Western Kansas world., 1885-04-18

incapable Of estimating the great suffer.
ing which he had caused his wife.
On he went until through the stiffness
of the night was borne to his ears the
sound of falling waters. It proceeded
from spot which marked the half way
between Pineville and his own home,
and was caused by the river tumbling
down steep decent Of fifteen or twenty
feet of rugged rock. His road at this
point lay close to the river bank, and
soon he was in full view of the cascade.
As he passed it he noticed with sort of
shudder how cold and dark the water
looked as it tumbled down. For thirty
feet above the falls there was no ice. 1t
broke off abruptly, and the current
rushed from beneath with terrible We
locity. Beyond in the moonlight glis.
tened an unbroken surface of clear ice
for fully half mile before there was a
bend iE the rivers bank. Thesight was
an old one to Rube, and he paid little
heed to it, but stalked on silently, still
thinking of Kate and wondering if the
cabin would be tenantless. Suddenly he
stood stock still and listened. Many an
ear would have heard nothing but the
sound of rushing waters. Rube's acute
and practiced hearing detected some
thing more and he felt instinctively for
his ammunition and looked to the prim-
ing of his rifle. Then from a distance
the sound came again-a peculiar cry,
followed by another and another, until
they ended in q chorus of unearthly
yells. Rube muttered to himself one
word-wolves- s-and strained his eyes in
the direction of the curve to the rivers
edge. The cry proceeded from that d.
rection and grew louder every instant.
Before he could decide on plan of
action, there shot out from the bend in
the river what looked to him like wo-
man carrying bundle and skating for
dear life. She strained every nerve but
never once cried out. Next came a wolf,
followed rapidly by others, which swelled
the pack to a dozen, all ravenous, yelp-
ing, snarling, and gaining closely on
their prey. Rube raised his rifle, fired,
and began to load as he had never loaded
before. The cries came nearer and near
er. Great God the wolves were upon
the woman! It seemed as if no earthly
help could save her, when, quick as an
arrow from bow, she swerved to one
side, the maddened brutes slid forward
on their hind legs, and she had gained
a few steps. Again she flew onward, and
again she tried the ruse of swerving
aside, the man on the bank in the mean
time firing rapidly and picking off wolf
after wolf. A fresh danger arose. The
o1> ~
break in the ice above the falls, and the
dark swift current which lay beyond.
Perhaps she was too frightened to hear
the rushing waters. On she went, max
ing straight for the falls, the wolves al
most on her heels, and the mans voice
crying in terrified accents as he dropped
on his knees in the snow:
"Kate! Kate! My God, save her.
The woman was on the brink of the
ice, when she made sudden sweep to
one side. Nearly the entire pack, una
bic to check their mad flight, plunged
into the water, which carried them
swiftly over the rocks, and Kate Wex-
ford was fleeing towards the river bank
where she fell helpless in the snow, her
baby in her arms, while Rube's rifle
1I1SuUCuCO GilC 1OoI VI AC1 puISuCIS away
It was some time before she could an
swer her husbands voice. When
strength enabled her to do 80, she arose
feebly in the snow, her resolution.to go
to her father as strong as ever, but Rnbe
took her hand, knelt down, and said:
"Kate, bear with me the last time. AS
God is my judge, l shall never again
taste liquor. This night has taught me
a lesson which cannot forget"
Kate believed him and accepted his
promise. They started for Pineville,
Rube carrying the baby and more than
halt carrying his wife. When they ar
rived there Kate told her parents that
she had been dying to show them the
baby. and taking advantage of the moon
light night, and made the journey on
skates.
Rube kept his vow, the roses bloomed
again on Kate's cheeks, and to-day a
happy family of boys and girls feel no
touch of shame as they look up with
pride at their father.