Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-27
THE EVENING STORY
One of the Worlds Best Works

stood in my Stirrup and looked to
my right, but Revels was gone;
glanced by my shoulder and saw his
horse Stagger; saw his head dropping
hard on his breast, and his naked
breast STOPPING low down to the name
as so swifter and holder ran reaching
out for us the red-footed fire. To right
and to left the black buffalo came, In
miles and in millions, rolling on in
despair, with their boards to the dust
and black tails in the air.
As a terrible surge on a red sea
of fame rushing on in the rear, reach
ing high, reaching higher, and he rode
neck to neck to a buffalo bull, the
monarch of millions, with shaggy name
full of smoke and of dust, and it shook
with desire of battle, with rage and
with bellowings, loud and unearthly, and
up through its lowering cloud came
the flash of his eyes like a half hidden
fire, while his keen, crooked horns
through the storm of his name like
black lances lifted and lifted again, and
looked but this once, for the fire lick
ed through, and he fell and was lost,
as we rode, two and two.
looked to my left, then. and nose.
neck and shoulder sank slowly, sank
surely, till back to my thighs, and up
through the black blowing veil of her
hair did beam full in mine her two
marvellous eyes with longing and love,
yet a look of despair and a pity for
me, as she felt the smoke fold her
and flames reaching far for her glorious
hair. Her sinking Steed faltered, his
eager ears fell to and fro and un-
steady, and all the neck's swell did sub
side and recede and the nerves fall as
dead Then she saw that my own
steed still lorded his head with a look
of delight, for this Pachee, you see, was
her fathers, and once at the South
Santa Fe had won whole herd, sweep
ing everything down in race where
the world to run for the crown, and
so when I won the true heart of my
bride-my neighbours and deadliest enc
my's child, and child of the kingly war
chief of his tribe-She brought me this
steed to the border the night she met
Revels and me in her perilous fight
from the lodge of the chief to the
North BrazoS side, and said, so half
guessing of i'll as she smiled, as If jest
ing, that I, and only, should ride the
f1eet-footed Pachee, so If kin should
pursue, should surely escape without
other ado than to ride, without blood,
to the North BraZoS side, and await
her. and wait till the next hollow moon
hung her horn in the palms, when
surely and soon and swift she would
join me, and all would be well without
bloodshed or word.
And now, she fell from the front,
and went down in the ocean of fire,
the last that saw was look of de-
light that should eScape-a Iowa
deSire-yet never a word, not look
of appeal, lest I should reach hand,
should stay hand or stay heel one In
slant for her in my terrible flight.
Then the rushing of fire rose around
me and under, and the bowling of
beasts like the sound of thunder
beasts burning and blind and forced
onward and over, as the passionate
flame reached around them and wove
her hands in their hair, and kissed hot
till they died-till they died with a
wild and deSolate moan, as sea heart
broken on the hard brown stone. And
into the Bra1Os-I rode all alone-all
alone, save only horse long -limbed
and blind and bare and burnt to- the
skin. Then, just as the terrible sea
came in and tumbled its thousands h0i
into the tide, till that tide blocked IN
and the swift stream brimmed in eds
dies, we struck on the opposite side.
Sell Paehee-blind Pachee? Now
mister. look here, you have slept in my
tent and partcok of my cheer many
dayS, many DAYS on this rugged from