Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (April 10, 1924)
Desert Dust By Edwin C. Sabin Author of “How Are You Feeling?” etc. »SBa3aeBt.-iwaiMw»ii>iiii!iMiigiinewewi»i>iii!il:iiiewwiawwBiiBM i«aff CHAPTER XV The Trail Narrows Again we broke camp. We rolled down from the plateau into that wizard basin lying all beautiful and slumberous and spell-locked like some laud of cart’s desire. We replenished mi? water casks from the tank cars, we swapped tor a little .feed, uc occasionally exchanged ’greetings with contractor outfits, and with grading crows. In due time we passed end o’ track, where a bevy of sweated men were moiling like mad, clanging down the rails upon the hasty tics and ever calling for more, moire. I witnessed little General “Jack” Basement of Ohio—a small man with full russet beard and imperative bold blue eves— teetering and tugging at his whiskers and rampantly swear ing while he drove the work for ward And we left end o’ track, vainly reaching out after us, until the ring of the rails and the staccato of the rapid sledges faded upon our ears. Now we were following the long line of bare grade, upturned reddish by the plows and scrap ers and picks and shovels; some times elevated, for contour, sometimes merged with the desert, itself. There the navvies digged and delved, scarcely taking time to glance at us. And day by duy we ploded in the interminable clouds of desert dust raised by the supply wagons. Captain Hyrum fought shy of their camps. The laborers were mainly Irish, trans-shipped from steerage, dock, and Bowery, and imported from Western mining centers; turbulent in their re laxations and plentifully suppli ed with whiskey: companies, they, not at all to the Mormon mind. Consequently we halted apart, from them—and well so, for those were wosnanless camps and the daily stint bred strong appetites. There were places where we made half circuit out from tho f rade and abandoned it entirely, n this way we escaped the dust, the rough talk, and the tempta tions, now and again obtained a modicum of forage in the shape of course weedy grasses at Hie bor ders of sinks. But it was a cruel country on men and beasts. Our teamsters who had been through by the Overland Trail said that the Bit ter Creek desert was yet worse: drier, barer, dustier and uglier. Nevertheless this was our daily program: io rise after a shivery night, into the crisp dawn which once or twice glinted upon a film of ice formed in the water buckets; to herd the stiffened animals and place them convenient; to swal low our hot coffee and our pork and beans, and flapjacks when tho cooks were in the humor; to hook the teams to the wagons and break corral, and amidst crack ing of lashes stretch out into column, then to lurch and groan onward, at snail'g pace, through the constantly increasing day un til soon we also were wrung and parched by a relentless heat suc ceeding the frosty night. The sleeping beauties of the realm were ever farther removed. $u the distances they awaited, during with promise of magic-in vested azure battlements, languid ireds and yellows like tapestry, and patches of liquid blue and dazzling snowy white, canopied by a soft, luxurious sky. But wben we arrived, near spent, the battlements were only isolated sandstone outcrops inhabited by rattlesnakes, the reds and yellows were sun baked soil as hard, the liquid blue was poisonous, stag, nant sinks, the snow patches were soda and bitter alkali, the luxurious sky was the same old white-hot dome, reflecting tho blazing sun upon the fuming earth. Then at sunset we made cor ral ; against theft, when near the grade; against Indians and pil lage when out from the grade, with tho animals under herd guard. There were fires, there was singing at the Mormon camp, there was the heavy sleep beneath blanket and buffalo robe, through the biting chill of a breezeless night, the ground a welcomed bed, the stars vigilant from horizon to horizon, the wolves stalking and bickering like avid ghouls. So we dulled to the falsity of the desert and the drudgery of the trail; and as the grading camps became less frequent the 22 men grew riper foi any diver sion. That My Lady and Daniel and I were to furnish it seemed to be generally accepted. Here were the time-old (dements: two men, one woman—elements so constituted that in other situa tion they might have brought comedy but upon such a trail must and should pronounce for tragedy, at least for true melo < iraiu a. Besides, I was expected to up hold the honor of our Gentile mess along with my own honor. That .was demanded; ever offer ed in cajolery to encourage my pistol practice. 1 was, in short, “elected,” hy an obsession equal to a conviction; and what with her insistently obtruded as a bonus l never was permitted to lose sight of the ghastly prize of skill added to merit. At first the matter had disturb* ed and horrified me mightily, to the extent that I anticipated evading the issue while preparing against it. Surely this was the current of a prankish dream. And dreams 1 nad—frightfully tumultuous dreams, of red anger and redder blood, sometimes my own blood, sometimes another,s; dreams from which I awakened drenched in cold nightmare sweat. To be infused, even by bunkum and banter, with the idea of kill ing, is a sad overthrow of sane balance. I would not 'nave con ceived the thing possible to me a month back. But the monoto nous desert trail, the close eompanying with virile, open minds, and the strict insistence upon individual rights—yes, and the irritation of the same faces, the same figures, the same fare, the same labor, the same scant recreations, all worked as poison, to depress and fret and stimulate like alternant chills and fever. Practice I did, if only in friendly emulat ion of the'others, as a pass-the-time. I improved a little in drawing easily and fir ing snap-shot. The art was good to know, bad to depend upon. In the beginnings it worried mo as a sleight-of-hand, until I saw that it was the established code and Giat Daniel himself looked to no other. In fact, lie pricked mo on, not so much by word as by manner, which was worse. Since that evening when, in the approving parlance of my friends, I had “cut him out” by walking with her to the Adams fire, we had ex changed scarcely a word; he ruf fled about at his end of the train and mainly in his own precincts. and I held myself m leash at mine, with self-consciousness most annoying to me. But his manner, his manner— by swagger and covert sneer and ostentatious triumph of alleged possession emanating an unw’eari ed challenge to my manhood. My revolver practice, I might mark, moved him to shrugs and flings; when he hulked by me he did so with a stare and a boastful grin, but without other response to my attempted “Howdy?”; now’ and again he assiduously cleaned his gun, sitting out w’here I should see even if I did not straightway look; in this he was most faith ful, with sundry flourishes baby ing me by thinking to intimidate. Withal he gave me never ex cuso of ending him or placating him, but.shifted upon me the bur den of choosing time and spot. Once,- inded, we near had it. That wras on an early morning. He was driving in a yoke of oxen that had strayed, and he stopped short in passing where I was busied with gathering our mules. * ‘ Say, Mister, I want a word with yu,” he demanded. “Well, out with it,” I bade; and my heart began to thump. Possibly 1 paled, 1 knew that I blinked, the sun being in my eyes. He laughed, and spat over his shoulder, from the saddle. “Needn’t be skeered. I ain’t goin’ to hurt ye. I ’laow yu ex pected to make up to that woman, didn’ yu, ’fore this?” “What woman?” I encourag ed ; but I was w’ondering if my * revolver was loose. “Edna. ’Cause if yu did, ’tain’t no use, Mister. Why,” indulgently, “yu couldn’t marry her—yu couldn’t marry her no more’n yu could kill me. Yu’re a Gentile, an’ yu’d be bustin' yore own laws. But thar ain’t no Gentile laws for the Lord’s an’inted; so I thought I’d tell yu I’m liable to nariw ber myself. Yu’ve kep’ away from her eon slder’ble; tliis is to tell yu yu •nought as well keep keepin’ away. ’' “I sh’an’t discuss Mrs. Monto yo with you, sir,” I broke, cold, instead of hot, watching him very narrowly (as I had been taught to do), my hand nerved for the inevitable dart. ‘‘But I am her friend—her friend, mind you; and if she is in danger of being imposed upon by you, l stand ready to protect her. For I want you to know that I’m not afraid of von, day or night. Why, you low dog—•—!” and I choked, itching for the crisis. He gawked, reddening; his right hand quivered; and to my chagrin lie slowly laughed, scan nin me. “I seen yu practicin’. Go ahead. I wouldn’t kill yu naow. Or if yu want practice in ’arnest, start to draw.” He waited a moment, in easy insolence. I did not draw. ‘‘Let. yore dander cool. Thar’s no use yu tryin’ to buck the Mormons. I’ve warned ye.” And he passed on, crack ing his lash. Sudenly 1 was aware that, as seemed, every eye in the camp had been fastened upon us two. My fingrs shook while with show of nonchalance I resumed ad justing the halters. ‘ ‘ Gosh ! Looked for a minute like you and him was to have it out proper,” Jenks commented matter of fact, when I came in. “Hazin’ you a bit, was he? What’d. he say?” “He warned me to keep away from Mrs. Montoyo. Went so far as to lay claim to her himself, the whelp. Boasted of it.” “Throwed it in your face, did he? Wall, you goin’ to let him cache her away?” “Look here,” I said desperate ly, still a tremble: “Why do you men put that up to me? Why do you egg me on to interfere? She’s no more to me than she is to you. Damn it, I’ll take care of myself but I don’t see why I should shoulder her, except that she’s a woman and I won’t see any woman mistreated.” He pulled his whiskers, and grinned. “Dunno jest how fur you’re elected. Looks like tlnere was something between you and her —though I don’t say for shore. But she’s your kind; she may be a leetle devil, but .she’s your kind —been eddicated and acts the lady. She • ain’t our kind.'j Thunderation I What’d we do with her? She’d be bet-ter off marry in* Dan']. He’d give her a home. If you hadn’t been with this train I donijt believe she’d have ,follered in. That’s the proposition. You got to fight him anyway; he’s set out to back you down. It’s your fracas, isn’t “I know it,” I admitted. “He’s been ugly toward me from the first, without reason.” “Reckoned to amuse himself. He’s one o' them fellers that think to show off by ridin’ some body they think they can ride. The boys hate to see you lay down to that; for you’d better call him and eat lead or else quit the country. So you might as well give him a full dose and take the pot.” “What pott” “The woman, o’ course.” “I tell you, Mrs. Montoyo has nothing to do with it, any more than any woman. It’s a matter between him and me—he began it by jeering at me before she ap peared. I want her left out of it.” “Oh, pshaw 1” Jenks scoffed. “That can’t be did. He’s fetch ed her into it. What do you aim to do, thent Dodge hert When you’re dodgin’ her you’re dodgin’ him, or so he’ll take it.” “I’ll not dodge him, you can bet on that,” I vowed. “I don’t seek her, nor him; but I shall not go out of my way to avoid either of them.” “And when you give him his dose, what’ll you dot” “If that is forced upon me. nothing. It will be in defense of my rights, won’t itV But I don’t want any further trouble with him. I hope to God I won’t have.” “Shore,” Jenks soothed. “You’re not a killer. All the same, you re elected; he began it and you’ll have to finish it. Then you’ll needs look out for yourself and her too, for he’s made her the stakes.” “Why will It” “Got to. The hull train thinks so, one way or t’other, and vou ’re white.” “She can stay with the Mor mons, if she wants to.” Oh, yes; if she wants to. But. do you reckon she doest Not much! She’s lookin’to you— she’s lookin’ to you. She’s a smart leetle piece—knows how to play her cards, and she’s got you and Dan’l goin’.M “But she’s married. You can’t expect-’’ “Oh, yes,’’ he wagged again, interrupting. “Shore. There’s Montoyo. I don’t envy you your job, but damn’ if you mightn’t work harder and do wuss. She’s a clipper, and I never did hear anything ’specially bad of her, beyond cappin’. Whoa, Jinny!” I wrathfully cogitated. Now I began to hate her. I was a tool to her hand, once more, was IT And how had it come about? She had not. directly besought me to it—not by word. Daniel had de creed, and already our antago ' nism had been on. And I had de fied him—naturally. He should not bilk me of free movement. But the issue might, on the face of it, appear to be she. As I tugged at the harness, under breath I cursed the scurvy turn of events ; and in seeking to place the blame found amazing clever ness in her. Just the same, I was not going to kill him for her account; never, never! And I wished to the deuce that she’d kept clear of me denies was speaking. “So the fust chance you get you might as well walk straight into him, call him all the names you can lay tongue to, and when he makes a move for his gun beat him to the draw and come up shootin’. Then it’ll be over with. The longer it hangs, the less peace you’ll have; for you’ve got to do it sooner or later. It’s you or him.” “Not necessarily,” I faltered. “There may be another wray.” “There ain’t, if you’re a he critter on two legs,’ snapped Jenks. “Not in this country or any other whito man’s country; no, nor in red man’s country* neither. What you do back in the States, can’t say. Trust in pray’r, mebbe.” Nevertheless I detenmnd to make a last effort even at the risk of losing caste. In the re action from the pressure of that recent encounter when I might kavc killed, but didn’t, I again had spell of fierce, sick protest against the rele being foisted up on me—foisted, I could see, byj her machinations as well as by his animosity. The position was too false to be borne. There was no joy in it, no zest, no adequta reward. Why, in God’s name, should I be sentenced to have blood upon my hands and soul ? r Shrely I might be permitted to stay clean. Therefore this evening im mediately after corral was form ed I sought Captain Adams, as master of the train; and disre garding the gazes that followed me and that received me I spoko frankly, here at his own wagon^ without preliminary. (To be Continued.) ---— ■ Mother’s Almanac. I tell you, when It comes to dates My mother’s Just the boss. Bhe tells ate all I want to know 'Thout ever gettln’ cross. You'd think she’d get mixed up sometimes. At school I kn&w I do— ’Bout Washington, and Plymouth Rock, And 1492. But mother says: “The war with Spain Was fought In ’98— The year you all had chlckenpox, Exceptin' little Kate. “That year, of course, the Spanish ships Were sunk in Cuba’s channels; 'Twas summer, for I’d put away You children’s winter flannela "The Boer war In Africa— That was a dreadful thing! Began In ’90, I knowr— Jack broke his arm that spring. *• ’Twaa nineteen-four and winter, too, When Jape and Russians fought 1 You almost had pneumonia then From that bad cold you caught.1* There's six of us, and we’re mixed up With hlst’ry Just that way; Sometimes it's measles, oroup os mumps, But there’s no date that ever stumps My mother, night or day! —From the Chicago Tribune. March. I drive the clouds with whip and spun And blow my trumpets far and near! My winds, long famed, at my com mand, Held In the hollow of my hand; With these on misty wings 1 go To melt the lingering drifts of snow And stir to life with fingers wot. The crocus and the violet. On the gray reaches of the sky The cranes like phantom ships go by. Beyond the sight, beyond the town. Their plaintive notes corns faintly down. AH night old Winter’s trumpets blew. And swarms of snowflakes eddying flew. But gentle Spring was In the air. And braved old Winter in his lair. And when at morn the fight was dona His lance lay melting in the sun. —Will Liisenbee. in the Kansas City Star _ _ Pity Her. From Judge. Sarah: "I had a nut sundae.” Clara: “I have one calling tonight," Resolution and Resolutions Forbes Magazine. One fixed resolution lr. better than any number of New Year resolutions. Those who get somewhere in life usually know where they want to get and keep pressing steadily towards their goal. They don’t progress by fits and starts. They don’t "slump” tor a while and then take a sudden notion to move heaven and earth. They ate balanced. They have solidity. They have stability. They possess determination. They allow nothing to swerve them from their fixed purpose, their fixed aim in life. So. instead of forming a lot of brand-new resolutions, form Just one resolution, namely, that}, here after you will have resolution. Kenyon From the Wichita Eagle. One of the men most prominently mentioned os a successor to Attorney General Daugherty Is Judge Kenyon of Iowa. It Is said that he will accept the place. He should not accept It Kenyon Is needed on the federal bench, where there are too few like him. Kenyon went to the bench be cause the system wore the life out of him in the Senate. He tried to repre sent the pople in the Senate and the interests and their bulldozing and bullyragging henchmen made his life a dally hell. The same tactics brought nervous prostration to Sen ator Norris of Nebraska and came very near killing him. Kenyon, up against a choice between physical collapse and the bench, picked the bench. He Is a forward looking and a courageous Judge, In that branch of the government where the more im portant laws are actually made, and he should stick to It. Only a Case of Habit. From Independent Topics. “Wot was the last card oi delt ye, Molke?” “A shpade.” “OI knew It. OI saw ye spit on yer hands before ye picked It up.” Yazoo. From the Wichita Eagle. The other day mention was made in these columns about the Yazoo land frauds. A reader wants to know what they were. In 1789 Georgia sold 15,000,000 acres along the Yazoo river to several companies for $200, 000. President Washington stopped the sale because a boundary dispute with Spain remained unsettled. In 1793 a new company was formed to purchase these lands, headed by Gen eral Gunn of Georgia and James Wilsoh of Pennsylvania, to purchase 21.000. 000 acres of these lands nt #500,000. Members of the Georgia legislature were bribed, wtfh money and land script, to pass a€bill mak ing the sale. It turned out that the bill disposed of 40,000,000 acres, not 21.000. 000. United States Senator Jackson of Georgia was offered 500, 000 acres to keep still. Instead he rose in the Senate, exposed the whole thing, resigned, went home, ran tor the legislature and cleaned the whole corrupt crowd out. He built a bon fire, put the legislative act on it, lighted the whole thing with a sun glass while a clerk recited: “May God save the state and preserve her rights, and may every attempt to ingure them perish as these corrupt papers now do.” Paid In Full. From the American Legion Weekly Judge: "So you plead guilty to robbing Miss Oldum arid then kissing her.” Prisoner: “Yes her honor, But I wanta remind you that a fair exchange is no robbery.” Where God Loses Out From an article in Pravda Moscow. The Home for Children of Red Army Soldiers in Kremenchug, in charge of Comrade Vrona, is consid ered one of the best in the province. The children attend to their work very diligently, draw and study music; games, too, are fairly well or ganized. The change in the outlook of the children is tremendous. The children are ashamed to say "As true as there is a God!” They have become anti-Christians and infidels. Here is a little scene from a recita tion conducted by Comrade Vrona during the "political lesson." “Uncle Pania, is there a God?” “We'll talk about that at some other time.” “But tell us now just the same.” “No, there is no God. All those who believe there is a God raise their hands.” There are three, four, seven and ten hands raised and lowered again. “Now those who are against God.” Quickly a whole forest of hands rises. There is a lusty shout of • Hurrah;” God lias lost out. Neighborhood News Note. From Life. Our neighbors aren't speaking to us any more. They've Just bought a tar. It's rather good-looking, but, of course, it's nothing to turn snobbish over. And we’ve always been on such cordial terms. They were the egg-borrowers and we the butter pests. I used his rake and he used my hoe. Everything was—well, so neighborly and nice. Isn’t It funny tlie way a thing of this sort can turn the heads of the friendliest of people and change warm smiles to frosty grimaces? We’ve gone more than half-way to make up with them, to give them opportunities to be n»ce to us. Hut you might Just as well try lo warm up lo a school of icebergs. Even the baby turns up his nose when he gets a sight of us. You wouldn't think that a little old six cylinder automobile could estrange two families who had been friends for years, would you? Why, we warned them that it had been driven over IO.OOo miles when we sold it to them. “Revolution” in Cuba. Here In Cuba, as soon as there is discontent with the government, we talk of revolution, but It is not a movement as in other countries. It consists simply in going to the coun try to burn and ransack the property of other people. Only when fighting against Spain’s tyranny was destruc tion in the island justifiable. To employ the same methods t 'day would not only he foolish but crim inal as well. None but madmen can think of such an oppositionist prac tice. It would not be the govern ment alone which would suffer, but i also the whole nation. - - SPRING TIME IS TONIC TIME The System Needs “Spring Cleaning,” Just as the Home Does. TANLAC Has Been Called the World’s Greatest Tonic by Over 100,000 Persons, Who Have Testified That Tanlac Has Helped Them Regain Their Strength and Health. DON’T GAMBLE WITH YOUR HEALTH; DEMAND THE BEST Tanlac Has Benefited Thou sands of Persons Suffering From Stomach Trouble, Indigestion, Rheumatism, Nervousness and Kindred Ailments—Tanlac Is for • Sale by All Good Drug gi*ts—Accept No Substi tute—Over Forty Million Bottles Sold. Easy to Get Life, liberty and evasion of unhap piness Is more easily attainable. Cuticura Comforts Baby’s Skin When red, rough and Itching, by hot baths of Cuticura Soap and touches of Cuticura Ointment. Also make use now and then of that exquisitely scent ed dusting powder, Cuticura Talcum, one of the Indispensable Cuticura Toilet Trio.—Advertisement. Oi'd men sometimes reach a point where they quit planning. Aspirin Beware of Imitations! i Unless you see the “Bayer Cross” 00 package or on tablets you are not get ting the genuine Bayer Aspirin proved safe by millions and prescribed by physicians over twenty-three years for Colds Headache Toothache Lumbago Neuritis Rheumatism Neuralgia Pain, Pain Accept “Bayer Tablets of Aspirin* only. Each unbroken package contains proven directions. Handy boxes of tweive tablets cost few cents. Drug gists also sell bottles of 24 and 100. Aspirin Is the trade mark of Bayer Manufacture of Monoacetlcacldester of Salleylicacid. loRfr Lift Off-No Pain! I I Doesn't hurt one bitDrop a little “Freezone” on an aching corn, Instant ly that corn stops hurting, then short ly you lift It right off with fingers. Your druggist sells a tlnv bottle of “Freezone" for a few cents, sufficient to remove every hard corn, soft corn, or corn between the toes, and the foot calluses, without soreness or Irritation. Green’s August Flower The remedy with a record of fifty-seven years of surpasaing excellence. All who suffer with nervous dyspepsia, sour stom ach, constipation, indigestion, torpid liver, dizziness, headaches, coming-up of food, wind on atomach, palpitation and othet indications of digestive disorder, will find Greeny August Flower an effective and efficient remedy.Forfifty-sevenyears this medicine has been successfully used in millions of households all over the civil ised world. Because of its merit and pop ularity GREEN S AUGUST FLOWER can be found today wherever medicines are sold. 30 and 90 cent bottles.
