Evening star., 1931-06-21

told himself over and over. I'm never goilA;
to forgive myself for that"
Then-the Thunder Pumper faltesedg He
had come to the place where a brace of
hounds had laid their hot smoking bodies on
the rock; and all over the stone too, were the
invisible trampling trails the IL dogs had
made and the men, and the horses musky-
smelling hoofs. He stopped and lifted his
head, and for the first time slowly turned it
tc look Mississippi in the face with his mourn
full yellow eyes.
It was as if he said, This is as far as
can go; there is more left :"
Mississippi did not speak, because he could
not; slowly he sat down and averted his face
from the other men. The Thunder Pumper
Whimpered-and put down his head. And
once more he was lost in the mysteries of
the trail
At sunset the Thunder Pumper brought
them to the edge of the rock, still step by step
to the last; and here the redbone pack-the
pack that had ia lcd-recognized the trail
shown to them on the better earth The
horses could no longer follow the rough trail
and Mississippi followed the dogs alone at a
stumbling run through the starl ght.
So finally he came to limp slender figure
lying motionleSS in a ravine, not 10 yards
from point at which Glenn Harky had passed
in his hallooing search. Though dozen had
ridden there, they would hardly have found
her, so st,n she lay under the chinquapin
scrub. She was alive
Before Villa Brent at last opened her eyes,
and knew where she was, or with whom she
was established on Mississippis couch, in the
cabin he had built thinking of her
"Will you ever forgive me, Mississippi"
For what child?"
For coming here"
why, honey child"
Il just couldn't stand it any longer,
Mssssip'."
1T must have been terrible what with all
them relations"
1T wasn't that. 1t was Just the thinking
that you were gone, and that I wasn't going
to hear the hound music coming down the
trail to our house any more"
Il reckon I'd have come down that tran
before very long," said Mississippi. "Of course,
after your paw made you promise you wouldn't
have anything to do with me any more"
Why, Mississippi, never promised any
such thing!"
'Why-but thought"
You were in the saddle by then But I
Colo DAD that that was the one thing woiYid
not promise, ever in the world Then after
WHILE guessed you had misunderstood; and
rooe up to your cabin, and you were gone
So thought I'd just ride along, kind of casual,
and pretend" Villa began to cry.
Snush, there-:ts all right now, honey
child. You're safe, thank heaven, and I'm
going to make you marry me so quick YOU
won't have time to say jack rabbit"
I wouldn't admit the truth to myself; bat
there's no use fooling any more. I know now
I'd rather live with you in tree than be
alive any place else at all"
Reckon we won't have to live in tree. hon"
Perhaps her eye caught the CLINT of the old
Drasses from that other country that Missis-
slppi was from; for she looked around the room
Tor the hrst time. A look of puzzlement came
into her face as she saw all those surprising
things that he had so painstakingly gathered
there.
"Mississippi-where are we?"
Home. Home honey"
Inc forgotten Thunder Pumper came in
YEARLY and laid big mournful head on the
edge Of the couch.
Copyright, 193O)