The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-03-09

ma, " yelled SAMMY, from the gate. He
had jerked Princes halter loose; he
was on the horses back-he was off
down the road. He could ride
Prince az we'll with halter as with a
| bride.
The awful light faded out. The
aspens trembled TRANQUILITY in the sun
shine that climbed the steep walls Of
the canon, and the tall columbines
waved their stately heads. SAMMY
swept by the familiar scenes without
"A glance. He dug his heels into the
horse, his elbows slapped his sides,
he whooped his fiercest cowboy yell (;
a cloud of dust rolled back from his
| horses feet.
Now and then SAMMY gave a fearful
glance over his shoulder. The canon
walls cut off sight Of the storm brew
. ing mountain, but above the clatter of
Princes feet broke the crashing Of
thunderbolts, and beneath all Sanuy's
keen ears detected a low, continuous
roar that caused his brown face 10
pale.
Already the slender mountain
stream that threaded the roadside had
risen in it's bed and was lashing itself
TO white foam.
A lone man was cultivating valley
that broke from the canon. SAMMY
checked Prince trihe, by hard work.
Rum he yelled. "a cloudburst on
the mountainl"
The man caught mp his hoe and
ran.
SAMMY stopped at the lower pasture.
The bronco-tamers were tossing hi
lariously.
"A cloudburst, a hood!" shrieked
SAMMY.
The horse-tamers paused, listened
and whipped their horses up the
mountains sides.
A mountain schooner" crept slow
ly up the mountain road, bearing q
party of jolly campers.
"a flood A cloudburst Turn
back Drive up the divide! Hurry
for your lives"
"A hoodw The campers looked mp
at the cloudless sky and laughed. "A
food in your eyel" they shouted; but
SAMMY was out of hearing, and they
went gaily onward to their doom.
Five miles from home Prince over
took the team. Sanny's mother
looked back at the sound of hoofs;
she recognized Sanny-she looked be-
yond him.
"A food A noodw
She pushed Will Sanford from the
wagon, sprang TO the ground and gave
the horses singing lash. She
scrambled up the mountain side, her
brother tugging behind her.
SAMMY" she screamed.
But Sauny and Prince had sped on.
They had one more message to de-
liver.
For week two campers had been
lettering in the beautiful valley. They
had pitched their tent close to the
trickling mountain stream beneath q
cluster Of pines, lettering their horses
among the aspens. They were city
worn aud weak men who were breath.
ing in health and strength before
climbing farther into the mountains.
One OF them lay in hammock, gazing
into the fathomless blue of the sky.
The other sprawled listlessly in the
sunshine, watching chipmunks stea
oats from the fodder bag.
Have You noticed" remarked he,
chow noisy the brook is all of a sud
den? Why, | declare, it's full TO the
bridge It's running over. BY George
We've got to get out of this; were
going TO be flooded.
"Hir"
An empty wagon bounded by, the
horses blind with fright. A bare.
headed rider dashed across the bridge.
The bridge melted away from beneath
| the very horses hoofs. Behind the
boy came a seething wall of water ten,
twenty-thirty feet high.
| "Comel"
Sammy spurred Prince up steep
mountain path. The terrified campers
scrambled after him. They clung to
bushes, they clutched at rocks, up up,
up
The water caught them, but one got
upon a rock and pulled the other after
. ] .
the rush of water mounted high; il
beat the mountainside, il tore trees,
il wrenched rocks. And SAMMY was
beneath, Prince had stumbled and
fallen, and the cruel wave had passed.
When the storm-washed valley
looked mp again at the unchanged
sky. the campers found Sanny's body
,o,,r,oI into tha Gsa,ra ~ a ro.E
Just as they had managed to get his
leaden weight down the mountainside,
his mother came running down the
road. She crossed the boiling stream
on n fallen pine; she snatched SAMMY
out OF the strangers arms.
SAMMY Son.
The men who heard that terrible cry
never forgot it, nor did they forge,
the scene that followed.
After that first cry Of distress, Mrs.
Lane collected her energies and went
10 work. She turned SAMMY face
! downward; she raised his body and LEI
the water flow from his mouth. She
! pressed and inflated his lungs. she
! baie the campers strip of his wet gar
} nen;s, 10 slap him, TO rub him, K
! wrap him in their own coats.
William Sanford came pantiul
down the canon. He bent over tn
: boy: "No use, sister, he's dead"
NO" CALCULATED Sanny's mother
. You've got brandy. Let me hav
: it,"
!! John Lane galloped down the rea