The Iron Furrow

and seemingly march past to vanish in the remote south like azure phantoms. The mountains wall the horizon and dominate the mesa, their black forest-cl

lect golden and purple glows upon the plain until the earth appears swimming in some iridescent sea of ether;

ms a creek bed. Tucked back in the little ca?on there is a considerable growth of bushes and trees, cool and fresh-looking in the shadow of the go

gray sagebrush and the creek bed almost dry-unless one should reckon the three parched cottonwood trees beside the stream, a little way down from the ca?on, and the flat-roofed adobe house near by, and the empty corral behind built of aspen poles. In that immensity of moun

ose, slightly curved and with the suggestion of a hook in the tip, just the sort of nose to accord with his lean, sunburnt cheeks and clean-cut chin and straight-lipped mouth. Under the hat brim drawn forward to his line of vision his eyes, notwithstanding his air of lounging indolence, gazed forth keen and observant. He had the appearance of a man who might be seeking a few

six feet deep and some fifty feet wide through the mesa, so that from a distance the shallow gash was invisible and the ground appeared unbroken. It was because of the flat character of the mesa, too, that Bryant on reaching the bank of the stream was

rossing, under the cut-bank, where the horse thrust his muzzle into the water and drank greedily. The rider s

scout; leave a swallow for the ladies." Still on his knees he looked appraisingly down

nking and moved a step nearer his master, where he stood with head lowered, water dripping from his lip, body inert.

omen the riders were, scarcely more than girls, it seemed to Bryant; wearing divided khaki skirts and white shirt waists and wide-brimmed straw hats tied with thongs under their chins. In this

at their ponies migh

t into the water and stood thus with noses buried, drinking with eager gulps. "The afternoon is

d an expressive mouth. Bryant judged that she had small, firm hands, but could not see them as she wore gauntlets. He further decided that she was neither plain nor pretty: just average good-lo

hirsty, too," Bryant addressed the young ladies.

emembering just to drop the lines when we dismounted instead of tying them to a post somewhere; and for a while we had a feeling that they certainly would gallop off if we did let the reins hang, as we

little of it the young fellow could see under the brim of her big hat; her eyes were of a soft blue colour, probably weak; while her

he were really successful in quenching her thirst. The heat, the dust, and the ride appeared to have been almost too much for her strength, exhausting her slender st

htened up, hat-brim, nose, chin, all dripping. "Like the ponies! I hope

I tried it, as sure as the wo

heir feet and

homesteading just south of here,

, "We took our claims only last April. And they're not very good claims, either, we're beginning to fear; the cree

all be neighbours. My name is Lee Bryant; this is my horse Dick; and I've a dog called Mike, which stopped a

name was Ruth Gardner and that

sitor in the three months and a half we've been there, except once an old Mexican who was herding sheep near by and came to ask for matches. Of course, not many people know we're there, I imagine. From the road one can't see our cabins-

ffirmed. "A man now and then in the

irst time I'm pa

n the West; he knew the hardships involved in "holding down" claims, of which the dreary monotony and loneliness of the life were not the least. One earned ten times over every bit one got of a free government homeste

down to see you," h

why the water doesn't run downhill in our bean p

ed and nodde

e to the mountains, because the latter tilt one's natural line of vision. That's why water seems to run uphill when you look toward the range. I'll soo

the hooded car was a man of about thirty years, of slim figure and with a pale olive skin that betrayed an admixture of American and Mexican blood. Beside him in the front seat sat a girl whose clear pink complexion made plain that in her was no mingling of races; her hat held by a

a spot close to where Lee Bryant and his companions stood. T

the engine wouldn't be so hot." After making an examination of the faucet, he returned to the do

t curiosity, as if she wondered who the persons might be, and what they were doing here, and of what they had been conversing when interrupted. An exceedingly lovely girl she was, as the engineer had instantly perceived; her features molded in soft lines and curves that enchanted, a t

ook a step toward Bryan

hat hole while I look at my

finally took the bucket. The other turned back to the car, where he made a pretense of inspecting a front wheel and then, with a foot on the runn

er pleasant or otherwise. As he poured the contents of the bucket into the radiator's spout, he took stock of the automobile party. His face hardened with a slight contempt when he considered the effeminate-appearing y

stache, ended his talk, mounted to his seat, and started the engine. Bryant hand

the wheel, with a forefinger and thumb searching a wa

s any suddenly thrown object. For an instant he remained transfixed, incredulous,

throw money to m

ssed, and yet interested face of the girl with the veil, her lips a little parted, her eyes intent on him. Then the car l

ly aware that the horseman after all was a stranger, a man of whom they knew nothing, an unknown quantity. And so the two

ld remember. When the girls were some distance off, they waved across the sagebrush at him and he swung his hat in reply. Off then the pair went at a gallop, with the automobile on the road far south of t