The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-11-26

c1AAAs 1A5 OADNA N
other and went tumbling along, followed
by a fcaming stretch of water. too swift for
waves in its pell nell haste.
AS the water rose Glenn dragged me fur
ther up the tree, both OF Us wet and SILVER
ing.
Around us as far as we could see was Il
wide world of dark waves, boiling, rolling.
hurrying on. There was a strange ~fascina-
tor in it, too. / knew no swimmer could
erous sand would drag MIN down like n
giant-armed octopus, yet there was such a
swift motion of water, such a ronicxing.
dancing giee, such a whirling of air and
shore. that one wanted 20 join the process
sion and hurry along, too. The waves were
full of rotten tree trunks and debris of n
wooded hillside, showing the clouds mad
come down some mountain SIDE some miles
away. and with the trees were homeIy
household utensils and furniture, a calf and
q vashtub that sailed jovially along till 1t
struck a timber and s~uccumbed. 1 had seen
our wagon disappear on the crest OF the
first wave, but l was sure the horses were
safe. Then l began to think of ourselves.
The tree was swaying .perilously, the water
seething madly about its roots.
us it still rising?' / said to Glenn, who
answered, YES" quietly holding me tlght
Don't let me co." 1 cried piteously, "at
least let us die together" / became aware
that he held me very close and was orush-
ing the wet hair off my face.
az wish / had my coat" he SAID tenderly,
that poor little dress of yours is SO thin;
How you tremble! Do L hold you 100 ught!
Is this the end of your martyrdom, L won
der? Poor Molly. your married life has been
one long torture"
me-" I cried. and then / told him all my
troubles that / had boarded up ana SIoateo
over as a miser does his gold. L told MIN
of the saddle he promised, the many other
little acts of neglect, Of things that go 10
make up the sum of a womans happlness;
his Indifference to babys Slchness anu my
own woes. II had no friend" l
mo one to bid me have hope and take up
heart again. Oh. Glenn, there are more
tragedies in the homely everyday Ire IMAM
will ever be written in books or understood
by meni''
and then / felt a sob rise In his breast
could not bear that. Forgive me, L was
wrong" | said. II fancied all this. You
did not mean it," But he only muttered'
Still the flood went on; still the dark wa
ters encompassed us about, till L thought,
Verify. the f~ioodgates OF heaven are e
the torrent, Glenn told me simply ana non
estly that he had not understood. he
thought / was contented, and he was not
used to the little caresseS that come natural
20 other men; he had no mother or sisters
dear. quiet old Clem-to teach him but
ne was bitterly sorry, and he thought from
my rawlings after baby died that L mated
him and blamed him for the childs death.
1t was SO good TO near MN reprodcn namI-
sionate grief that / was indifferent TO the
flood or the future.
For a moment we were SlleDI, anu, lOoh-
ing into his dear face, I mercifully did not
see the coming wave. but / heard the louder
roar echoing the far-away thunder peal
and coming with the crash of a gale in a
pine forest, or the breaking of the surf on
a rocky coast. There was one swift mo-
ment OF agonized expectation when 1t
washed over us, bending the tree 10 its lev
ell. but it went on and the tree die not fall.
I remember Glenn kissed me and said he
thought the water was going down, but
somehow l did not head. l think / tainted.
When / did begin to realize again the flood
was quite low, gone as swiftly as 1t 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 storm caused was re-
were not among the disasters. 1 fancied
that great volume OF water roaring on to
the Platte river. swelling it's tide to wash
the shores of sandy plains and fertile mead
ow lands, far to the turbulent Missouri,
ending at last in a shining blue sea, the
great Gulf of Mexico.
"ShaIl 1 carry you, you little thin thing"
YOU might slip,' I said; so hand-in-
hand, like two children, we crossed the slip
perry land to the ranch two miles away. On
the hill by the creek I saw our wagon flung
bottom up, and by the ranch we found our
matches-in the silver case 1 had given him
long before we were married-were dry,
and he built up a 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. Glen
came In with some wood, and saw them. He
stopped down on one knee and took them
in his hand.
II was running away when I saw you." I
said, determined to keep no more secrets
from him.
He looked up at me and said slowly:
II was running away myself. l thought
YOU hated mel sold the ranch to Mrs.
~France-good business woman - mean.
~though-haggled a year about the price
5000. / was going to mail you the particu-
lars and she would pay you. One of those
visitors of hers has offered me a place on
his big cattle ranch in Texas was going
the money would pay you a little and
you could go home-I would not trouble
you any more-wrote this in a letter?'
Can / see ii, Glenn"
1T was carried off in my coat-probably
on its way down the Platte ~now-letter 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 way
all afraiS Sht I'd meet dow Mrs Dry france Sneek S eaddyG her
crowd He spoke in quick, jerky SEN
fences, looking at my treasures; he turned
up at me. Fifteen dollars. the photograph
Of a man who ruined your life. and-and
a dead baby's shoe. 1 wonder if the Pill
grim entered the gates of paradise with SO
light a load?"
7Clem." 1 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 VIZ were. Molly,
running away from each other, too silly
ana proud 10 tell edCu OLleT the truth.
Shall we begin all over again-let me win
you once more and keep you. pet?"
1t did not seem like sober, Indifferent
Glenn at all, this eager, passionate lover.
1t was very dear to me, too, 1 had starved
for love so long.
And you will take me to Texas" 1 cried.
cot course" he laughed, 1--WE are just
married are we not? And no more ranches
for me OF my own; somebody else can do
the work. it's beyond US, too. We don't
want to be rich; we want TO be happy"
While we stood there hand in hand, like
and there came Olsen and Mrs. Bohm, driv-
ing at full speed across the prairie. Mrs.
BOhm had come over 10 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
mud TO the ranch. luckily he had missed
the flood.
MY wife is going to Texas with me-"
said Glen proudly. The dear fellow had suf-
fered. 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 l 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,
on wrapping a blanket about me and hold
ing it. too. He had given me back my treas
ures except the little worn shoe. He kept
that Ito remind him." he said, but he would
not saw any more. Mems feelings are buried
deeper than women's. and l have learned to
know that only in times of great trouble
and danger are the depths of Clients nature
aroused into motion. .
The sunset famed out red and golden be-
hind the foot hills. the sky was glowing