep walking until the back-spin of
that treadmill brought Rosa to him.
But the time came when he could
walk ne farther. He tried repeatedly
and failed, and meanwhile the earth
spun even more rapidly, threatening to
whirl him off into space. 1t was a ter
rible sensation; he lay down and
Rugged the ground, clinging to roots
and sobbing weakly. Rosa, he knew,
was just around the next bend in the
trail; he called to her, but she did not
answer, and he dared not attempt to
creep forward because his grip was
failing. He could feel his fingers slip.
ping-slipping, His last thought as he
8 went whirllng end over end through
space, was of his sister. She would
never know how hard he had tried to
reach her.
* \ II
Late on the second day after the bat.
tie Asensio returned to his bohio. Rosa
and Evangelina, already frantic at the
delay, heard him crying to them while
he was still hidden in the woods, and
knew that the worst had happened.
There was little need for him to tell
his story, for he was weaponless,
stained, and bloody. He had crossed
cape from that rayine of death. Of his
companions he knew nothing what
ever; the mention of Esteban's name
caused him to beat his breast and cry
aloud. He was weak and feverish, and
his %incoherent story of the midnight
encounter was so highly colored that
Rosa nearly swvoned with horror.
The girl stood swaying while he told
how the night had betrayed them, how
he had wrought incredible feats of
valor before the shifting tide of battle
had spewed him out the end Of the
sunken road and left him half dead in
the grass. Asensio had lain there I'M
til, finding himself growing stronger,
he had burrowed into a tangle Of vines
at the foot Of a wall, where he had re-
NAMED until the fighting ceased. When
the Spaniards had finally discovered
IuelI MISTAKE anu udu cedSeu IlullS
one another down, when lights came
and he heard Colonel Cobo cursing
them like one insane, he had wriggled
away, crossed the calzada, and hidden
in the woods until dawn. He had been
walking ever since; he had come home
to- die.
Asensio recovered, but he was sadly
changed. There was no longer any
martial spirit in him; he feared the
Spaniards, and tales of their atrocities
cowed him.
Then Cobo came into the Yumuri.
The valley, already well-nigh deserted,
was filled to the brim with smoke from
burning fields and houses, and through
lit the sun showed like a copper shield.
Refugees passed the bohio, bound
farther into the hills, and Asensio told
the two women that he and they must
also go. So the three gathered up
what few things they could carry on
their backs and fled.