f a great chief. Beautiful she is and good. I raised her
for the Mormon Church, but God disposes after all, and I--"

A shrill screeching sound split the warm stillness, the long-drawn-out
bray of a burro.

"Jack, look down the lane. If it isn't Noddle!"

Under the shady line of the red wall a little gray burro came trotting
leisurely along with one long brown ear standing straight up, the other
hanging down over his nose.

"By George! it's Noddle!" exclaimed Hare. "He's climbed out of the
canyon. Won't this please Mescal?"

"Hey, Mother Mary," called Naab toward the cabin. "Send Mescal out.
Here's a wedding-present."

With laughing wonder the women-folk flocked out into the yard. Mescal
hung back shy-eyed, roses dyeing the brown of her cheeks.

"Mescal's wedding-present from Thunder River. Just arrived!" called Naab
cheerily, yet deep-voiced with the happiness he knew the tidings would
give. "A dusty, dirty, shaggy, starved, lop-eared, lazy burro--Noddle!"

Mescal flew out into the lane, and with a strange broken cry of joy that
was half a sob she fell upon her knees and clasped the little burro's
neck. Noddle wearily flapped his long brown ears, wearily nodded his
white nose; then evidently considering the incident closed, he went
lazily to sleep.

"Noddle! dear old Noddle!" murmured Mescal, with far-seeing,
thought-mirroring eyes. "For you to come back to-day from our canyon!
... Oh! The long dark nights with the thunder of the river and the
lonely voices!... they come back to me.... Wolf, Wolf, here's Noddle,
the same faithful old Noddle!"

August Naab married Mescal and Hare at noon under the shade of the
cottonwoods. Eschtah, magnificent in robes of state, stood up with
them. The many members of Naab's family and the grave Navajos formed an
attentive circle around them. The ceremony was brief. At its close the
Mormon lifted his face and arms in characteristic invocation.

"Almighty God, we entreat Thy blessing upon this marriage. Many and
inscrutable are Thy ways; strange are the workings of Thy will; wondrous
the purpose with which Thou hast brought this man and this woman
together. Watch over them in the new path they are to tread, help them
in the trials to come; and in Thy good time, when they have reached the
fulness of days, when they have known the joy of life and rendered their
service, gather them to Thy bosom in that eternal home where we all pray
to meet Thy chosen ones of good; yea, and th