Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-07-31

iust before them, beyond that . tin
rise, then an arroyo. and beyond thai
again, the roof of the Justices house
Just in sight. As Bob and May clat
tered over the creek bed, and scramble
up onto the rise beyond, both locke
back, and their ponies stopped, toasin
their heads, pricking their ears an
snorting at . curious humminR soun
that suddenly seemed to I'LL al the Al
about.
'Hu1ry up, darling" cried Bob
throwing out . hand to catch Mays
"'tis Q big storm coming from above :
but before they could descend tn
slope to cross the dry arroyo in front
it was running from bank to bank
and brimming over witha sudden fooi
Of red. muddy water
And, even above the noise of tn
hood before them, they heard . sound
like tho angry shouting of furiou,
multitudes. Looking backward and
up the creek, whence the sounds came
they saw . great tunhling shudder
wall pushing before it aud bearing
upon its crest AL imaginable sorts O.
debris advancing down the dry creel
bed with such . thunderous onslaught
that tho little mound ON which they
stood shook and seemed fairly to lowe,
under their feet
They looked about them. The ar
foyo ran into the creek below. Above
both it and the creek had flooded out
until they joined Their little mound
was an island, momentsrily growing
smaller, surrounded on every side by
raging torrents, in which were driven
and whi.led whole trees, full grown
cattle, with sometimes Q fence pos,
whose trailing wire had caught in thei,
barbs all manner Of ghastly wrecksge.
Up came the water about them
down fell the hail
'1t's . cloudburst above, darling
said Bob. 'It won't hast long-th,
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 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 die." he said; "but, pooi
title girl, what an awful storm I've
dragged you out into!"
Just then from the further bank O.
he creek, above the awful bowling OF
the storm, came this intelligent COM
msnd in old man Loves ear-splitting
tones:
"May Love, you come here to me
his minutel" And May laughed hys-
:erically.
"Well, he can't get at us, anyway.
but the hail can. Oh, look to your
poor handsl Oh. Bob, I can't bear it.
Put the slicker back on"
"Why, honey. said Bob, as the
ears came in earnest now, '1'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
10 me if he could get me right now. "
While the storm ragged and the water
.ose nearly to their feet, Hank Pear
,all had the almost exclusive benefit Of
Did man Loves remarks, since only his
widest shrieks reached the young
,ouple, who were too much absorbed
N each other to heed either him or the
storm.
These remarks disagreed with Mr..
'earsall, who was notoriously a man OF
Judgment and observation.
"Wnat's the matter with that young
eller?' he queried angrily; watch
lim . standin' to the north ard nv his
gal, . keepin' the hail often heri He
sin't no chumpi If he keeps that lick
up right through he'll make . better
husband n what you ever didl"
About this time, the hsil cessing,
;he e1pectant Justice came down to
The further bank of the arroyo. Tho
water was going down visibly but it,
.oar WAS still considerable.
"Ho. Bobr:yelled the Justice above
the sound. "got yer icense?"
Bob took it out and waved 1t above
his head.
Old man Love could not, from where
,e stood, hear q word; but he sur
missed what had been said, and the
sight Of the document was like - the
red flag to the bull.
81 dare ye to marry 'em," he
creamed. 81 dare ye to do I'll" And
N an ecstasy of, rage and anxiety he
forced his pony down into tho foaming
creek, among the whirling drift, where
he was promptly pitched off by the
terrified creature, which instantly re-
turned. Pearsall, at the risk of his
own life, had to fish him out, receiving
plenty of abuse for his pains. and re-
turning it with biting irony.
In two minutes time the shallow,
srroyo was fordable, though the creek.
iown which big drifts continued to
come, was not. Bob sat 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 90 he
was, he plunged in a delirium of rage
into the creek, sputtering and yelling:
"stopi Hold oni You Just darel"
May hesitated, frightened, but Hanh
2earsall yanked her father out again
and set him on dry land. snorting:
'Doggone yel I pulled 70 ou
onct beforel What fer CANT 70 stay
outi Huh2 When ye- try buckin'
agin 4 boy like that, backed by Q
Texas norther, you're agoin' to git left
ye know it2 That kids got Q
double cinch on Proverdunce? Bet
ye he had this. hyer storm staked out I
Go it felleri Go It gali I'm with 70
every time-rm fer yei Yer the right