The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1876-03-31

oeglnto rip OIL my things, wet and hang
ing to me. How they did stick!-but
cleared half on 'em off, and then, like a
mad fool, made a run and a jump, and
was fighting hard with the water to get
across to Hez's wife and child.
1t was a bit of a fight. Down 1 went,
and up l went, and the water twisted me
like a leaf; but I got out of the roar
ana thunder, on to the bit of a shelf
where Jael knelt; when, if the silly
thing didn't begin to hold up to me her
child; and her lips, poor darling, said
dumbly, "Save it! save it,"
In the midst of that rush and roar. as
saw that poor gal, white, Mortified,
and with her yaller hair clinging round
her, all my old love for her comes back,
ana swore a big oath as I'd save her
Tor myself, or die. 1 tore her dress in
to ribbons, for there warn't a m
to lose, and l bound that BARN some-
how on to my shoulders, she watching
me the while; and then, with my heart
beating madly, I caught her in my arms,
she clinging tightly to me in her fear,
and l stood up, thinking how 1 could
get her back, and making ready to leap.
The flood didn't wait for that, though.
In a moment there was a culver of the
bank, and it went from beneath my feet,
leaving me wrestling with tho waters
once more. don't know how 1 did it,
only that, after a fight and being half
smothered, found myself crawling up
the side OF the Gulch, ever 50 low down,
and dragging Jael into a safe place with
her BARN. She fell down afore me.
Rugged my legs, and kissed my feet
and then she started up and began star
ing up and down, ending by seeing, just
above her, old Hez cling there still, with
his sound arm rammed into the bush,
and his body swept out by the fierce
stream. The next m she had
seized me by the arm and was pointing
at him, and she gave a wild kind of
shrek. ''EIe's a gone coon, my gal,"I
says, though she couldn't hear me; and
| was gloating over her beautiful white
face and soft, clear neck, as l thought
that now she was mine-all mine. I'd
saved her out of the flood, and there
was no Hez to stand in our way.
"Save him-save him!" she Shrek
ed in my ear.
What, Hep Save Hez, to come be-
tween us once morep Save her hus-
band-the man l hated, and would
gladly see diep Oh, l couldn't do it;
and my looks showed it, she reading
me like a book the while. No, he might
drown-he was drowned-must be. No;
just then he moved. But, nonsense! |
wasn't going to risk my life for his, and
cut my own throat like, as to the futur'.
She went down on her knees to me,
though, pointing again at where Hez
still tloated; and the old feeling of love
for her was stronger on me than ever.
"Yu're asking me to die for you,
Jael!" | shouted in her ear.
"Save him-save Hell" she shrieked.
"Yes, save him!" i groaned to my
self. "Bring him back TO the happi-
ness that might be mine. But she loves
him; she loves him; and I must"
l give one look at her-as I thought
my last-and l couldn't help it. If she
had asked me dumbly, as she did, to
do something ten times as wild, l should
have done it; and with 8 run ] got well
up above Hez afore I jumped in once
more to have the anne fight with the
water till l was swept down to the bush
where he was. I'd got my knife in my
teeth to cut the bush away, and let him
free, but as I was swept against it my
weight tore it away, and Hez and l
Ven down the stream together; him so
done up that he lay helpless on the
water. Something seemed to tell me to
finish him off. A minute under water
would have done it but Jael's face vas
before me, and at last l got on the other
side, with her climbing along beside
us; and if it hadn't been for the hand
she stretched down to me | should
never have crawled out with old Hez-
| was that done.
AS dropped down painting on the
rock, Jael came to my side, leaned over
me, and kissed me, and turned away,
for the next moment she was trying
hard, and bringing her husband to, and
l was beginning to feel once more that
| had been a fool.
amt much more to tell, only that
the flood went down most as quick as it
came up, and Hez got all right again