The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-05-25

| up Tie creek whence the SOUND cam
they saw a great. tumbling, shudder
ing wall-pushing before it and bear
ing upon its crest all imaginable sort
of debris-advancing down the DIR,
creek bed with such a thunderous
onslaught that the little mound OF
which they stood shook and seemed
fairly to lower under their feet. They
looked about them. The arroyo raj
into the creek below. Above, both i
and the creek had flooded out unit
they joined. Their little mound wa.
an island, momentarily growing small
er, surrounded on every side by raging
| torrents, in which were driven anC
whiled whole trees, full grown cattle
with sometimes a fence post whose
trailing wires had caught in theil
barbs all manner of CHASTITY wreckage
Up came the water about them
down fell the big hail.
Its a cloudburst above, darling y
said Bob. sit won't last long-the
water won't cover this rise'
I'm not afraid. Bob" said May,
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 Pm sure
that's a 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 them and his own
body as best he could.
1--WE won't de-" he said, "but, poor
.,,l ,f,,l -
dragged you out inton'
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 p And May laughed hys-
terically.
"Well, he can't get us anyway-but
the hail can. Oh, look at your poor
the slicker back onr'
why honey" said Bob as thetears
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 Inc if he
could get me right now"
While the storm ragged and the water
rose rapidly nearly to their feet, Hank
Pearsall had the almost exclusive
benefit of old man Loves remarks, since
only his widest shrieks reached the
young couple, who were too much alb
sorbed in each other to heed either
him or the storm very much.
These remarks disagreed with Mr..
Do Htrhn
of Judgment and observation.
whats the matter with that young
Teller p he queried angrily. Watch
gal, a-keeping the hail often her He
lick up right through, he'll make a
better husband'n what you ever did ~
About this time, the hail ceasing,
the expectant justice came down to
the farther bank of the arroyo. The
water was going down visibly, but it's
roar was still considerable.
''Ho, Bob p yelled the justice, above
its sound, got your license p
Bob took it out and waved it above
his head.
Old man Love could not from where
he stood hear q word, but he surmised
what had been said, and the sight of
the document was livid red rag to
the bull.
II dare we to marry 'em" he scream
ed. 81 dare we to do it ~ And in an
ecstasy of rage and anxiety he forced
among the whirling drift, where he was
creature, which instantly returned.
of hn icly Of hi
had to fish him out, receiving plenty
of abuse for his pains and returned it
with bitter irony.
arroyo was fordable, though the creek,
down which big drifts continued to
come, was not. Bob set May ON her
pony, mounted his own and prepared
to ride out. The sight of the Justice
plains Cupid, with boots, slicker
and COW boy hat-prepared to take
charge of the pair was too much for
old man Love, and dismounted as he
into the creek, spluttering and yelling:
"Stop Hold on You just dare p
"May hesitated, frightened but old
again and set him ON dry land, snort
llS
"Doggone ye! 1 pulled y out onct
before! What fer CANT We stay out
Huh?
when ye try buckin' agin boy
like that, backed by Texas norther,
you're agoing to get left-don't We
know it =? That kids got a double
cinch on proverdunce Bet we he had
this hyer storm staked out
$50 it, Teller! Go it gal! Pm with
We every time-I'm fer ye! Yer the
right sort 1 wouldn't hender We fer
all the burned old snake bit fools in
Texas I'll jist gether up the scraps
O. this ole eejit an tote 'em back to the
ranch"
And as May and Bob rode off, tat
tered, beaten, draggled, but oblivious-
ly blissful and iaunty, a faint hail fol-
lowed them.
"Goodby, kids-wish yer joy |!
Come on, ole calamity! '