The Winning of Barbara Worth

driver of the lighter rig with its four broncos set out for San Felipe. On the front seat of the big wagon T

ah

e!" As the brake was released with a clash and rattle of iron rods, the

their line on the West, "Halt!" and it stopped. To the land of lean want, of gray death, of gaunt hunger, and torturing thirst, that crept to their feet on the other side, "Stop!" and it came no farther. With no land to till, no mineral to dig, their very p

echoed again. Loudly, wildly, the rude sounds assaulted the stillness until the quiet seemed hopelessly shattered by the din. Softly, tamely, the sounds drifted away in the clear distance; through groves of live oak, thickets of greasewood, juniper, manzanita and sage; into canyon and wash; from bluff and ledge; along slope and sp

r dinner. When the meal was over, Texas Joe, with the assistance of Pat, filled the water bar

ing'," remarked the Irishman inquiring

ugh, when you need it worst, there ain't none there, an' I reckon a dry water hole is about the most discouragin' propos

owy gloom. The little stream that trickled down from the tiny spot of green at the spring tried bravely to follow but soon sank exhausted into the dry waste. A cool wind, like a draft through a tunnel, was in their faces. After perhaps two hours of this the way widen

mighty curtain were lifted--they faced the desert. At their feet the Mesa lay in a blaze o

ttered involuntary exclamations. Jefferson Worth, Texas, and Abe were silent, but the boy's thin features were aglow with eager enthusiasm, and the face

shadow, and the deep sky poured its resistless flood of light upon the vast dun plain with savage fury, as if to beat into helplessness any living creature that might chance to be caught thereon. And the desert, receiving that flood from the wide, hot sky, mysteriously wov

izard, horned- toad, lean jack-rabbit, gaunt coyote, and their kind. Only the hard growth that the ages had evolved do

, insistent, compelling spirit of the land; a brooding, dreadful silence; a waiting--waiting--waiting; a mystic call that was at once a

f the Southwestern and Continental must follow the base

ere. Dry River Crossin' is jest beyond. You can see Lone Mountain off here to the south. Hit'll sure be some warm down there. Look at them dust-devil's dancin'. An' over there, where you see that yellow mist like, is a big sand storm. We ain't likely to get a long one

Seer in a low tone. He lifted his hat w

translated, crossed himself.

th spoke. "Dr

ellow cloud in the distance, they moved down the slope--down into The K

sir?" asked A

at tru

said about

m on the other side over there. This slope that we are going down now is the ancient beach." Then, while they pushed on into the silence and the heat of th

ng formed; sometimes there were glassy, hard, bare alkali flats; again the trail led through jungle-like patches of desert growth or twisted and wound between high hummock

ast Range that walled in the Basin. Texas Joe, watching these clouds, said nothing; but when Pat threw on the gro

of snow, were never quite still. Always they move eastward before the prevailing winds from the west. Through the greater part of the year they advance very slowl

r the land. The others saw him stand a moment against the sky, gazing to the northw

ally, "an' she's a big one. I reckon

ic velocity, the wind was coming down through the mountain passes and sweeping across the wide miles of desert, gathering the sand as it came. Swiftly the golden mist extended over their heads, a thick, yellow fog, through which the sun shone dully with a weird, unnatural light. Then the stinging, blinding, cho

to Mr. Worth: "It ain't no use for us to try to go on, s

oking, coughing, sputtering and cursing, the engineer laughed good-naturedly at their predicament, and Abe Lee grinned in sympathy, while Texas Joe accepted the situation grimly with the forbearance of long experience. But Jefferson Worth's face was the same expressionless gra

returned the driver. "It m

move. Against their shelter the sand had drifted nearly to the top of the wheels, and the wagon-box itself was more than half filled. The hair, eye-brows,

w. Again they stopped for the plainsman to take an observation, and this time the four in the wagon, watching the figure of the driver against the

n Worth spoke togethe

rse about a

his call "You, Buck! Molly!" was punctuated by pistol-like cracks

east staggered wearily to meet the wagon--the broken stra

he is wid thirst." He leaped to the ground and start

Jefferson Worth. And his words were follow

sand. "Fwhat the hell--" he demanded hotly, but Texas was eye

the empty shell in his gun. "There ain't hardly enough water to c

at climbed heavil

tted out by the sand that had filled them. "He made that much since the blow,"

piece of a halter strap tied to one of the wheels was more than half-buried by the sand in the lee of a high drift. There was a small water keg,

t at their every movement tons of the dry sand came sliding down upon them. "It ain't no use, Mr. Worth," said Texas, as th

ater in the hole." He kicked the empty keg. "Their supply give out an' then that sand-storm caught 'em and the horses broke loose. Of course they would go to hunt their stock, not darin' to be left afoot and

nity, but with no reward, while the hot sun, the dry burning waste and the glaring sands of the desert warned them that every hour's delay might mean their own death. When t

d, with an exclamation, leaped to the ground. The other

he shouted, "

, running back to the wagon and springing to his

she started ahead in the storm alone. She had got this far when the blow qui

hrowing his weight on the lines he leaned over from his seat. "Look, men! Look there!" he cried, as he pointed. "She's carryin' a ki

s hand across his sand-begrimed face.

ted fingers of his nervous hands caressed constantly his unshaven chin, fingered his clothing, or--gripped the edge of the wagon seat as he leaned forward in his place. Texas-- grim, cool, alert, his lean figure instinct no

tle one stumbled and fell as the sand proved too heavy for the little feet. And all the while the desert, dragging with dead weight at the wheels, seemed to fight against them. It was

that had been made in some forgotten age by an overflow of the great river. Occasionally, after the infrequ

nting mules to stand with drooping heads, started to search the wash. But in a moment Texas shouted and the

fted the canteen and was

xamine the still form

nger was wet. "You see," he said, "when her men-folks didn't come back she started with the kid an' what water she had. But she wouldn't drink none herself, an' the hard trip in the heat a

horus of wild, snarling, barking yowls, with long-drawn, shrill howls, broke on the still air. It was the coyotes' eve

sh came another cry that broke the spell that was upon them a

s drink. Please bring dri

y just awakened from a tired nap by the coyotes' cry, sat a little girl of not more than four years. Her brown hair was all t

he whimpered, "Ba

and his voice, as he spoke to the baby, made his compan

saw in the gray face of the financier, the little one drew back with fear upon her baby features and in her baby voice. "Go 'way! Go 'way!"

but without fear. The boy won a little smile, but she still held back--hesitating--reluctant. Then with a pitiful little gesture of confiden

ut again she shrank from him, throwing her arms about the neck of the See

he engineer's arms--ate hungrily, and when the meal was over he took her to the wagon, while the others, with a lantern, returned to the still form by the dry water hole. At the banker's suggestion, a thorou

ain't willin' to do what's right," he said, "but you see how that sand acted. Why, Mr. Worth, you couldn't move that there drift in a year, an' you know it. I jest gave the mules the last water they'll get an' we're goin' to have all we can do to ma

to the wagon and took their places. As the mules started the baby stirred uneasily in the Seer's arm

, they turned their heads constantly to listen for some sound of human life. But in all that vast expanse there was no light save the light of the stars; in all that silent waste there was no sound save the occasional call of the coyote, the plaintive, quivering note of the ground-owls, the muffled fall of the mules' feet in the soft earth, and the dull chuck, creak, and rumble of the wagon with the clink of trace chains and the squeak of

st her big protector fully. From the shelter of his arms she even smiled at the efforts of Texas, Pat and the boy to amuse and keep her attention from her loss. From Jeffers

ach a small portion. It was Texas now who gave the word to start again on their journey. And when the desert man placed the cante

ndkerchief with his share of the water and gave it to the Seer to wipe the dust from the hot little face of the child. The eyes of the

ing the woman's body and the discovery of the child, followed by the long sleepless night, and now the hard, hot, dreary hours of the struggle with the Desert that seemed to gather all its dreadful strength against them, were beginni

muttering to himself in a growling undertone. Later he seemed to sink into a stupor and appeared to be scarcely conscious of his companions. Suddenly he roused himself and, b

ye! I'm no sun

ched lips he looked straight into the muzzle of the big forty-five and back of the

ked at him, for there was no mistaking the expression on the face of that man with the gun. Beside himself with thirst, forgetting everything

of the canteen, called from the rear seat

companions--a dazed expression on his own countenance, as though he were awakening from a dream. The child, clin

d scarcely hold the canteen. "My Gawd! bhoys," he cried, "fwhat's this I was doin'?" Then he burst suddenly upon Tex w

un into the holster and turned his face away. Jefferson Worth held out a c

screwing the cap back on the canteen, he returned it to its plac

e barrier, shutting in the land of death; shutting out the life that came to their feet on the other side. To the north the hills that rim the Basin caught the slanting rays of the setting sun and glowed rose-color, and pink, and salmon, with deep purple shadows where canyons opened, all rising out of drifts of silvery light. To the northwest two distant, gleaming, sno

carefully, and a smile spread slowly over his sun- blackened features. "What's

e's to ye, domn ye! Ye ain't got us yet. May ye burn an' blishther a

with Pat the little lady's favor, while the Seer looked smilingly on. But when Jefferson Worth approached, with an offering of pretty stones and shells which he had gathered on the old beach, she ran up to the engineer's arms. Still

dust-covered, nearly-exhausted team staggered weakly through the gate. On the driver's seat sat a haggard, begrimed figure holding the reins in his ri

rched, cracked lips parted in what was meant for a smile and he said, in a thi

d he slid heavily to the ground to stand

r. Worth, Tex? What have you done with Jeff

all his strength of will in an effort to think. "Hello, Jac

shman and the boy were lying unco