He had his horse, his gun, and
his blanket, and they were enough; Alaire, like him, was young,
her mind was eager, her body ripe, and her veins full of fire.
Life must be sweet to those who were free and happy.
But the object of her envy was not so completely at peace with
himself as she supposed. Even yet his mind was in a black turmoil
from his recent anger, and of late, be it said, these spells of
temper had given him cause for uneasiness. Then, too, there was a
lie upon his lips.
Under the stars, at the break of the arroyo, three hundred yards
below the water-hole, a coyote was slinking in a wide circle
around the body of Panfilo Sanchez.
IV
AN EVENING AT LAS PALMAS
Although the lower counties of southwest Texas are flat and badly
watered, they possess a rich soil. They are favored, too, by a
kindly climate, subtropic in its mildness. The days are long and
bright and breezy, while night brings a drenching dew that keeps
the grasses green. Of late years there have been few of those
distressing droughts that gave this part of the state an evil
reputation, and there has been a corresponding increase in
prosperity.
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