Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-09-27

ACPOoe AOi oAStS Co11, uuO III auSWcC
coming. she ran to a part of the garden
where the fence was sunken, and
cleared it at a bound. Once on the
bank it took but a glance of her sharp
black eyes to discern the fugitives.
There, under shelter of the great
maple-tree. she saw her child hiding
from her, her child vOuchsafing no an
swer to her call. setting at naught her
authority. and clinging to the child OF
her arch-enemy! For once she was too
angry to speak. She swooped down
on the infants like an eagle on its prey.
She was in such rage that the chill
dren were afraid of her, and began to
cry and cling the closer to each other,
resisting her frantic attempts to sep
arate them. Her blows rained on both
alike, and. at last, cruel one fell on
the arm of baby May. and the little
hand relaxed its hold. The angry
woman seized her child, and, pulling
him towards her, gave the little deli
cate creature from whom she had freed
him vigorous push. She had been in
too great rage to notice that during
the brief conflict they had gone nearer
and nearer to the edge of the bank.
Now the angry push sent the child to
the very verge, where she tottered and
swayed a moment, then fell, with a
loud cry, into the water below.
For one moment, dumb horror
that paralyzed every motion, that froze
her blood and the wild cry on her lips,
seized the frightened woman as she
looked down on the poor little Great
ure, whose fear of the water in which
it struggled was so much greater than
even its fear of her, that the white,
frightened face was upturned to hers
beseechingly, and the baby arms out
stretched to her for help. Face and
form disappearing beneath the water
broke the spell, and with a shrek that
woke the very echoes, and a frantic
bound. she was in the water, too, wild
ly making for the spot where baby May
had disappeared. She was good
swimmer, and by great effort she
gained it. But the water had been
swollen by recent rains. and the little
creature, borne down stream by the
current, rose at some distance from the
spot where she sank. BY heroic en-
deavor Mrs. Bray reached that spot
also, and just as baby May was sink
ing for the second time. she caught
and held her fast. The child was un-
conscious. but still alive. With a cry
of thanksgiving and a choking sob she
saw that. Carefully holding the little
head above water, she turned and
tried to reach the shore. It was not
far off, but her wet, heavy clothing and
the burden she bore, dragged her
down and impeded every motion, and
in going back she was obliged to
breast the current of the swollen
stream. Holding her precious burden
tight she struggled on. Though put
ting forth her utmost strength and
spurred to heroic endeavor by the
agOnizing consciousness that every
moment spent in the struggle to gain
the shore was one moments less
chance for life to the child she was
carrying, her progress was slow. As
she neared the shore she became ex-
hausted. and the last few strokes re-
quired so great an effort that they
taxed her failing powers beyond en-
durance. Clasping tightly the child
she had saved from the water, she fell
unconscious upon the shore she had
gained. But help was just at hand.
The men from the mill, who had
come too late to rescue them from the
water, raised in their arms the two
dripping, unconscious figures lying on
the shore. and a sad little procession
followed in their wake, as they bore
Mrs. Bray back to her house again,
and laid her on the bed. They laid
baby May down on a lounge opposite.
A messenger was dispatched for the
doctor, and one of the women in the
little crowd ran to find the absent
mother. 1t was one who from the OPP
pOsite bank had witnessed the scene
from first to last. and had given the
alarm at the mill. Being no friend of
Mrs. Bray's, she told the story to Mrs.
Bruck when she found her, with sun
dry damaging embellishments of her
own. With rage and anguish tugging
at her heart, the frightened mother
flew rather than ran to the house of
her arch enemy, and painting and
breathless. rushed into the room where
her baby was lying.
All had been done that could be done,
but the spark of life in that little, frag
lie form had gone out forever. The
doctor had cleared the room of the
crowd, and it was strangely quiet. He
rose to meet the poor mother as she
entered. She looked at him with wild.
beseeching face; then, seeing the an
swer to the question she dared not ask.
in the grave compassion of his, the
stricken mother. with an agonizing