The Press., 1888-04-19

had no friend stammered; ''no one to bid me have hope and take up heart again. Oh, Clem, there are more tragedies in the homely every day than will ever be written in books or understood by menw
 I saw his face droop, his mouth culver, and then I felt a soh rise in his breast. Glen crying-the great, strong man! could not bear that. Forgive me, was wrong" I said q fancied all this You did not mean it." But he only muttered, "Blind! blindm
 Still the flood went on; still the dark waters encompassed us about, till thought. "Verily, the loodgates of heaven are open.n Then, as the old tree rocked and writhed in the torrent, Glenn told me simply and hon estly that he had not understood. He thought I was contented, and he was not used to the little caresSes that come natural to other men; he had no mother or sisters-dear, quiet, old Clem-to teach him. But he was bitterly sorry, and he thought from my rav- ings after baby died that I hated him and blamed him for the chid's death It was so good to hear him reproach himself and to have him kiss me in that passionate grief that was indifferent to the flood or future.
 For a moment were silent and looking into his dear face, mercifully did not see the coming wave, but heard the louder roar echoing the far away thundHS peal and com ing with the crash of gale in a pine forest, or the breaking of the surf on a rocky coast. There was one swift moment of agonized ex- pectation when it washed over us, bending the tree to it's level, but it went on and the tree did not follow. Iremember Glenn kissed me and said he thought the water was going down, but somehow did not heed I think l tainted. When did begin to realize again the flood was quite low, gone as swiftly as it came Only a muddy brook creeping down the sandy creek bed where a mighty river had been; the sun had come out bright and warm and the storm was past. What havoc and desolation the flood caused was recorded in all the papers, but our deaths were not among the disasters I fancied that great volume of water roaring on to the Platte river, swelling its tide to wash the shores of sandy plains and fertile meadow lands, far to the turbulent Missouri, ending at last in shining blue sea, the great Gulf of Mexico
 Shall carry you, you little thin thingr' said Clem.
 You might slip" said, so hand in hand like two children we crossed the slippery land to the ranch two miles away. On hill by the creek I saw our wagon flung bottom up, and by the ranch we found our horses feeding quietly. Luckily Clem's matches in the silver case had given him long before we were married-were dry, and he built up fire in the fireplace in the log cabin. When 1 stood there to dry my clothes took my treasures out of my wet pocket and put them by the fire Glenn came in with some wood and saw them. He stopped down on one knee and took them in his hand.
 ''I was running away when I saw you" said, determined to keep no more secrets from him. He looked up at me and said, slowly:
 "I-Iwas running away myself. thought you hated mel sold the ranch to Mrs. France-good business woman-mean, though -haggled a year about the price, 6, 900. was going to mail you the particulars, and she would pay you. One of those visitors of hers has offered me place on his big cattle ranch in Texas; l was going there. You have had four years of misery-the money would pay you a little and you could go home-I would not trouble you any more wrote this in letter"
 Gan I see it, Clem!"
 Ut was carried off in my coat-probably on its way down the Platte newsletter was hard to write-nearly broke my heart-told Olsen to look out for you-was going to send the team back, so you could get away all right-came down to Dry Creek canyon afraid I'd meet Ms. France and her crowd" He spoke in quick, jerky sentences, looking at my treasures; he turned them over in his hands and looked up at me. Fifteen dol lars, the photograph of a man who ruined your life, and-and a dead baby's shoe wonder if the pilgrim entered the gates of paradise with so light load"'
 "Clem," l cried. ''it is heaven now if you will love me and forgive me"
 He jumped up and took me in his arms. Miserable towards that we were, Molly, running away from each other, too silly and proud to tell each other the truthl Shall we begin all over again-let me win you once more and keep you petE'
 It did not seem like sober, indifferent Glenn at all, this eager, passionate lover. It was very dear to me, too l had starved for love so long.
 And will you take me to TexaS!' said.
 "Of course" laughed. "We are just mar ried, are we not2 And no more ranches for me of my own. Somebody else can do the work; it's beyond us two. We don't want to be rich; we want to be happy"
 While we stood there hand in hand, like two young lovers, we heard loud rattling, and there came Olsen and Mrs. Bohm, driv- ing at full speed across the prairie. Mrs. Bohm had come over to spend the day with me, and then Olsen knew was gone some other way. He borrowed her team and went to find me He tracked my steps to the CduyOu duu bnC uOuDio JEdChb dCIOSS tue Iluu to the ranch. Luckily he had missed the flood.
 My wife is going to Texas with me-" said Glenn proudly. The dear fellow had suffered, knowing Olsen knew how unhappy we were.
 "That is good" ," said Olsen in his slow way, 'for Mrs. Bohm and me are agreed to get married, and could not go with you"
 Later, Glenn and Olsen rescued our wagon and hitched our horses ahead of Mrs. Bohm's team. We had quite a procession. Mrs. Bohm sat with Olsen in the front seat, and Glenn sitting behind with me insisted on wrapping blanket about me and holding it too. He had given me back my treasures ex- cept the little worn shoe. He kept that ito remind him." he said, but he would not say any more Mems feelings are buried deeper than womens, and have learned to know that only in times of great trouble and danger are the depths of Clem's nature reused into motion.
 The sunset famed out red and golden be- hind the foothills, the sky was glowing with glorious color, the cloud bursts of Dry Creek canyon and of our lives were over. Nature and love laughed again in the sunlight Patience Stapleton in Woman.