The herald., 1893-12-21

| great, tum bllng, 6hudderlng wall
pushing before it and bearing upon its
crest all imaginable sorts of debris-ad-
vancing down the dryacreek bed with
such thunderous onslaught that the
little mound on which they stood shook
and seemed fairly to lower under their
feet. They looked about them. The
arroyo ran into the creek below. Above,
both it and the creek had flooded out
until they joined. Their little mound
was an island, momentarily growing
smaller, surrounded on every side by
raging torrents, in which were driven
and whirled whole trees, full grown
cattle, with sometimes o fence post
whose trailing wires had caught in
their barbs all manner of ghastly wreck
age.
Up came the water about them;
down fell the big hail.
Its cloudburst above, darling, !"
said Bob. 1T won't last long-the
water won't cover this RISE"
"I'm not afraid, Bob," said May,
with very white lips. I'm glad I
came anyhow. If we've got to die,
we'll die together, and the way I've felt
for the last three weeks I'm sure that's
heap better than living apart.
Bob jumped off his pony and lifted
May from hers. The hail was coming
bigger and beat cruelty upon them.
He wrapped his slicler about her, push
ed the ponies close together and shell
tered her with them and his own body
as best he could.
1--WE won't die," ho said, "but, poor
little girl, what an awful storm I've
dragged you out into!''
Just then, from the farther bank of
the creek, above the awful bowling of
the storm, came this intelligent COM
mand in old man Loves ear splitting
tones:
MAY Love! You come here to me
this minute" And May laughed hys-
terically.
"Well, he can't get at US anyway
but the hail can. Oh, look at your
poor hands! Oh, Bob, can't bear it
put the slicker back on!'
"Why, honey, "said Bob as the tears
came in earnest now, 'I'd get pounded
Just the same anyhow, and you must
let me have the comfort of keeping some
of it off you-it amt patchin on the
way your pa would do me if he could
! get me right now."
While the storm ragged and the water
rose nearly to their feet, Hank Pearsall
had the almost exclusive benefit of old
man Loves remarks, since only his
widest shrieks reached the young cou-
pie, who were too much absorbed in each
other to heed either him or the storm
very much.
These remarks disagreed with Mr..
Pearsall who was notoriously man
of judgment and observation.
What's the matter with that young
feller?" he queried angrily. Watch
him a-standin to the north ard NV his
gal, a-keeping the hail often herl He
ain t no chump! If he keeps that lick
up right through, he'll make better
husband n what you ever did,"
About this time, the hail ceasing, the
expectant justice came down to the far
ther bank of the arroyo. The water
was going down visibly, but its roar
was still considerable.
"Ho, Bob!" yelled the justice, above
its sound, ''got your hcense?"
Bob took it out and waved it above
his head.
Old man Love could not from where
he stood hear word, but he surmised
what had been said, and the sight of
the document was a livid red rag to the
bull.
Il dare ye to marry 'em, he scream
ed. II dare We to do it," And in an
ecstasy of rage and anxiety he forced
his pony down into the foaming creek
among the whirling drift, where he
was promptly pitched off by the terrified
creature, which instantly returned.
Pearsall, at the risk of his own life, had
to fish him out, receiving plenty of
abuse for his pains and returning it
with bitter irony.
In two minutes time the shallower
arroyo was fordable, though the creek,
down which big drift continued to
come, was not. Bob set May on her
pony, mounted his own and prepared
to ride out. The sight of the justice-a
plains Cupid, with boots, slicker and
cowboy hat-preparing to take charge
of the pair was too much for old man
Love, and dismounted as he was he
plunged, in a delirum of rage, into the
creek, spluttering and yelling:
"Stop! Hold on! You just dare!'
May hesitated, frightened, but old
Hank Pearsall yanked her father out
again and set him on dry land, snort
ing:
"Doggone ye! l pulled y out onct
beforel What fer CANT ye stay out?
Huh?
when ye try buckin agin a boy like
that, backed by Texas norther, you re
agoin to git left-don't ye know it?
That kids got double cinch on prov
erdunce! Bet ye he had this hyer storm
staked out!
"Goit, feller! Colt, gal! I'm with ye
ever time-I'm fer We! Yer the right
sort 1 wouldn't hender ye fer all the
burned old snake bit fools in Texas! III
jist gether up the scraps O. this ole
eejit an tote 'em back to the ranch. p"
And as May and Bob rode off, tat
tered, beaten, draggled, but obviously
blissful and jaunty, faint hail follow
ed them:
"Goodby, kids-wish yer joy! Come
on, ole calamity''-Alice MACEDONIAN
in Chicago Herald.