Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-01-22

| readiness Tor their visit.
What Mexican, or other paid spy,
or what unfriendly or envious hand
carried the news to old man Love will
not be known, but he burst into one
| of his near COW camps at dinner, short
ly after Bob and Mays departure, like
a roaring South African lion with
mustard in his eye.
''The boys'-who knew we'll enough
what was afoot and what would be
asked of them-dropped their tin cups
and plates, jumped on their waiting
ponies, and were out of hailing dis
tance before he fairly lit in their
midst.
But old Hank Pearsall, the cook,
was new man, not long from South
west Texas, neither knowing of, nor
caring particularly, for Bob Holly and
his love affairs. So he stood at his
official post at the tail end of the
chuck wagon and gave amiable atten-
tion to the impassioned harangue and
singular antics of this new and enter
tanning employer.
Being commanded to come along
and assist in dispensing Bob and res
cuing May, he mounted a serious APP
pearing but ftful tempered buckskin
colored pony, with one white eye and
much symmetry of bone-as much of
a character in its way as Hank WAS in
his-and started, with considerable
interest and curiosity.
They rode hard, and were near over
hauling the lovers within mile of
Roaring Creek. But while pursuer
and pursued pushed on at their ut
most pace, another factor was coming
with n hundred times greater speed to
take hand in the game.
The dry bed of Roaring Creek was
just before them, beyond that tiny
rise, then an arroyo, and beyond that,
{ again, the roof of the Justices house,
just in sight. As Bob and May clat-
tered over the creek bed, and scrambled
, up onto the rise beyond, both looked
, back, and their ponies stopped, tossing
their heads pricking their ears apd
, snorting at n curious humming sound
that suddenly seemed to fill all the air
, about.
r Hurry up, darling" cried Bob,
; throwing out hand to catch Mays
d " tbs big storm coming from above -
e but before tkey could descend the
l. slope to cross the dry arroyo in front,
,e it was running from bank to bank,
m and brimming over witha sudden flood
8, of red, muddy water.
" And even above the noise of the
ID flood before them, they heard sound
le like the angry shouting of furious
s. multitudes. Looking backward and
up the creek, whence the sounds came,
rs they saw great tumbling shudder-
,f wall pushing before it and bearing
F. upon its crest all Imaginable sorts of
h debris advancing down the dry creek
Il bed with such thunderous onslaught
l. that the little mound on which they
RI stood shook and seemed fairly to lower
= under their feet.
- They looked about them. The ar
,r royo ran into the creek below. Above
both it and the creek had flooded out
Ii until they joined Their little mound
o was an island, momentarily growing
It smaller, surrounded on every side by
V raging torrents, in which were driven
h and whirled whole trees, full grown
t. cattle, with sometimes n fence post
III
Y barbs all manner of ghastly wreckage
Up came the water about them
down fell the hai,.
'lt's cloudburst above, darling"
!; said Bob. ut won't last long-the
water won't cover this rise"
'I'm not afraid, Bob" said Nav,
with very white lips; 'Pm glad 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 slicker about her.
pushed the ponies close together and
sheltered her with then and his own
body as best he could.
"We won't die" he said "but, poor
little girl, what an awful storm I've
dragged you out into!'
just then from the further bank of
the creek, above the awful howling 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 to your
poor hands Oh, Bob, l can't bear it.
Put the slicker back on"
why, honey" said Bob, as the
tears came in earnest now, '1'd get
pounded Just the same ANYHOW. and |