Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-11-08

seemed to MIN Q long time, but WIS probably
q few seconds, Of his far-away homa Then
the absorbing thems Of what he must soon
encounter took the place Of all else The
horse began t. breathe q little hard, but
his pace never slackensd At one time
Jack fancied he heard hoofs behind him,
hut he dismissed the idea as absurd. Toe
next moment he saw something which made
hi. heart beat fas. What had shown itself
in the gray light Of dawn ss q slender tur.
bid rill was now a large stream, and grow
ing higher every moment lnstinctively he
callsd TO his hors.. Faster the nebls animal
sped on: the water was around his feet
There was a turn in the valley where 1t mar
rowed; a surginy torrent reached his kncs'
as he rounded the point Of the cliff. In hs-
minutes be slsckenei his pace, for there,
parting the aood, which eidied around it,
tugged and tore at it. hurled logs and
stumps and tree trunks OF it, was Simpsons
ranch, and at the window On the lower side
was Edith
In the lee, as it were. Of the house. the
water was comparatively quiet and shallow.
In q second he was at the win
dow. the horse standing still, with
heaving fanks ard laboring breath.
There was scant time for ceremony. but
the expression o; joy on the girls face tod
its story. and he managed to reach her
hand with his. Only a few words passed at
first Her mother had spent the night with
q sick child at a ranch Oh the bill. AT day.
break. alarmed at the prospect of the
@wash-out," the hands had gone to look
after the stock, and the Mexican woman to
escort her mother back Then ths food
had como suddenly and cut of their re-
turn.
Jack always said his plan Of rescue was q
pure inspiration. At the right separated
from the house by wide and deep torrent,
the round sloped from a mesa. Could he
reach that slope, He looked around the
corner of the house, the horse barely
maintaining his footing. Halfway
up the slops, and a few rods above the
house, stood the stout stump OF q cedar. and
his iariat hung at his saddle-bow. How he
blessed his practice with It'll The first cast
was successful, the loop lay over the stump,
and a ull tightenei il. In . moment he
was back at the window: in another.
Edith, stepping from the sill, sat behind
him and chung to him. Again he guided
Comanche to the corner; he wound the lariaf
around the pommel OF the Mexican saddle.
He drew a long breath, and he rode into
the torrent. The thoroughbred was swept
of his feet before he had gone ten yards.
but he swan strongly and boldly;
the lariat was taut as bowstring,
but it held 1t seemed an hour before the
middle of the stream was reached. His
heart beat fast: tine girl said nothing, but he
felt her clasp tighten: and still the horse
swan on, and the torrent, baked by the
stout iariat OF its prey. actually aided their
escape. They neared the slope; Comanchs
gained his footing; they were saved; Jack
had never taken his eyes of the horses
| head and the knot on the pommel, and be
had never seen a stalwart bearded man gal
lop down the slope and jump from his horse
| just before they gained the land. Now, t.
his amazement. this man lifted Edith from
| Comanche and folded her in his arms.
Shortly he rai-ei his head.
| You needn't look so sort o surprised,
young feller," said he; @you bet its all right
havn't got q cari-case about me, but my
names Simpson, and-and-' His manueI
changed in q second. God bless you, for al
plucky and clever thing as l ever saw In
all my life He will bless you, too. fol
you've saved the life Of my little girl. that
the apple, of my eye" Still clasping hi
daughter tightly with his left arm, he
wrung Jacks hand, and the tears stood il
his eyes
Just then, with many crack and groan
nnI almost, one would say, cry of distress
| Simpsons ranch house was torn from IT
| frail foundations ami swept down the val
ley.
Never mind; let her go,' cried he. 1rl
buy a dozsn blamed old shantes like tina
for you to- morrow, if you want EN-
Next day all the neighborhood knew tina
Simpson had come back, and why he Wen
away; how the partner who had defraude,
and nearly ruined him years before ha'
written him from his sics-bed in his refug
in Manitoba; how he had made restitution
how Simpson had been for months beyon'
the region Of mails AMI telegraphs; how h
had come home and ridden up the vale.
behinl Jack.
Il didn't know you were ahead OF me,
he told him. "Of course it was my hors
you heard; but knew short cut to tn
mesa, and turned of BY it; but you wer
too quick for me. Oh yes, i know; it's al
right. Wouldn't cross the little girl, any
way. II she's willing. l am; and if She
going to leave her old father I'm might
glad shes going TO have man to take car
Of her that's got sand