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THE TRAGEDY OF
AT daybreak Indian Tom emerg
ed from Ills wickiup and stood at
the doorway, open, us Is the cus
tom, towiird tliu mi st. whence the div
ert trilitu expect a Messiah. Ho sur
veyed the forbidding landscape with
nil nil- of proprietorship. Tall, gaunt,
with nn eyee like a coyote'3 anil a ski'i
clinging close to his bony frame, tan
ned to yellow parchment by hundreds
of electric storms, Indian Tom was n
veritable wizard of the wilds. Half a
dozen snarling curs scattered at sight
of him, yelping, anil the three squaws
who formed bis household hanlonol
about their morning tasks. Evidently
there was excellent discipline at bis
rancherla.
Not far to the westward rose the
long, undulating outlines of the Funer
al Mountains bordering Dentil Valley.
On every other lninil stretched the
monotonous wastes of the Mojave Des
ert, now n long way of barren plain,
now n range of hills rising above It. A
few yards from Toin'.s habitation was
a pool of black water which oozed slow
ly from the ground on a little slope.
.When It reached a certain level, it over
flowed and trickled In a narrow rivulet
along the sands Into a piece of ground
Inclosed by wires. Here it kept alive
n scanty growth of native grasses. In
the background of Indian Tom's Imme
diate landscape were dozens of burros,
which constituted bis worldly wealth
and made In at n lord aiming bis fcr
lows. When a burro became famished
to the point of starvation on the sparse
r.age-linish. It was admitted to the little
Inclosure and permitted to feed until It
could sin nd strong upon Its legs. Th;.i
It was clubbed forth upon the desert
ngnln. Indian Tom often sold burres
to prospectors, but the numh.'r did not
diminish, and the ,-ource of constant
enpply wis a mystery which no ma a
bail fathomed.
Above the low mountains hi the dis
tant cast the sun rose like a hall of lire.
There were no soft tints of blue and
imrple along the summits to herald the
approach of O.iwn and Indicate a little
moisture in the air. Hut Instead came
n euildi u Hare of light that burned at
once in the sky and along th: mountain
plcb'S nod on the wide reaclu i of the
plains. The air was shut through an.l
through wiili penetrating, stinging
rays. Here mid there appeared puIVsot'
wind, whirling sand alofl, with an
ominous, swinging. funnel-like mtitio-.i.
And In the far north these j:railii:illy
Increased, iiulil cloud of dust hung
like a curtain against the s';.v. higher
above Hie r.-.nh than the tops of the I
highest mountains. Indian Tom .sttv. J
veyed the scene, r.'.iiffo.l the liet b'.a.ts
which saluted his withered nostrils,
mid muttered. I:i the composite lingo
which lie had picked up fioni prospec
tors of different nationalities: "I'gh!
riucho calor! Heap dam hot wind!"
Then, as one of his squaws placed be
fore him a chunk or dingy-looking
liread. a black bottle, and a savory
combination of jack-rabbit and bacon.'
lie equalled beside them, upon the
ground, mid attacked, with great gusto,
n breakfast which, torn desert Indian,
was an epicure's dream.
Three hours later the shifting gusts
of wind had united in a constant fur
nace blast. And at a point llfteen miles
front Indian Tom's, across the range,
mid upon Hie edge of the tuislu-llke de
pression known ns Death Valley, two
men were sniveling constant torments
from the almost Insupportable heat.
These were Anderson :.nd t!rlines.
propeetots. At the Hist Indications of
nn electric storm they had prepared
nil Insutllelent shelter by making a low
lent of some canvas, under which they
had crawled for protection. They had
also tried to shield their two burros bv
muffling their bends In gunny-sacks, to
screen them from the driving minds
which lo.loon tl e swei pH g blasts of t!i '
norther. This sand penetrated every
where, and cut the skin. If exposed, like
needles. Its drift was not siillielent to
Imry any living, moving thing alive,
but man or beast might become ex
hausted by the heat, mid so Incapable
of motion, and then suffocated. Climes
and Anderson had place., the various
articles of their mining outfit us a low
COYOTE HOLE. 1
rampart oa the side r:t the wind, and
the sand had drifted over them. When
Grimes lirted nn ax, to place it among
their other possessions, a spark of elec
tricity passed to his arm, with a report
like the creek of a pistol, and the arm
was fit 111 benumbed from the shock.
The high electrical tension in the nt
mr.siiheiv wi"s. In Itself, a tremendous
strain upon the nerves. Moreover, it
burned all vitality out of the air and
added to its beat. To expose a hand
from the partial shelter of the canvas
im.int a blister on the skin; and the
two men lay upon the ground, strug
gling for breath, moistening their lips,
every few moments, from the contents
of their canteen.;, and swearing a con
stant succession of miners' oaths at tho
"luck" which had brought them to the
coiilines or Death Valley on this dire
ful day.
"I wonder if the critters is alive?"
said Anderson. In n lull of the tempest
which permitted the raising of his
voice nbove the whistling of the wind.
"If they be," he added, "'twould be n
mercy to wet their noses with a little
water."
Crimes struggled to his feet, throw
ing off Die weight of the canvas, which
had been pressed down upon them by
the drifting Rand. Five minutes later
the burros had been resurrected, the
gunny-sucks lied been removed from
their heads, and their mouths had been
thoroughly sponged. When these things
bad been done, and everything had
been adjusted for a probable recur
rence of the tempest, the men found
that they bad ji:st one canteen of water
left, one which had been tilled at Coy
ote Hole ns they had come past a few
boms before. It had been kept until
the last ns being the freshest. They
each took n "pull" at this.
"It's pretty bitter and brackish. Isn't
It'.'" Crimea remarked. "Some way I
never liked that water. It tastes to
mo like nrsciilc and asphalt. Hut by
. it's good! (live me some more.
It's good. It's good, It's good. Ha! this
i:i lite. .No man knows what joy lie can
get or.t of a little thing untfl lie's been
almost (lead with l;uiu'.cr tr with tliliai.
Don't you think so, pard: '
"Don't be an Idiotic fool," Anderson
replied. "The wind's n-coniln' up again.
Fitter i u Id .wn 1 ore Ik hind the ( utiit,
and tee that you make that water go
Jest as fur ns it will, if we can r.tun l
It till night, and the moon conns up,
su:d the wind gees down, and the bur
res is alive, and v.e can g!t to Indian
Ti.m't:, where there's water, we're nil
right. Dr.t if v.e can't why. then we're
jest dead anil burled, ami tlai's nil
there Is of it," was Anderson's grimly
phllcMiphh i:l reply.
So, as the long afternoon wsre drear
ily on, the two men lay under their im
provised shelter and suffered In si
lence, their lips too parched and swol
len to talk, their eyes bloodshot, their
cheeks puffed and blackened nn the
blood thickened and grew sluggish In
their veins. Tiny turned their faces
apart, an though each dreaded to wlt-
ihss the sulTotittgs of the other, and
pressed their swollen lips against their
teeth to keep back tell-tnle groans.
When the sun went down, bl iod-red
In the west, the wind tank to rest, like
the spent wrath or an iingry giant. The
heat, which bad been press. ng down
upon the earth, seemed lilted nil 'nt
mice ntul Hung abroad It.to space. For
a brief interval the darkness of night
swept over the mountains, pierced ill
the illimitable vault overhead by thou
sands or brlirnnt points or lire. Then
the moon came up, swimming In n sea
or silvery rndlnnce. Anderson anil
Clinics, by n supreme effort, nroitsed
themselves from the lethargy which
had overtaken them in tho closing
hours of tho day, ami prepared to
leave the spot where so much suffering
had been compressed Into so brief a
time.
They tmd adjusted the pack tipon No
bles, the sturdier of tho two burros, and
were preparing to "clueh" the loud on
Jerusalem, n big nnd brawny specimen
of her patient race, nnd their principal
dependence ns n pnek animal. Ander
son stood with Ids foot ngnlnst her
side, pulllug ou the rope that held the
pack in place, vlien pnpoiiy adjusted.
Eut there was no answering pull from
the other side, where Grimes wa3 I
standing. Anderson was angered.
"Why the devil don't you pull?" ho
thundered. Then, In gentler tones, I
"Why, boy, what in the name of Simon I
Peter's trliOKt Is nllln' vnn? Havo votl I
Cot the St. Vitus dance?"
Clinics was reeling in aimless cir
cles, frothing nt tho mouth nnd mak
ing inarticulate cries of pain. Then
he fell to the ground, nnd his legs anJ
arms threshed the ground with spas
modic contortions. Then came nausea,
worse than any seasickness. And a
moment later Crimes sat up nnd "pull
ed himself together."
"Cod!" he said. "That's terrible.
Little the worst I ever had. Who
would havo thought a man could live
through such pain ns that?"
"1 tell you what." Anderson replied.
"You've eaten something that don't
agree with you it's almost like poi
son. You're locoed. We've got to
camp here again and make some coffee
to settle your stomach."
Fortunately, a little nlcchol stove nnd
the necessary fuel were In the outfit.
It took only a few minutes to pre
pare the coffee. In the making of which
they used the last water that they had.
1'nth drank freely: Climes declared
that he was better; the process of load
ing the packs was completed, and they
broke camp, heading for n curved
notch lu the mountains, tho head of a
canyon, beyond which were Indian
Tom's and safety.
After a mile or two of travel, almost
in silence, Crimes called a halt. "I'll
have to rest," he said. "I'm sick again.
1 bate to say so. but I can't go on."
"I'm pretty bad myself," Anderson
replied, when they had stopped.
'Queer, Isn't It?" Then suddenly the
same symptoms which had so tortured
his friend, although In a lesser degree
spasmodic, uncontrollable contrac
tions of tho muscles, a wretched u:ui
sea, and a burning, intolerable thirst,
which teemed to dry up every atom of
vitality and to cleave to the very cen
ters of existence. But Anderson was
strong, and he fought like n lion
ngair.st his unseen foe. When o recov
ered a little from the paroxysms of
pain, ho found Grimes prostrate, moan
ing pitifully, and apparently unable to
move.
"It was In tho water," said Anderson.
"We've boon poisoned. Those devilish
coyote-bounty hunters have put strych
nine lu the springs. Five dollars for a
coytto's scalp and a man cr two thrown
In. Hell, what a country this Is!"
"It's that fiend, Indian Tom," whis
pered Grimes. "He's poisoned the
water nt Coyote Hole, nnd he'll be look
lug for our burros to-morrow. If 1 can
live long enough to stick a knife into
him, I'll be satlstied," and tho rem
nants of the tortured man's voice wan
dered off Into incoherent curses. .
Anderson rallied nil his powers to
meet the situation. "I can walk." ho
said, "and you can ride. Old Jerusa
lem Is strong. I'll tlo you on top of the
pack, nnd we'll get out of here yet.
Era re up!"
"For God's sake, Anderaoon, shsot
me," Grimes replied. "I can't stand
this torture any longer. We've been,!
good friends, you and mo. Take your
revolver nnd blow my brair.s out. If
you have any love for iue,do what I
say, woa't you? Shoot mo, man, shoot
me."
"Now, ceo here," raid Anderson,
"r.cr.o of that. You stop that kind of
talk, or I'll Lnt you over tho jaw. Stop
Ulckln' now, and keep quiet. Here you
go.' Then, exerting all of bis wailing
s.n l glli, AiHkircn lilted his coiiipan
icn to the top of Jerusalem's load. ma',
propped him bitwcin two rolle. 1,1a n
kite. He tied 1:1m securely In piace,
::rd started the Inures ahead, walking
le. side Jerusalem and listening to the
In a rt-iT tiding demand of agonized hu
man nature, "Shod me. shoot tne,
i.hcut mo," r.ntil he was hlmrc'f fran
tic with tho mingled passions of an
ger, pity, ar.d fear.
Thus they traversed the sloping rim
of Death Vnlley nnd the comparatively
ifil ground above It, and dune to tno
long, winding canyon which ope:i3 up
on the confines of tho valley and, at Us
upper extremity, forirs a pass in the
Funeral range, beyond which lie those
ccntlntntior.s of the desert where, nt
this time, Indian Tom's wlcklap nnd
lire adjacent springs were the inns: im
Vortar.t signs of life. ' At intervals
when Jerusalem, staggering beneath
her double lead, stopped to rest, An
del son was compelled to llsteu to ihu
dclii'ous ravings of hie friend,, win
constantly begged for sitsceas from
ln In by death ns for some priceless
favor.
The sltratlon was lutolorably op
pressive to Anderson. The physical
pain which he endured, nlthough'terii
ble. was nothing In comparisou
with bis mental torments na he listen
ed to his friend. There were moments
when he despaired of the issue, and
argued with himself thnt neither could
survive the toilsome Journey; thnt both
must die; ami that It were better to
end nil nt once.
Centering his mind upon this ques
tion, nnd weighing it pro nnd con. An
derson directed Nobles and .lerusnleui
nlirig the nnrro-. precipitous sides or
the canyon, now on the right, now on
the left, here shunting n sand, there
stumbling over rocky ground where
some brief winter torrent had washed
thi! thin Foil from tho mountain-Bids.
The breeze which was drawn down
ward through tlu ennyon was cool and
exhilarating to a degree that was sur
prising, wher one remembered bow
the desert expanses over which It had
boon borne had so recently been broil
ed beneath a tlery sun and swept by a
flaming tornndo. The moonlight, too.
wns very beautiful, nnd the stnrs, dim
med by the light of the moon, yet dis
tinct, shone with that perpetual calm
suggestive of eternity. Gradually a
sense of cuthnnasia, a longing for
death, came over Anderson's spirit. It
would be so easy to breathe away from
thai broken tenement nnd to become
a sentient yet Indestructible portion of
the mighty universe which upheld
those brilliant points of light through
nn infinity of space.
In this frame of mind Anderson no
longer replied to the pleadings nnd
gronnlngs of Grimes until they had al
most completed the ascent of the enn
yon, nnd the burros paused, from sheer
Inability of move further, upon the
highest point where the sides of the
gorge dropped abruptly away Into un
known depths, shrouded in darkness,
where there was no fantastic play of
the moonlight. Here Grimes cnlled
softly for water, asking in the tone of
a spoiled child who believes that its
mother denies its request from caprice.
There was something lu the tone, and
In the repeated, insistent demand that
cut Anderson to the heart. It was real
ly such a little thing, yet so Impossi
ble. "Water, water, won't you givo
me water? Only a drop, one little
drop, nnd I'll bo satisfied."
"Come,'' Enid Ar.ders.ou, gently, "can't
you be yourself for jest a minute?
Don't you know that 1 can't give you
water? Try to reason, Jest a little."
"Water!" was tho Imperious reply
"water, or kill me. In mercy."
Anderson drew his revolver from ita
holster for tho first time. The moon
light glanced from the polished steel
as be held the hnndlo toward Grimes.
Ho Intended to test him.
"Hero is the rovLlvcr," ho slid. "Take
It and use it."
"I can't," wns the reply. "My arms
nre paralyzed. I can't lilt my elbows.
Don't you see that I'm only a wreck
of a man nothing left of mo except n
voice and n brain that's all on Ilro?
Anderson, I'm myself now. I know
what I'm saying, nnd I call on you, as
you nre my friend, to do your duty."
Anderson hesitated for a moment.
He wavered to nnd fro nnd toyed with
the revolver, undecided. Thou, with a
with a quick movement, he turned the
weapon upon his own heart and pulled
tho trigger. There was a report, fol
lowed by a cry. Anderson threw bin
arms Into the nlr, fell, clutched vainly
at the edge of the precipice, and dis
appeared Into the depths.
Again, nt the first break of day, In
dian Tom stood at the door of Ida
wickiup, holding erect his meager
form, unbent by the weight of a huu
dred years, and gazing into the far
reaches of the landscape. The atmos
phere, swept by tho norther of the day
before free from every particle of
moisture, wns perfectly transparent,
nnd every outline of the mountains,
every naked reek nnd shrunken desert
brsh, was dxtluct with a startling In
dividuality. Hero nnd thcro :i jack-rabbit bound
ed over the barren plain, or a coyote
sneaked away from the approach of
day. Shullling unsteadily across tho
sand3 came two gray forms which
Tom watched Intently from their first
appearance In tho distance. Xobleti
wr.s In advance, with the lighter load,
crazed for water, and frantic to bury
her nose lu the blr.ck, sluggish oo.:a
beneath the shadow of Tom's habita
tion. Then enme Jerusalem, trembling
with fever and weariness nud etag
geriug ruder her twofold burden. Fur,
lying luck upon tho blankets, tied r.o
tlait it could not fall, was a human
form, rigid, luicovcred, tiie beard nnd
cheeks flecked with bloody foam, the
glassy eyes staring unmoved Into the
face of the morning sun.
Then Indian Tom, lifting Ills haLil3
t otho cast, chanted, in guttural mono
tone, a voire of thanksgiving to the
rpirit on high who puts into the white
lean's heart the lust of gold, and sends
lilm forth Into the wilds, driving hia
delt-fected little beasts laden with the
miner's pick nnd pan, with tobacco,
witn uncoil, nnd, best of all, with wuls
ky. which warms the marrow nnd
gladdens the heart of the Great Fath
er's dusky servant. William M. Tis
I'alo, in San Francisco Argonaut.
Kho Called, but A lis!
"I never was so disgusted and angry
lu my life," said Mrs. do Garmo.
"What's the trouble?" her husband
Inquired.
"This afternoon that rich Mrs. Hil
ton, whom 1 have been dying to have
call on mo. came Just as I was getting
ready to lake a bath."
"Too tad. Wouldn't she stay until
you could get ready to see her?"
"That's Just it. I rushed around and
almost broke my neck getting Into my
best clothes, only to find out when I
got downstairs that she had cnlled to
see If I wouldn't like to buy a BO-cent
ticket to nn entertainment that tho
Good Samaritan Society was getting
up Tor poor sewing girls. I shall cut
her dead the next time we meet!"
No man's life Is as beautiful as the
prayers Uc makes lu prayer meeting.
Never go from a warm atinovp;lerB
into a cooler one w'.iliou; keeping tiie
mouth closed, so thar the air may be
warmed In Its passago through th.UOse
before It reaches the lungs.
Never strain the voice In i ii.umlt to
cpeak while ho.ir.io. Wait 'M!rt!ie
hoarseness Is recovered rromor i:u
voice may be pirtmui-irly injured cr
ditneultles of i!ie throat produced.
Never stand still in cold weatln for
any length of time In the outdoor air,
especially after having taken active ex
ercise; and never stand long on the
ice or snow, or where tho person Is
exposed to cold wind.
Many believe lu withholding calf, pep.
per, etc., from the sick. This is wrong.
Whatever Is done toward making the
diet desired and appreciated promotes
its digestion.
Water and air are food-Rtuf;.i. Wa
ter nets as a carrying agent to trans
poi t fuuu to the ullTei'L'uL llaMii'd. 'i im
oxygen of the air is need for the tis
sues nnd fluids of all forms of .mluial
life.
Tho food of a person doing ordinary
work should be proportioned as fol
lows: Four ouncc3 of protclds or albu
minoids, four or live ounces of fats (in
crease tills as the necessity for work
or boat Increases), eighteen to twenty
ounces of starchea, ar.d one ounce of
Ealts.
A mustard-plaster ought never to
blister the skin. If it burns too much
nn extra piece of muslin can he placed
between it and the body, and can be
removed when the patient becomes ac
customed to the heat. Mix the mus
tard with equal quantities of flour auil
ground ginger.
It has been found by experiment that
tea retards digestion. An Infusion ot
1 per cent, of tea causes a perceptible
delay; a 3 per cent, infusion wl'.l delay
the digestion, sometimes, as much ns
twelve times the normal period; n 10
per cent, decoction arrests the dicta
tion of all starchy foods.
Tho oybnll rests in a cushion of fat,
by which It is surrounded ou every
side. When the Fj'stcm becomes great
ly emaciated through diseases, this fat
Is absorbed, nud the eye sinks further
Into the head, thus giving the suukca
appearance so common in disease.
Butter Is highly recommended ns 0
food for pulmonary and other Invalids,
Therefore, If butter is agreeable to the
individual, and occasion no gastric or in-
testinnl disorders, It would seem an Im
portant adjunct to tho present dietetic
treatment. Then, too, If It Is an ad
vantage In this condition, why not In
other were facts nre Indicated?
THE SCENTCG3APH.
Tho Fiiiellin-r Mec'iine Io Vi"s o" t!:0
Wond'.rs of the Moine it.
A machine which ho clalma will takJ
lis place by the side of tho phonograph
lino boon Invented by Douis Kramer,
a Mlssourian, who moved to Iiinghani
tan, N. Y., about a year ago. It is
used to receive nnd magnify cdurs of
all kinds and la (tailed a scentogmnh.
A patent Is to bo applied for, but it Las
been already practically tested. It will
take n liquid heretofore regarded 3
odorless and distill the most delicate
perfume. A drop of perfumery or es
sence placed cn the receiver will pro
duce nn odor thnt would in a very
tdiort time cattEc symptoms of suffoca-
WttifflSlIF
miKi.t.ixo MACiiixr
tlotil The grocer might utilize it la
detecting adulteration In goods, wuil
It has been suggested that bank paper
can be tinctured with a special scout,
Imperceptible to tho ordinary sense of
smell, but which could be easily 1
tocted when placed In the seentogiaphi
lessening liability of counterfeiting, is
I Is nlso claimed thnt the machine will
I bo popular In bonus, hospitals, sick
i rooms, where the nlr cnu be kept per
I mcnted by most delightful fragrance,
i The machine Is about twelve inches
square and eight high. Mr. Km in or
says It can be mnnufnetured for $"0. It
Is thought he will have no trouble la
obtaining financial aid for orgaulzinj
n company to place is on the t:::irkot 03
soon as the patent i3 granted.
There nre others, lint people never
find It out until they nre warded, nnd is
U too late.