Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-30

4
What do you thinkf Go backl
| STEADY, steady, Master Knight Err
rant!,' the duchess cried in her calm,
brave voice II mover knew you SO bad q
counselor beforep'
| sit is my fault that you are here,
said, looking dismally around.
| perhaps the other road Is as bad,
Master BERTHE replied. AT any rate, that
is past and gone The question Is, What
are yo to do now? To remain hore Isl
| die of cold and misery. TO go back may
be to run into the enemy's arms. Togo
| forward
will be to be drownedn' Mistress Anne
cried, with n pitiful sob.
could not blame her. A more gloomy
outlook than ours, as we sat on our jnded
horses in the middle of this waste Of wa:
tiers, which appeared in the moonlight to-
be boundless, could scarcely be imagined.
Tho night was cold for the time Of year,
and the keen wind pierced our garments
and benumbed our limbs. At any mo-
ment the rain might begin nfresh and tho
moon 10 overcast OF ourselves, we could
not take step without danger, and our
guides had manifestly lost their heads and
longed only to return.
.'Yet am for going forward tho
duchess urged If there be but this one
bad place, we may pass it with care
I'VE may, her husband assented dubi-
ously But suppose when we have passed
it We can go no farther. Suppose the
lit is no good supposinglp she retorted,
with some sharpness. Let us cross this
place first, Richard, and we will deal with
the other when we come to It !" s..
He nodded assent, and we moved npwlyS
forward, compelling tho guides to Cd first
In this order We waded some hundred
yards through water which grew deeper
with each step, until it rose nearly to our
girths. Then the lads stopped.
"Are we overt, said the duchess eagerly.
For answer one of them pointed to the
flood before him, and peering forward IS
made out current, sweeping silently and
swiftly across our path-a current with an:
ominous rush and swirl.
"Over3" grunted Master BERTHE. Nd
this is the place See, the road has given
why, and the stream is pouring through
fen the river. 1 expect 1t Is getting
worse every minute as the banks crum.
BILE. Z"
We all craned forward, looking at It. u
was impossible to say how deep the water
was, or how far the deep part might ex-
a..
women.
.swe must go iback!' said Master BERTHE
resolutely There is no doubt about It. B
The food is rising. II we do not take
care, we shall be cut of and be able to 60
neither backward nor forward. I cannot
see foot of dry land, az 1t is, before or
behind us.
He was right. Far and wide, wherever
tvAk
reflected in sheet of water. We were
nearly up to our girths in water. Ousone
side was the hurrying river; on the othee
were the trcacherous depths Of the back
water. / asked the guido as well ~ 1s
could whether the road was good beyond
He answered that he did not know. He
and his companion were so terrified that
we only kept them beside us by threats
az fear we must go back, - ! said, AZ
sentlng sorrowfully.
Even the duchess agreed, and we were
in tho act OF turning to retrace our steps
with what spirit We might when dis
tant sound brought us all to standsttlls
again. The wind was blowing from the.
quarter whence NO had come from Em-
merich-and 1t brought to us the sound,
Of voices. We oil stopped to listen. Hes;;
they were voices we heard loud, stf1done
tones, mingled now with the sullen plash.
of horses tramping through the water. sls
looked at the duchess. Hcr face waa pAles
but her courage did not fail her. She NM
derstood in a trice that the danger We had
so much dreaded was upon Us; that We
were followed, and the followers were at.
our heels, and she turned her horse round
again. Without word she spurred Il
back toward the deep part. Iseized Anne's'
rein and followed, notwithstanding that
the poor girl in her terror would have re-
sisted. Letting the guides SO az they
pleased, we four in q moment found our
selves abreast again, our horses craning
over the stream, while NO, with whip and
spur, urged them on.
In cold blood we should scarcely have
done 1t. Indeed, for Q minute, as our
steeds stumbled and recovered themselves
! and slid forward, only to draw back sre1n. Z,
bling-as the water rose above o1r nQose
or was flung BY our fellows in our eyes
and all was dogging and scrambing and
splashing-it seemed as II We were to ~
caught in q trap despite our resolve. Bus
at last Master Bertie's horse took the
plunge His wife's followed. and BOTH
partly foundering and partly swimming
set forward, snorting the while IN fears
To my joy I saw them emerge safely noes !;
ten yards away, and shaking themselyees
stand comparatively high out OF the water.
.sCome!'' cried my lady imperatively g I
she turned In her saddle with q gesture ct
defiance s'Co1ne! 1t is all right. Z, =. s. s.'s
Continued Friday:) VI
What's Your Face Worths az
Sometimes fortune. but never +
,2<<~~i 49,