Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-04-28


full OF laughter at his outside work,
For this change was not material,
but spiritual, and 1t had to do with
Tharon, who was now the mistress OF
Lasts. . =
She no longer sang her wordless
songs no longer played for hours on
the little old melodeon by the western
door Something had gone from the
Some instead n She SS was just S@sew as swift Sha
and gentle In her care for all the things |
OF every day, as efficient and painstak-
Ing, but she did not laugh, and the tiny
lines that had characterized her fathers
about her own. ....
They began to take on the look OF |
great distances, as II she gazed far
And for. exactly three hours each day |
bark-bark-bark of the big guns Jim
Last had given her in HIS final hour.
To Billy Brent there was something
terrible In this. Bred 10 violence and
the quick disasters Of the country as
he was. he could not reconcile this
grim practice with Tharon Last, the
sane and loving girl who could not bear
the sight OF suffering,
81 tell you, Curly" he complained to
his friend of nights when they came In
and lounged in the soft dusk by the
bunk -house ITS unnatural.
Not that | don't pay full respect to
jim Lasts memory, an him tn best
man In all this hell.bent valley but
{ do what she's doin.' Amt shc Jim
Lasts own daughter already with tn
guns? sure. Can drive n nail nigh as
far as he could. Quick as Wylackle
Then why must she keep it up?'
Curly more silent In his ways but
given TO thought studied the stars that
| rode the darkening heavens and shook
Let her alone" he said once. at
was Lasts command, an he knew what
he was about even II he was toppln'
the rise Of the Big Divide.
He said you'll have to pro--'--you
miss my guess. Billy, he'd have added
yourself II tn hand of or Man Death
| hadn't stopped his words. Somethin
happened out there in tn Cup Rim that
day when Last got his that had to do
danger. Let her alone"
80 Billy let her alone, as did the rest
she went her ways. saw TO the garden
and made the butter in the cool spring
the twilights. She liked to have the
men come In as usual but the talk these
times was desultory, failing and bright
ening with forced topics. to fail again
and drop into silence while the dim red
lights Of the smokers glowed in the
shadows.
! Time and again she stirred and
sighed, and they knew that once again
she waited for Jim Last, listened fol-
the clip-clap Of Ell Rey coming home
along the sounding ranges
Once, on a night when there was nc
moon and the tree-toads sang In tn,
, cottonwoods by the spring. the girl, sit
, ting so in the familiar window. sud
:, and sobbed sharply in the silence.
, Never again - she said thlckly from
, the folds of her denim skirt, "I'li neve
see him comm home again.
The riders stirred. sympathy ache'
y In their hearts but not n man ha,
speech to comfort her. 1t was Billy
the impulsive, who eached a hand t,
! her shoulder and gripped It hard
Tharon reached up and touched tn
I hand In gratitude.
II was about this time when tn
master OF Lasts Holding had lain
= month beneath the staring mound unde
the pine tree out to the east where the.
:, had buried Hardness, that Jose flnisho,
work OF art. For many days he ha
l. labored secretly II. a calfshed out be
= hind the small corrals. and in his sir
e dark fingers there was beauty un
u leashed. Finest carving he knew, sine
y his forbcars, poems across the border
j. had spent their lives upon the beam
OF the missions.
I None had taught Jose. 1t was in hi
blood. Therefore, from block of tn
5 hard gray stone of the region. whic
I: was almost like granite. he fashioned
" cross as tall as Th8ron herself, struc
II out freehand and true, and set upo
e its austere face fine tracery of vines an
e Jim Lasts name. He took into I'll
d secret Billy and Curly, since these tw
he was sure of, and together the
e. hauled the hugo thing out and 81
e 1t up. r ,
le with dawn, as was her habit, behel
10 al AnN ALL a. IT. \.
't so loved, she leaned her forehea
against tho deep window-case and WEI
IT from the depths.
er Then she went out TO see II and wit
L a knife she set her own mark thereon
K a tiny cross scratched in the head
q piece, another in the arm that stretche
y toward all that was mortal Of poo
II darkness.
Two" she said. dry-eyed, while tn
II world in glory '!!ull pay for you. both
n FL Rey, stamping in his own CORA
lifted his beautiful head. scanned tn
le wide reaches that spread away in liz
ing green, and tossing up his muzzl'
ID sent out on the silence a ringing cal
n He cooked his silver ears and listene,
II No clear-cut human whistle answere
n him. Once moro he called and listene,
It Then he lowered his head and steppe
Is along the fence. His great body, shlr
ing like blue satin with silver fro'
n upon II, gave and lifted with every stel
The pastern joints above his stripe
IL hoofs were resilient as plant spring
ID The muscles rippled in his shoulder
n tho bluewhite cascade Of his silver Ia
10 flowed TO his heels. his name was liz
le cloud upon the arch of his neck. II
ID was strength and beauty incarnate,
le monster machine of living might.
Unrest was upon him. Life had bt
Is come stagnant. a tasteless thing u
8. was keen for the open stretches hcpin
h, to be gone down the wind. He frette
and ate out his heart for the freedol
id of the range. Old Anita. passing I
ut some work or other, stopped and gaze
st at him for a compassionate moment.
r. you, too, grande caballo," she sal
re there is naught but grief at Last
&C. Holding. Tharone duerida," she calle
- into the house, come here
Tharop came and stood in the kitche
10 what, Anlta?" she asked gently.
ho "El Rey," answered the old woma
he calls and calls and none come
he "He, too, needs help, Corazon. WI
a not take him for run along the plair
ed 1t will help you both"
OF For long time the girl stood. col
ed sidering. ,,
es El Rey should not be left to fret"
N, She stepped back in the house. thu
nd came out, and she had added nothing
es, her attire save her daddy's belt al
up guns without these she never le
as the Holding now.
In, Bareheaded. slender. she was thil
ed OF beauty, and there was n quiet col
vs. mand about her which subdued I
3D. great Isl Rey himself the proude
Horse in al the valley, outside s.o
ed Between these three horses there W
N. much comment and discussion, thoui