The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1919-04-25
THE RAINBOW TRAIL
Sequel to "The Riders of the Purple
Sdqe'

OuyC
Into the trackless domain Of the
purple sage-the plains and the
burning desert and the cool shadows
of the mighty mountains rides a
man. alone-a man who has dedi-
Gated his life to searching for his
kidnapped sister He does rot find
her, but his quest brings him ad-
venture, a reputation as the surest
shot and the deadliest enemy Of the
whole wide west and a love that
laughs at danger. For he meets a
woman of the plains Snd his effort
to save her leads him, a fugitive at
last, into a beautiful valley where
once the cliff dwelIers made their
homes. Here, by rolling a great
balancing rock that stands above
the canyon entrance to the valley.
he seals himself, his willing ward
and her adopted child, in a living
tomb.
Years passed. Into that same
trackless domain of the purple
sage-the broad plains and the
burning desert and the cool shadows
of the mighty mountains rides an
other man, alone-a man who has
de1icatedd his life to solving the
mystery Of wonderful lost valley
wherein are entomhed a man, a
woman and a child. And this
mans quest too, brings him many
thrilling adventure, a reputation
for fearlessness and daring, and a
love that laughs in the face Of peril.
In the quiet, dreary City Of Sealed
Wives. an Adamless Eden hidden in
the foothills Of the lonely mountains,
he meets 1.-The Sage Lily" And
with her. and with the man and
woman rescued from entombment
in the valley, he fees from pursu-
ers, has many strange misadven-
lures, but eventually reaches the
Grand Canyon Of the Colorado and
rides the dangerous rapids of that
riotous. raging river to safety and
civilization.
Farnum as Lassiter. ~"
AS different as mountain and val
ley are the two principal characters
whom William Farnum imperson-
ates in "Riders of the Purple
Sage" and 1.-The Rainbow Trail" :"
Lassiter invaded the wilds in
search of revenge. He was a hard
ened plainsman who regarded
carrying gun as a sort of mora!
law as the difference between a
man and something not man. He
was exceedingly cautious, his
guarded advance advertising his
unwillingness to take chances with
strangers. He packed two black
butted shooting irons-low down
hard to see-black against black
chaps-and these were slung
around TO the fore by his singular
habit of standing, slightly crouch
ed, his arms bent and stiff.
Shefford was an unchurched min
ister-a novice on the plains-a
wanderer seeking somewhere north
ward in the broken fastness q hid
den valley, walled in from the
world. He had lived a narrow,
insulated life. with his mind on
spiritual things and his first adven-
ture in the wilderness found him
without even the equipment from
which to swing gun.
Lassiter had nothing to learn in
the wi,ds; Shefford. everything.
Lassiter's name had crossed the long
wild brakes Of stone and plains Of
sage-the very mention of 1t sent
men scurrying to cover. Shefford
was unknown and his interest in
weapons Of self defense was ac-
quired through necessity.
Masterful character portrayal il
William Farnum's forte and his
| work in the Interpretation Of the
widely different individualities o1
Lassiter and Shefford again hal
stamped him as the greatest Of al
screen actors.
Farnum as "Shefford.
Shefford is introduced as q ride
of the Purple Sage in ''The Rain
bow Trail" He is never. though
the sort Of man that Lassi.er ID
His manliness is Of a different sort
Lassiter knows only the law Of brut
focre; Shefford. the law of love
The Illinois preacher, hardened
toughened, physically. still is un
willing to fire shot even when tn
bullet would save an innocen
woman-a woman he loved-fror
the power Of a brute. Lassiter, i
a similar case, would have fired firf
and pondered over the right 9
wrong of it afterwards.