The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-01-29


wagon 10 the ground. Nan sat up, and.
looking about her, smiled family. Her
mother lay in the bottom of the wagon,
white. drenched and still.
shut up that fool row, an help, can't
you?" cried Carter. angrily. This yer
lady's swounded. Gimme that cam
teen"
She'll come around all right in a
minute. Don't let her see that bloody
face of yours when she comes TO. It'll
frighten her worse than ever" said
Powers. go and wash the cut. and tie
it up. Here. take this" extending. as
he spoke, handkerchief to the chain
man. Carter felt of his head, and then
Looked wonderingly at his redeemed
fingers.
81 Gidn't know I were hurt" said he.
"HoN Il 10 come to be?"
"%,scr mind. Go away" rejoined
the o,ner, impaticntly. go and tie it
MP. ,hc's coming to--don't you see? ?"
The ,;oman lifted her head. and then,
with a sigh, once more became un-
conscious. Powers was sprinkling her
face with water from canteen. With
roughly expressed solicitude, the men
gathered about her. The roar of the lit
tie boy sunk into frightened whine;
Nan, also, began to cry.
Its no use," said Powers, finally.
"She won't come cut OF it. Get in and
push for home. Perhaps the women
can do something for her-we can't
anyhow"
"She amt drowned, nor yet she amt
hurt" said Carter, climbing once more
to his place. "Somethin's dead wrong, for
sure. Maybe JUS done up by the scare,
though. Whoop them plugs along, an
let's get home"
The horses started readily. The
engineer had mounted and was can
tering alongside The wagon. watching
Carter as he bathed the forehead of the
unconscious woman. Still she did not
stir.
Cant you get those horses along?"
called Powers to the teamster. This |
Is no funeral. Push them, / say! I'll |
go on ahead and get things ready. You
keep moving" He bent forward and |
set his spurs. His horse sprang away,
passing out OF sight behind point Of
rock.
AS the party rounded the point OF
mesa that concealed the big construc-
ton camp, Powers was waiting i'm the
gorge of the trail, pointing toward a.
ow, stone house near the cliff. One of
Lhe contractors lived there, and the con-
ractor's kindly-faced wife stood in the
doorway. The wagon whirled up 10 the
house and came to a stand. Carter slid
o the ground, holding in his arms the
ifeless form of Mans mother. The two
children were handed out, and, taking
hem both, the contractors wife fol-
owed Carter closely as he passed into
he house.
With solemn shakes OF their heads,
ne men watched the group as it dis
ppeared, then descended stiflly, one by
ne, and joined the crowd of their fell
ows on the edge of the cliff, that
ormed, ut this point, one of the jaws of
canyon through which the river ran.
laDy questions were asked as 60 THEN
neeting with the flood, but the coming
4 the woman and Children. an event
which ordinarily would have thrown
he camp into fever Of curiosity, was,
D Powers great relief, passed over as
n incident of the days adventures. and
ias suffered, for the time, to rest. There
ad been too many casualties and mar
ow escapes that morning. TO allow the
eople of the camp TO think Of other
hings. Even the horse thief was tenn
orarily forgotten.
A few feet below them rushed the
after, roaring and twisting through it's /,
arrow channel, and bearing on it's sur |;
Ice of frctted brown the trunks OF
'ees, brought from far above, and the {
odics of drowned cattle. Save for the :.
'ng galloway which hung helplessly !
yer the turbid stream. and the shat
red remains Of pie-drvcr resting /,
here IL had been thrown on a shelf Of /,
'ck. the great works had disappeared. :,
OCCASIONALLY, q heavy beam. wrenchs-l g
om the bolt that had ncld IL to the s
Nv submerged piling, would rise TO the d
rfacc. throw half its length in the h
r, and vanish down the stream. n
Then the river began TO fall. With o
rapidity second only TO the rise, the I,
iter lowered its level. 1t left on the I
ack face of the cliffs brown band /,
silt, which turned. as IL dried i'm the !
rrid sun. TO light gray. Here and 81
ere, against corners OF the rock, ii n
posted confused piles of drift. "
zen some OF the higher hllocls on n
e broad flats below the canyon be- "
N TO show their heads as islands. The d
rrent became less rapid. A trail h
hich wound along the face OF the mesa d
rs uncovered. and along this trail, a
esently. man came slowly riding. n
3 horse was vounded; both the ani- "
ii and his rider wore the air OF utter "
lapse. caused by long and violent ex- 1
tion. -
ITS Cappy Lee" said some one In the II
,tching crowd. lord, he's sure been N
} against it--lool, nt him!" q,
Slowly the horseman made his way u
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