The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-11-12
titles ran to the .roI.t door, locked d.

GILES ran to the >rolt door, locked T.
chen returning to the lawyers prlvaes
room opened the back door. The safe
was on rollers. To push it across the
floor was the work of q minute. There
was no difficulty in rolling it to the edge
of the well-there were boards strong
enough to support twice the weight OF
the small safe.
He did not look around him to see il
he was observed. His one overmastering
thought was to throw the safe into the
we'll. One tremendous effort and the safe
plunged down to the bottom of the we'll.
Then, and not till then, Giles Brockle
looked about him. Not soul was near,
80 human eve saw him The few nAoaF'
living IN tnat locality were absent from
their homes, doubtless discussing the flood.
The body? What should be done with
that horrible thing lying there?
Giles turned to mantel-piece. The
lamp on it was seized quickly with one
hand rs with the other the murderer
grasped the waste basket, flung the con.
tents on the floor, broke the lamp with
his heel in the middle of the paper, and,
striking O match, set fire to the paper and
fed from the house.
He ran out of the back door. AS he
ran out of the house, he discovered The
oard-bridge that he had observed there
earlier in the day had disappeared. A
large pond of water lay before him.
Simultan eously with this discovery, an
appalling sound smote his ears. The
murderer lifted his hands heavenward.
one minute; the next he was at the mercy
of the food.
The first plunge in the waters that en-
pulfed him aroused in Giles Brockle The
resistance many men display when threat
ened with certain death.
He was superb swimmer. He was
strong, supple, and yorng. The thing
that he had often thought of had really
happened. He knew be was battling foI
his life in the waters that leaped down
upon tke unsuspecting inhabitants of the
valley from the South Fork dam.
He struck out ma1fully the moment he
rose to the surface. When he looked
around him, he was two hundred yards
from the lawyers house. He heard q
man near him crying for help, for the
love of heaven. But Giles did not SO
much as look in that direction.
Women and children foated beside
were borne in straight line.
He beleld the roof of house floating
near him. It was altogether detached
from the remainder of the house. To
pull himself up on this was easily ac-
complished. Then be looked about him.
A little distance from him man on
board, in safety, suddenly left it with a
cry, and plunging into the food swan to
q girl who was sinking. The man held
her up with one arm and swan back to
the plank with the other. Then he placed
the girls arms and head on the plank and
talked to her.
The man was Algernon Somers. Th
woman was his wife.
As the plank was swept to the large
roof whereon Giles Brackle stood calmly,
Algernon Somers caught the roof and
strove to lift his wife on to it. She was
exhausted-almost senseless. He strovs
again and again.
Meanwhile Giles Brackle looked on
calmly.
At last, by superhuman effort, Alger-
non succeeded in pushing his wife upon
the roof. =!
Then Giles Brockle coolly put out hia
foot and pushed her off. tthe same in.
slant he tramped upon the hand thai
grasped the roof with the tenacity that
marks the struggle for life, and Algernon
was compelled to relinquish his hold on
the roof. When he turn ed to look at hi
wife. she was disappearing in the seeth..
ing hell Of waters that surged around
him.
In that awful moment Algernon lived
an age. The events of years were recalled
in an instant's time. Where we're thu
people who wished him q pleasant voy'
age ten minutes aimee? All swept away.
And this was What had been predicted
Surely this was the fate foretold with
bated breath BY people who lowered
their voices when they talked of the
South Fork dam.
The warning was not false alarm.
Would to heaven they had hardened to it.
He pictured to himself feet rider rid
ing with headlong speed down the slopet
shouting to the startled inhabitants, Fly
for your lives!" But few needed the
warning.
Something struck the back of the
swimmers head. He looked around.
Great God! An old man and an old
woman with snow white hair were whirled
past, clasped tightly in each others arms,
while just behind thaT cradle foatet
smoothly on.
The cradle was unbroken. It sat up
we'll in the kissing, boiling waters, while
the babe lying in it laughed and crowed
and held mn its hands.