Arizona republican., 1922-05-14
Y YOuth and
the w est
BY REMY THIENPONT
CHAPTER III
The Deserts Grandeur

The Deserts Grandeur
On some occasions he would take
his rifle along shooting highly col
ored. inaccessible cactus buds for
her: thus displaying, lik, the knights
of old, his skill TO his lady-love. He
was an extraordinary shot. When a
small boy. a little gun had always
been his pet, and now he owned &
high h-poWer rifle with adjustable
sight and hair trigger.
This peaceful and happy life went
on for a few months. and one day the
doctor told him he could undertake
the climb of the Camelback. With
joy in his heart, he met her and they
planned the excursion. They decid-
ed that the next Saturday they would
take a luncheon and go up together.
They walked toward the mountain to
study before hand the best way to
climb it. But it was given to them
TO see, that afternoon, nature in ac-
tion.
The sky had slowly darkened in
the northeastern horizon. and had
finally acquired a deep sepia hue.
lone explained nothing to him about
this. enjoying his surprised and Won
dering expression. He witnessed the
forming of a long, low-lying, yellow
cloud, coming their way. He could
see It approach. Everything about
them seemed to take on an eXpectant
look; all plant life seemed to thrill
with anticipation. as though the
coming event were one of the great
est moment to them. Presently lit
tie puffs of dusty wind blew in the
Young lovers faces. And all at once
they were in the midst of it, huge
sandstorm. The experience was most
exhilirating The sand had a pleas
ant sting at first. But they soon had
TO initiate her pony and turn around,
then seek shelter behind big boul-
der. The strong wind was tearing
small particles off one mountain,
using them as sandblast against an
other. forming an enormous dense
cloud which it was rolling over the
desert. bringing it to a more nearly
perfect level scattering millions OF
seeds far and wide. The mesquite
trees gave up their bean pods, the
the various cacti their thorny buds;
all plants forcibly denuded them
selves Of their seeds and yielded them
to this all-Wise reaper and sower,
who had chosen this propitious time.
obeying to q few Of those countless
and mysterious laws so stubbornly
=
saw a cluster Of big green thorny
balls separate from the mother plant
and roll in all directions some going
up hill. until they encountered an
obstruction, where they would take
root and develop, each one of them.
into a new cluster. The storm lasted
less than half an hour; but 1t had the
same effect on the atmosphere as
long shower in eastern regions on
sultry day.
They sat on the detached boulder
and in a few moments, quite natu-
rally, he declared his love in a few
simple words, but words which We're
divine music to her ears. And In
the minutes that followed the two
Young lovers told one another what
each had known for some time, bath
ing their souls in sublime medium.
happy as the cooling turtle doves in
the big iron trees near by. And they
kissed. To him, how different this
was from the expected kiss on some
flapper's front porch, home from
some popular dance. And to her
but no language shall ever contain
the words capable of picturing the
state of mind and OF heart of pure
Young girl receiving her first love-
kiss. At first they kissed with un-
conscious solemnity which gradually
gave way to tender caresses: and in
a few moments they were engaged
in the delightful though senseless
talk of young lovers. talk SO raspins
to gnarly souls, so exasperating to
satiated hearts Then they chirped
and gamboled like the two overgrown
children they were. blissful as the
tiny desert sparrows ever swishing
from the palo verde to the mistletoe,
from the sagebrush to the juniper.
Presently she gave little cry and
pointed to the top of a little knoll,