The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1926-02-19
wNU Service.
VlNGIE E. ROE
OPYRICtTT By THE Nc CALL cCNRANY@


time"
The gorge lifted and widened and
presently they passed several of these
strange pools, set mysteriously In the
shelving floor.
The towering walls fell away and
they had the feeling of coming up into
another world. Soil began TO appear
in place of the abundant blue sand,
and trees and grass clothed the floor
in ever increasing beauty.
Fair drew Diamond up and waited
until Nance rode alongside and they
went forward into tiny country set
IN the ridging rock of the shallow can
yon TO where Grey spring whispered at
the edge of the Circle.
''See!" cried Nance, waving a hand
about at the smiling scene. ut Is a
magic place-no less!"
The spring itself was a narrow
trickle above sands as gray as cloth,
never-ceasing flow of water, clear and
icy cold. and beyond it was round
little fiat, thick with green grass be-
meath spreading mush-oaks, a spot for
fairy conclaves.
"Yes," nodded the man, at Is magic
the true magic of Nature in gracious
man."
Are we going to have the cookies
now?" came the anxious pipe of the
boy, and Fair laughed.
Cant get away from the deadly
commonplace, Miss Allison, with Son.
ny on the Job. Poor little kid-he's
about fed up on untrammeled nature
I'm afraid / owe him a big debt for
what I've done to him-and yeti
am trying to pay a bigger one which
someone else owes him. Let's camp"
They dropped the reins and turned
the horses loose to Craze, and Fair
built a little fire of dry wood which
sent up a straight column of smoke
like a signal.
Nance united her bundle from the
saddle thongs and Fair unrolled a
dozen trout, firm and cool In their
sheath of leaves. He hung them deity
| to the flames on bent green twig and
Romance danced attendance on the
hour. He was expert from long ex-
| perience of cooking in the open, and
| when he finally announced them done
they would have delighted an epicure.
Nance laid out clean white cloth
| and spread upon 1t such plain and
wholesome things as cold corned beef,
white bread and golden butter, home
made cucumber pickles and sugared
cookies.
They were poor folk all, the nomad
little beyond the grind Of work, but
they were richer than Solomon In all
his glory, for they had health and
youth, and that most priceless thing
Of ALA clear conscience and the
eager expectation of the good the next
day holds.
They sat cross-legged about their
sylvan board and forgot such things
as work and hardship and the bitter
ness of threatened feud, and-mayhap
vengeance.
They talked Of many things and all
the time Nance's wonder grew at
Fairs wide knowledge of the outside
world, at his gentle manners, his quiet
reticence In some ways, his general
freedom in others.
He told her of the cities and the
sea, spoke Of Mexico, and this and
that far place, but mostly he brought
her pictures Of her own land-the
| 20 he III
mesas-and the girl, starved for the
unknown, listened open-lipped.
They cleared away the cloth and
Nance took Sonny In her lap, while
Fair stretched out at length smoking
in contentment.
The child slept, the sun dropped
down the cloud-flecked vault, and II
was Fair himself who finally put an
end to the enchanted hour. rising and
catching up the horses.
You have far to go, Miss Allison,
he said as he stood beside her smiling
down into her face, "and Sonny anC
must be careful not to work hard
ship on you. or you might not come
again"
The ride back down Little Blue was
! quiet. A thousand impressions were
moiling happily in Nance's mind. Hel
eyes felt drowsy, a little smile KEPT
pulling at her lips corners, and yet
so wholly inexperienced was she, she
did not know what magic had beer
at work in the green silence of the
Circle and Grey spring.
1t was only when Fair pulled his
horse so sharply up that Buckskir
nearly stumbled on his heels that sht
came out of her abstraction. He sal
rigid in his saddle, one hand extended
in warning, gazing straight ahead t