St. Tammany farmer., 1922-10-28

wafer began TO Seep through.
"Get the little basket In my pack"
he said.
Cameron complied, and saw his
comrade drop the basket into the deep
hole, where it kept the sides from
eaving In and allowed the water to
seep through. While Cameron watched,
the basket filed. OF all tie strange
incidents Of his desert career this was
the strangest. Curiously he picked up
the peach branch and held 1t az he
had seen 1t held. The thing, how
ever, was dead In his hands.
II see you haven't got It," remarked
his comrade. "Few men have. Back
In Illinois an old German used to do
that to locate wells. He showed me
l had the same power. I can't ex-
plain. The old German I spoke OF
made money travelling round with his
peach fork"
''What a gift for man In the des-
ert!"
Cameron's comrade smiled-the sec
ond time In all those days.
They entered region where min-
eral abounded, and their march be-
came slower. Generally they took the
course Of wash, one on each side,
and let the burros travel lelsurely
along ntpping at the bleached blades
Of scant grass, or at sage or cactus,
while they searched In the canons and
under the ledges for signs Of gold.-
Each succeeding day and night
Cameron felt himself more and more
drawn to this strange man. He found
that after hours Of burning toll he had
insensibly grown nearer to his COM
rade. He reflected that after few
weeks In the desert he had always
become different man. In civiliza-
tion, In the rough mining camps, he
had been prey to unrest and gloom
But once down on the great billowing
sweep Of this lonely world, he could
look into his unquiet soul without BIT
terness. So now he did not marvel at
slow stir stealing warmer along his
veins, and at the premonition that per-
haps he and this man, alone on the
desert, driven there by llfe's mysteri-
GUS and remorseless motive, were to
see each other through Gods eyes.
One night they were encamped at
the head Of a canon. The day had
been exceedingly hot, and long after
sundown the radiations Of heat from
the rocks persisted. Cameron watched
his comrade, and yielded to interest
! he had not heretofore voiced.
"Pardner, what drives you into the
desert? Do you come to forgetr'
"Yes."
"Ah" softly exclaimed Cameron.
Always he seemed to have known that.
He said no more, but grew acutely
conscious Of the pang In his own
breast, of the fire In his heart, the
strife and torment Of his passion
driven soul. He had come into the
desert to remember a woman. She
appeared to him then as she had
looked when nrst she entered his life
"a golden-haired girl. blue-eyed,
white skinned, red-lipped, tall and
slender and beautiful He had never
forgotten, and an old, sickening re-
morse knocked at his heart. He rose
and climbed out Of the canon and to
the top Of the mesa, where he paced
to and fro and looked down into the
weird and mystic shadows, like the
darkness Of his passion, and farther
on down the moon track and the gilt
tering stretches that vanished In the
cold blue horizon. In that endless,
silent hall Of desert there was q
spirit; and Cameron felt lowering
near him what he imagined to bo
phantoms Of peace.
He returned to camp and sought
his comrade. ..
II reckon we're two Of a kind" he
said. 1T was woman who drove me
into the desert. But / come to re-
member. The deserts the only place
I can do that"
"Was she your wifer' asked the
elder man.
"No."
A long silence ensued. The camp
IRE wore down to ruddy ashen heap.
Il had daughter" said Cameron's
comrade. "She lost her mother at
birth. And III didn't know how to
bring up a girl. She was pretty and
gay. It was the-the old story"
His words were peculiarly signif-
cant to Cameron. They distressed
him. He had been wrapped up in his
remorse. II ever in the past he had
thought OF anyone connected with
the girl he had wronged, he had long
forgotten. But the consequences Of
such wrong were far-reaching. They
struck at the roots Of home.
!"Well, tell me morer' asked Cam
eron earnestly.
1T was the old, old story. Ny girl
was pretty and free. The young bucks
ran after her. I guess she did not run
away from them. And I was away
good deal-working in another town.
She was in love with a wild fellow.
knew nothing Of It till too late. He
was engaged to marry her. But he
didn't come back. And when the dis
grace became plain to all, my girl left
home. She went west. After while
/ heard from her. She was we'll
working-living for her baby. A long
time passed. I had no ties. I drifted
west. Her lover had also gone west.
In those days everybody went west.
! trailed him, intending to kill hun.