The Desire of the Moth; and the Come On

Door-her ye

ore than he

rinkles be

h at the ta

l marry when

ringle, at the mesa's last headland, drew rein to

save for this twenty-mile sheer upheaval of the Organ-stretched away to north and south against the unclouded sky, till distance turned the

their unforgotten shapes and pieced this vast landscape to the patchwork map in his head. Those toy hills we

elf. Guess I'll take a pasear back to Prescott. Railroad? Who, me? Why, son, I like to travel when I go anywhere

dyssey of his wonder years. Some of them had been made in haste. But there was no haste now. Sam Bass, his corn-fed sorrel, was hardly less sleek and sturd

low hills, rimmed with a curving, jagged range. Beyond that range was a nothingness, a hiatus that marked the sunken valley of the Rio Grande; beyond that, a headlong infinity of unknown ranges, tier on tier, yellow or

y green, broidered with loops of flashing river-a ribbon six miles by forty, orchard, woodland, and green field, greener for the desolate gray desert beyond and the yellow hills of sand edging the valley floor. Below

saw a white feather of smoke from a toiling train; beyon

lifted his bridle re

ly, half-dreamily-as if he voiced indirectly

the gate and

he weeds up

and a hoe and

better than a w

ag

ays are

ll our

e remem

el an

in days

ss that Rainbow would scarce have credited, he quoted a

in Annihilat

the Well of

e setting, a

awn of--Nothing.

te and the palace was a very small palace indeed; it was with difficulty that he spied in the semidarkness an empty seat in a side se

, Pringle was dimly aware of a girl

lded gloves to emphasize the remarks he was making to a far less natty man with black mustaches. John Wesley rightly concluded that this second ma

after waiting long enough to register despair, spread his fingers across his brow and be-went; the hero tu

ats. Two Min

el

any boys, and few men; Americans, Mexicans, well-dressed folk and roughly dressed, all together. Many

d again. Simultaneously the girl he had noticed beyond the fat couple moved over to the seat

rtone. "Why, chicken, you're not trying to

ious whisper, each indignant word a missile. "H

ing. "What! Stella Vorhis!

aid Stella, rising. "Let

most sincerely and humbly beg your p

a lau

would be great fun to tease you-pretend to be shocked and dreadfully angry, and all that-but I haven't got time. And oh, John Wesley, I'm so delighted to see you again

years, please. But I thought

ars ago. Here's a benc

a smile unexpected from a face so lean, so brown, so year-bitten an

eyes danc

ve come, John Wes

Dear me-dear both of us! That will make you twenty-five. You don

hen her lids drooped and a

ella Vor

r a little

John Wesley, first-and remember, anything you say may be used against you. Where have you been? Were you dead? Why didn

hand across his gnarled brown fi

om going to and fro upon the earth and from walking up and down in it. But I d

im fingers from his hand and as

yourself, young woman," h

e eaten, drunk, slept, and rested. I have worked and played, been dull and gay, busy and idle, foolish and unwise. That's all. Oh, yes-I'm living in

're

-happy or

ied,

your turn. Where do y

st came down on the morning train to do a little shopping and go back on the four-for

y of your life?"

it, you know-just as long as you can stay. You're horseback, of course? Wel

very hostile major

ver that. He hadn't hea

you now and he'll b

horse is tired-I'll

the first time in his life he has ever been at ease

elation in his voice; he looked back with a pang to the bold and splendid years of

he crazy-mad political feeling; and

I think, a

back a little stray tendril of midnight hair from her dark eyes, and considered him thoughtfully. "Why, J

ld and your pony ran away with you. We were great old

ly. "Then you came to Prescott, and you had lost your th

reed it was best for both o

you were going to stay. Why d

e reflectively, "that

have ever known, you are the only one I have ever lost track of and found again. And you're always just th

id Pringle. "Y

story. You're different from anyone else I know. You're a good boy; when

ut-a sweetly solemn thought comes to me. You were goin

at our house, with the others. And he'll be the very one you'd pick out for me yourself. Of course you'll want to tease me by pretending to guess someone else; but

aught ste

faithful John may ask-before y

convention it is that people are never supposed to congratulat

ut then, it's

"You don't know how happy I am. Or perhaps you do know.

n Wesley. "I'll say this much, though. X marks no sp

ately back to his hotel and rested his elbows on the b

ill it

pitfall," sai