The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-06-01

precipice. Not until they had all dis
mounted and were collecting where the
desperate lover had shot the bird of
paradise only a few moments before did
the girls know what had happened.
Kate proved to be of heroic mold
There was one little moan from her lips,
and then with deft fingers she fell to
work to help splice the ropes. One of the
fearless cowboys craWled to the brink
and peered down into the awful abyss.
"He is still there" Sc said. Give me
| lariat, quick"
A big strong fellow by the name of
Tom Houston, after bracing himself
| against tree, was about to drop the
moose over the bluff when the cowboy,
who was looking at Waynock said:
stop; someone will have to go down
| there. He is too weak to hold the rope or
tie it about him if it was by his SIDE"
II will CO." said Kate. HE did it all
| for me. I would be ashamed to let one
of you boys risk your life, knowing that
I caused the poor boy to fall over there
! She already had the moose around her
body. s.,....a..>
| Nov, Tow" she said, 'let me down.
1t is my duty to go to him.
! They saw that it would be useless to
| try to stop her. Houston had taken a
half hitch around tree with the rope
and he slowly let the girl slide over the.
I precipice.
! II can hold her.. he said. There is
really no danger for this rope would hold
| a steer.'' s
! One of the boys leaned far over the
brink to watch the brave girl and catch
her words, while Joy and the others let
down another rope. Ast
| Kate reached her sweetheart's side,
: and a glance at his AeolOrless face and
bleeding hands convinced her that not
a moment could be spared if she succeed
ed in saving him from plunging head
long into the yawning abyss. He was ly-
ing on the thickly matted branches of a
cedar. which the brave girl could plainly
see was fast yielding under the boys
| weight. The roots of the tree had only
a precariOus hold in the clefts of the
rocks, an. It was slowly swaying in the
breeze and bending farther out from the
perpendicular WALL The trembling boy
knew that it was slowly giving way,
and though he had grasped the boughs
until blood was oozing from under his
finger nails. he fully realized that only
a few moments would pass before the
tree top would descend faster and faster
and finally sweep downwards with the
rapidity Of falling stone and tear its
roots from the ledge.
TT is going fast, Kate" he whispered
through the blood and froth on his lips.
She had the dangling moose prepared
fer him in her hand, but she could hear
the roots of the cedar swapping and the
top with it's precious burdan was fast de-
scend'ng. AT the next instant it would
| certainly so with crash and her sweet
heart would shoot through the air. bleed
ing and mangled. into the surging wa
ters of the Guadalupe, three hundred
feet below.
Bravo, Charle!" she whispered. as
she swung the moose below his feet anG
drew it close under his arms.
Saved" shouted COWBOY on the sum.
NIT.
The dexterous cast of the lariat had oc.
| CURED at the last moment Terror ha6
conquered courage, and endurance hat
yielded to despair The tree gave wa.
with a crash and the hopeless boy, witt
a shudder and a pleading look in hi
CLASSY eyes. had only time to whisper
"Good-bye, Kate when he felt himsel
jerked loose from the falling boughs
Mingled with the shrleks Of the birds OF
paradise he heard the word saved"
AS the two lovers swung from the
fall of granite their faces came to-
gether, and the brave girl kissed the
blood from the limp form she had saved
from being mangled upon the waters
and rocks OF the Gaudaloupe.
The fearless girl maintained her self.
possession. While swinging by the APP
parently lifeless bouy of her sweetheart
in midair. at such dizzy heights She
carefully instructed those above as
| tho n draw the She dr.
them pull up the body of the rescued
youth first. and frequently said to hel
friends. BE careful" or Don't get ex-
cited" Her face appeared above the
edge of the terrible abyss. radiant and
triumphant, while her bright eyes
sparkled with happiness.
The body of the exhausted young mar
nod been carried back to a safe distance
from the edge of the bluff. and it was
only when the brave T Axas girl had fallel
on the earth by the side of her sweet
heart and drawn his white face agains
her bosom that her woman's heart yield
ed to the strain she had endured, ant
tears began to stream from har eyes
she rained kisses upon the cheek
" the barely conscious youth. and up
'~-''~a '~->elf for being the cause o
, | h'~ .---''-'- --,i~fortune.
Fall off G: the m rntain!" excla me-
Bill Terry, with snort as he rivete
his eyes upon the marvelously beautiful
girl, kissing life back into Waynock'
limp form. "He was hunting birds o
paradise for her. and IL I could ex
change places with him right now TO
two minutes would willing ride TIN
widest bucking broncho in Texas RICH
over that there precipice. though i
were forty times higher than 1t is. an
. I would not care for the Judgment IL
. the boughs Of friendly cedar"