The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-11-04
The Deserts Price
By DIlLlAM MACLEOD RA1NE

THANK God, no. Gitner shot him
treacherously."
"Where is he?"
Come" he said. and he led her to
the spot where her brother lay.
She went down on her knees, with a
wailing sob, beside him. He was sink
ing fast, but he recognized her.
"Jule," he said family. "Gitner. :.
got me from behind -.
had it comm"
The girl looked up quickly at Stone.
Cant you do anything for him?" she
begged.
The Texan shook his head, but It
was Jasper who spoke.
mo use I'm going fast
He shot Dad, too, Gitner did"
The girls arm pillowed his head ten,
derby. She forgot he was a ne'er-do-
well and worse, that he had been dis
credited and disgraced. All she re-
membered was that he was her broth
er. the little boy with whom she had
played and Quarreled and made up,
one uround whom hundred dear
memories twined.
i've been a. bad lot" he MUIR
INJURED. IF you'd-pray for me, SIS"
She did, br0kenly. with heart from
which welled love and tears.
Within the hour, peacefully, he
passed away.
The two men were grateful to him.
He had not told the whole truth. Ii
he had been guilty of completely in his
fathers death Julia would never know
it now. She could not wear her heart
out in bitter shame, since both Of those
who knew the facts were lying here
dead. Her grief could be clean sorrow.
They carried the body of Jasper to
the cabin and laid it on one of the
hunks.
Hours later, in the middle Of the
night, while Julia lay sound asleep.
worn out by her exertions and her
sorrow, Dominick Rafferty, and his
posse reached Horse Thief park. Not
till morning did she know that they
had come.
While she was asleep their plans
had been made. They would bury Git
ner on the edge the rock field and
bring Jasper's bodY back to the Circle
Cross. Meanwhile Stone and Mccain
would ride with her to the sheep
ranch.
To her anxious inquiries Dominick
reported Phil doing we'll
After breakfast the three started
homeward
In Julia's grief there was an element
of relief that at moments distressed
her. For months she had been op-
pressed by fears and doubt and shame.
These were gone. The end had come,
and it was not so bad as she had
dreaded. Wilson Mccain had ex-
planned to her that her brother was
not a rustler but had been brought
there by Gitner and killed because he
knew too much. She was anxious to
believe this, to believe that he had
been weak and not wicked. The con-
viction that he would have gone from
refused to consider, but 1t was this
feeling that made the loss of Jasper
bearable. In the hour of his death at
any rate he had come near to her and
chung to the comfort she had to offer.
They rode through the golden dawn.
for the most part in silence, below
them lilac lakes of light in the shadowy
hollows of the hills. Julia, riding
knee to knee beside her lover. felt him
very close to her. Words were not
necessary to tell J er with what ten
der care his sympathy EMBODIED her.
She knew that the barriers built be-
tween them had been swept away as
though they had never existed.
Out of the fierce and ruthless desert
he had come to her. bringing its
strength and endurance. the deep
hidden tenderness and the imagination
that transforms II from a devouring
and rapacious Sahara to fairyland
Of magic light and shadow.
She knew he would not speak to her
yet while her grief was green. Today
was to be for hel dead brother. Ali
the years to come were to be for him
and her. Not even the eyes that met
hers would tell the story that filled
his heart, not until he felt the time
had come.
Julia loved him for it, for the
strength that held repressed the emo
ton of this STRAIGHTFORWARD brown
faced rider of the plains.
Once only she yielded to the feeling
that surged up in her. 1t was when
they came to an opening in the hills
and looked down on the Painted desert
set in it's rose and golden envelopes
of air.
"The morning of the world" she
whispered.
He looked at his Eve, for one vivid
moment the mask off. Their eyes
fastened. plunged to the bottom of
each others heart.
"Of our world" she added, and in
her dusky eyes was reflected the glow
of the newborn day. warm, vital,
sparkling with hope.
Wilson Mccain drew deep breath
of joy. Never In all his hard years
had he known soul so radiant, SO
noble in its generous gift of living, as
hers. She was to be his mate. She
would bring to him all the warmth
and color Of her shining glory. The
beauty of life flooded his being to tho
point of ecstatic pain.
His brown hand went out to hers
in strong grip.
"Yes, Of our world" he murmured.
1.-THE END.1
Cau.d. P:~h - Natal.