El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-11

, marked, land something else viii Follow.
| If it's rain, we shall have a deluge falling
| in ropes but fancy we're in for some
| thing different. We had better turn back,
| Elsie.''
"In view of this heat, wetting would
| be a distinct luxury, but I think, as yor'
| say, there is something else coming be
Sides Oh, Pat, here it is. Run, or we
shall be caught"
The storm gave but one weird moan, a
rustic and a shrek from over the tree tops
and then was upon them. In a minute it
was blowing with hurricane force which
no human being could stand against.
The wind plucked the feet from under
-hem, and they fell to the decking of the
pier, gripping with their fingers in the
gaps between the planks. A storm of sand
and leaves and twigs beat against their
heads. The crazy trestlework of the pier
buokled and swung beneath their bodies.
1--WE must get shoreward,' Cambel
yelled in his companions ear. "This jam
crack thing will go by the board directly"
Brighton came back the response
cheerily enough, and together they began
to warp themselves toward the beach and
the wind, plank at a time. The girl was
strong and accustomed to using her mus
cles, but skirts are poor rig to play cater
pillar in, and her progress was slow even
gained a score of yards, she babe him leave
her to make the best of his own way. 81
shall get along all right she cried. go
and tell them I'm coming"
Naturally should, he shouted back,
with laugh. Here, let me link my arm
inside yours. That's right. Now we'll
ferry along at twice the pace
But they did not get much farther. A
minute afterward, to the kick Of a hard
squall, the gray old pier tottered and clat-
tered and crinched, and the wind was
filled with flying boards, and Cambel
found himself with one arm clutching the
weed clad stump of a pile and the other
wrapped round Elsie Kildare.
''Hurt?' he shouted anxiously.
mot bit. Sound as bell. Your"
''An right
"But where's the water2 There should
be six feet here, and 1 can feel none.''
Blown away to sea. We may thank
God the wind is not on shore, or we'd have
been drowned, as hundreds of other poor
wretches are this moment. Ali That's
shave
A lightning flash showed them huge
tree plucked from its roots and blowing
past them, squirming and crushing about
like live mad thing. Then a heavy
squared roof beam hit their jagged pile
and missed Cambels arm by nails
breadth
1.-The hotels going down." he shouted.
1.-The air will be full of this stuff in
minute and if we try to move we shall be
Drained before we've got yard. Crouch
down, dear, at the bottom of the post"
You, too
mo, there isn't ROOM
''Tben 1 shall stand
She dragged at his sleeve and pulled
him to her side. Stay by me here, Pat.
You might get swept away, and couldn't
bear that
'Of course III stay by you, dear. III
never go till you turn me away" He took
new grip with his arms, pinning her be-
tween his breast and the weed ragged leg
of the pile. Elsie, 1 want to tell you
something. You know I've always liked
you friend, but now it has come to
more than that Much more-love. dar
ling. Once my mind was full of another
woman, and 1 thought 1 could never care
for any ene else 1 cared for her, but
that as years since Thousands of years, it
seems now, and, Elsie, Twelve forgot
ten her. She is only name to me and
your sister. Dear, if we get away from
this do you think you could like me, too,
a little more than an ordinary friend?'
She put her lips to his ear. do you
think we shall come out of it alive, PATTI
Tell me honestly
Il hope so-''
Honestly, Fat.
I'm afraid, darling it's a poor chance"
Her soft, wet checks nestled against
him, and strands of her hair intertwined
themselves with his Pat she said,
you never knew, but I loved you all
along from the first. ~
Then for the first time during many
years Patrick Cambel knew what it was
to fear death. Beforetime life had held
many torments for him, and if lead or
water or steel chose to show him the great
secret he did not very much care. Now it
was all different. He luseed to live with
u f1erceness which almost drove him mad.
You are trembling the girl said anx-
iously.
Il know 1 am. You have made me a
rank coward, dear.
She understood him and kissed his
mouth, but no other words passed between
them.
The Cyclone blew on, believing and
and the f1end fingers of the
wind did mischief beyond all reckoning.
Timber which had stood hundreds of
years. oeibas and expresses, like oaks and
pines sprawled down among the tangled
mere masses of splintered
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