Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-05-03

C1s
Gale, who was perhaps the least OBJ
timistic, threw doubt to the winds
and knew the ranger would get well.
=
Boys, come round" said Ladd. in
his low voice. An you, Mercedes.
An call the Yaqu
Ladd lay in the shade of the brush
shelter that had been erected. There
seemed little Of him but long. lean
lines, and if 1t had not been for his
keen, thoughtful, kindly eyes, his face
would have resembled a death mask
of man starved.
ashore / want to know what day
is it an what month";" asked Laid.
Nobody could answer him. The
question seemed surprise to Gale.
and evidently was so to the others.
"Look at that cactus" went on
Ladd
81 reckon according to that giant
cactus it's somewheres along the end
of March," said Jim Lash. soberly.
ashore it's April. Look ghere the
sun is. An can't you feel it's gettin'
hot?'
"supposin' it is April?' queried
Lash, slowly.
WELL what I'm drivin' at is It's
about time you all was hittin' the trail
back to Forlorn River, before the
waterholes dry out"
daddy, I reckon wen start soon
as you're able to be put on a boss"
sShore thatIl be too late"
A silence ensued, in which those
who heard Laid gazed fxedly at him
and then at one another. Lash I'M
easily shifted the position of his lame
leg, and Gale saw him moisten his lips
with his tongue.
"Charlie Ladd, / amt reckonin' you
mean we're to ride off an leave you
here?"
"What else is there to do? The
hot weather's close. Pretty soon most
Of the waterholes will be dry. You
can't travel then. I'm on my
back here, an God only knows when
I could be packed out Not for weeks.
mebbe. I'll never be any good again,
even lie / was to get out alive,
You see, shore this sort Of case comes
round sometimes in the desert. It's
common enough. I've heard of sew
eral cases where men had to go an
leave Teller behind. It's reasonable.
If you're fightin' the desert you can't
afford to be sentimental. -. Now.
as I said, I'm all in. So what's the
sense of you waitin' here, when it
means the old desert story? BY goin'
now mebbe you'll get home. Shore
now, boys you'll see this the right
way? Jim, old pard?"
mo, Laddy, an / can't figger how
you could ever ask me-"
Shore then leave me here with va
qui an a couple Of the bosses. we
can eat sheep meat. An if the water
holds out"
mol" interrupted Lash, violently.
Ladd's eyes sought Gales face.
"Son, you amt bull-headed like Jim.
You'll see the sense Of 1t. There's
Nell a-waitin' back at Forlorn River.
Think what it means to her! You'll
go, son, won't you?"
LICK SnOOK MS neaQ.
The ranger turned his gaze upon
Thorne and now the keen, glistening
eyes had blurred.
.'Thorne, it's different with you.
Jim's fool, an young Gale has been
punctured by choya thorns. He's got
the desert poison in his blood. But
you now-you've no call to stick-you
can find that trail out. Take your
wife an go. Shore you'll go,
Thorneg'
Deliberately and without a mo-
ment's hesitation the cavalryman re.
piled mo-
Ladd then directed his appeal to
Mercedes. His face was now con-
vulsed, and his voice, though it had
sunk to whisper, was clear, and
beautiful with some rich quality that
Gale had never before heard In it.
Mercedes, you're woman You're
the woman we fought for. An some
of us are shore goin' to die for you.
Don't make it all for nothin'. Let us
feel we saved the woman. Shore you
can make Thorne go. He'll have to
go if you say. They'll all have to go,
Think of the years Of love an happi-
ness In store for you. A week or so
an it'll be too late. Mercedes, don't
make it all for nothin'. Say you'll
persuade Thorne, If not the Others.
For all the effect his appeal had to
move her, Mercedes might have pos
sessed heart as hard and fixed as
the surrounding lava