The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-15

| L can take EITle down JOnfSHl diiu
something awful might happen if the
folks didn't know I'm aid right-take
care of the little gal-God bless you
ALL" He had opened the door and was
gone.
IN THE TORRENT.
A sullen darkness had now descended
making it seem like wild and fearful
night Fash after flash of lightning
rent the masses of black, followed al
most Instantly by boCgns and clatters.
as OF heavy cannon and musketry.
The lad sped toward the Gray Stone
canyon in defiance of the very demons
of the storm. Presently binding
fiu,cter Of lightning and a deafening
rear seemed to crack the heavens In
twain. Harold was blown from his
feet, by the mere conclusion, and had
already risen when a cataract of wafer
! poured from the clouds and was laShed
into petting bullets OF rain by the
powerful wind that suddenly arose. Inc
floods came down in masses. tin the
hillside was drowned in water, that
! hGlTed to the canyon be1ow. A terri
bic thing had happened.
Harold was out in the midst of a
cloudburst,
The boy would now have avoided
| the gorge, but he stood already above
| it. Skirting along on the slope, he at
tempted TO force his way onward, but
his footing: he fell on his back and slid
with terrifying speed to the gulch be-
| low
! The canyon, a natural course for a
! stream, was now the bed of a seething,
rushing torrent that momentarily
| swelled the rivers of rain that gushed
/ from the sky and slopes. Into this bat
Ting, surging, foaming sea, young Har-
old was thrown.
| For a second he was under the sur
| face, then he rose and fought for his
| life. Downward he went, like a cork
! in the rapids, for his skill at swim
ming and his GOODNESS in danger were
unsurpassed. Hurled furiously along,
| young MintOn saw to the left, ahead,
an alder growing near the torrents
edge. With a mighty lunge and effort
| he threw himself toward the bank. So
swiftly was he floating that he reached
| the alder almost instantly, and grip
ping branch with a giant hold he
! stayed his terrible course.
Tug and haul as he would Harold
! was still unable to drag himself out of
the furious, eddying current. The
! waters rose about him rapidly and
! soon were sWirlingsand flashing at the
roots of the alder.
J Down the river now there came the
monster stump of tree. 1t pitched
and plunged, but it rode nevertheless.
| viii IT'S liu4Ih sue up anu the RndrIeQ
and twisted network of roots submerged
Swinging and tumbling in the angry
flood it plunged directly toward the
boy He saw with horror that he
struggled in its path and that nothing
could prevent it from grinding and
tearing him from his anchorage. He
also felt that alder giving and slipping
from its rocky hold Then. as the
stump came tossing on he formed a
sudden and daring plan
He would ride the stump
He gave himself a desperate. Won
derful lift on the alder branch. as the
stump was about to crush his bones.
and found himself clinging to the mon
strous thing and lying across part of
the bush that had broken AWAY at the
last fateful moment.
Now began a terrible ride, for the
stump was pitched, twisted, hurled.
buried by the water, thrown over un-
DERIVING powders and jerked about in
a frlghtful manner. The boy who had
ridden the bull and the mustang so
easily, bled at the nose and gas half
ways stunned by the awful "bucking''
OF ahe hoatlng stump: but he chung as
never he had chung to horse or calf
nor all the throes of this dreadful
steed undid his grip nor shook those
muscles of steel from their desperate
clasp.
GO"n and out of the gorge tbev
raced on the heaving river: and below
the waters spread to run in a broad
and shallow current across the valley
The rain had ceased, although the
hghtn1ng suilenly flashed from time to
time and the thunder growled and
grumbled from afar.
The stump was grounded while vet
the floods We're surging around. Half
an hour later Harold, weak and weary
made his way through the mud and
slowly trucking rills, to his fathers
cottage. Still grasped in his hand he
held the alder branch, and the roots
of it, in turn, were clinging still around
white, rainwashed piece of the rock
wherein it had grown;
The fearful night was over at last
and morning smiled again. Little
Ellie. safe and sound lisped her tales
TO them all. Miner Bill had fetched
her home
Harold, my boy" said the invalid
father, few days later, can you find
the spot again where your alder grew?''
Yes, said Harold, ''why?"
IF you can" Mr.. Minton replied
suppressing a rising excitement. wen
have enough money for operations
and everything else we can wish. for
the piece of rock in the roots of the
alder that saved your life was broken
from ledge and is rich in gold.''
The Alder Mine" is famous now and
Harold smiles to see his father hon
ping about the place" again, and much
more lively indeed than "a cricket in a
heated skillet