Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1884-06-12

feet above her. -.
1.-The handle of The lantern was loose, p"
said he, as he came to her level. iii
90 down and fetch it up"
"No, don't! it is too dark. Please
don't! let us 60 up"
She had found his arm in the dark
ness and held him back. In the dark
ness, which was much the blacker for
that brief interposition of light they
made their way into the attic, and
crossing it carefully, afraid of the low
roof, afraid of unseen stumbling blocks,
afraid of returning upon the yawning
aperture, made their way to the gray
square of the window. Here they found
a large box. upon which they sat down.
They spoke but little there were SO few
things left worth ntterance in such an
hour as this. BY and by. as their eyes
grew accustomed to the dimness. they
discerned the general character of'their
surroundings. There was a table
near them with food: there were boxes
and bundles and couple of old pict-
ures, brought up hither apparently
when the tide began to rise. In the
middle lay the black square through
which they had made entrance; at the
far end rough heap of straw was dimly
distinguished, and from this came rest
less cravings, scrapings and rustlings,
causing the woman to shrink and shud-
der
II suppose they are rats" she said
once, when the sounds grew louder.
81 suppose SO; do you mind very
/
mo, if we could only see them
Asain for while they were silent,
hearing the little sounds within and the
ever-increasing sounds without.
At last the man stood up, and pass
ing his hand across his face, said: "Oh,
thi, is very cold FLOODED! They used
| to torture witches so, fixed to stake,
when the tide was coming up'
He moved to and fro impatiently and
stood still by the table.
.','onld you not eat something?'
..No, thank YOU
He broke himself piece of bread,
and returning to the window, ate a few
mouthfuls. He pushed open the lattice
and leaned out.
The water was rising rapidly. and
was already washing on the window of
the room below. He turned back to-
ward Ter face OF dismay; hers as she
sat within the room was not clearly
visible, but her attitude was calm and
, undistnrbed. He sighed, and came
back quickly to sit beside her. But his
quietncss was of short duration. He
asked. after q few minutes: would
you not like to 90 out upon the roof?
We shall have to do il sooner or later,
and don't think we should feel quite
SO much imprisoned
''Oh yes, let us 60. Is there trap
door,
Il don't think there is. looked just
now. But I can get up through the
window-the roof is close above-and
then can help YOU
He set his foot on the window-sill,
and thrust his head and shoulders
through the narrow opening. ''Oh
yes, it is quite easy. But how it blows!
We had better have some of those
shawls'
She brought them and handed them
out, watched him draw himself up, and
then mounted in her turn from box to
window-ledge, and. reaching her hands
upward, found herself lifted safely to
the summit.
The surge of wind and water was
terrific; her hat was blown away at
once and she was blinded by her hair.
When she had freed her face and drawn
up her shawl over her head she was
able to perceive that the roof was
formed of two long parallel gables, and
that between them, at each end,
stack of chimneys rose from solid
platform. They went forward to the
more sheltered group and sat down on
the block of brick-work at the base
They had before them the wide, desc
late eXpanse of waters below them tor
rents ran laundering between dwellings
and out-hOuses, and in the pauses of the
cannOnade that beat the walls and of
the rushing and rending sounds within
they heard southern wind drifting
with signs between the chimneys.
There was no token of life. no light, no
sound of hope. Yet they felt sense of
relief and freedom in being here, where |
they could see and know what was be-
falling. sr-e
''Oh. that is better:'' said she, and
lifted up her face to breathe the fresher
air. Il
Zone would say" said he, watching
the dark cameo of Ter face, as it de- |
tached itself from the straight line of
masonry, 'that you had kind of en-
;oyment of all this
In sense l have. There is so !
much space and power. And there is
the feeling of having for once put ac-
ton and responsibility out of one S
hands. There is nothing now which it
can possibly be ones duty to do
You don't feel any fear of death,
then?''
Il fear it physically, of course-the
actual drowning and choking-ah,
don't let us talk of it. But at least we
shall have had this hour of freedom and
rest"
Il could bear it BETTER" he returned.
''if there were any element of struggle.
To sit still in cage until death chooses
to come and put an end to you-that's
She turned toward him and seemed
to consider his point of view until it
became hers, for she shuddered and
said! 1T is horrible"'
There was silence again between
them for little while. Again, when
her face was bent forward. he was able
to watch its oatline. Surely she was
younger than he had supposed.
What male you stay?" he asked
She hesitated little.
what made you?"
II hardly know. more than what I
said-that nobody cared much whether
did or not. and that 1 did not care
much myself. But am older than YOU.
and have had about as mucb ont of