The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-02-21
TfC, ADVERTISERS
 DAILY SHORT STORY

once turned to look back, but now a hurried glance told her that terrific
 ops sss eou % nope so as.eh ia hs snis :.na she would be overwhelmed by t. But the white hull of boat in the distance. s sns Vsr hns- ss. ss of 'a sSs fsa from the south shore Her thoushts hew acros. her mind Ike frightened storm bids; bad Henry Mitchell seen her strug- Ens p Mts the sSS eSs Su,S h' com: s:ssS .S them in time to save either? Could he glance told her he could not. Before she could look again there burst upon her est est of wind and rain and seethinE waves.
 At the first onset the oars were torn from her grasp and the boat was swung from its course and carried in great storm. sSanas l Above ~a tSe Ss.tenins @ roar o of wind and river there came to her the sound of breaking timbers. and she knew that the house on the island had been swept from its moorings. Soon. too. she bore down upon her. Her boat met the wave and was borne forward through the air upon it's crest. Then, suddenly, while 1t was sliding back to tho yawnins stem to stern and stopped 90 instantly that the iron-ribbed side of the bow was stove Tn and the girl thrown for ward upon her face.
 There was an instant of silence about her. during which Caroline heard the low gulf tidal wave that had passed. go thun- dering onward to It's further work of de- structioA. Controlling her terror. she lift ed her bead to look about her when. caught between the chanel posts, and, left by the height of the wave that had passed. now hung between them. quitA out of the water. To change her position meant to be thrown out Of the ,, she saw through the curtain of rain and darkness, being borne down toward her, a great. gray object. It rocked and swayed in the swelling rolls like ship lines of the floating Smith house. It came fast, and swept by almost within touch. With mad impulse to reach It the girl flung herself from the boat. She fell Into the water; but & elutchsd ed, pro. pro, about 1t. There she chung in the gath. erinE darkness. nearly submerged at times, and again raised almost from the water by the swinging of the house. But indeed, 1t was not, for suddenly she felt 6 grasp of iron about her waist and. yielding to stronger will she loosened
 Above her she saw the face Of Henry Mitchell, and then felt herself in his arms. The marvellous skill learned In stemmihg the ice foes of. the Lower Yukon had enabled him to withstand the first stress of storm. and. carried a. for he had neared the floating house, had , seen Caroline's leap into the water. and had been able to so far guide his boat as to reach her. There. with the temp with the shadow of death darkening above them, the man forgot life itself
 and. clasping the clinging form of the girl to his bosom pressed her wet face her eyes bade him cease. Then. with the strength and energy of giant, he bent to his work of guiding the boat to shore. The drift of the stream told him that they were being driven s across the the would gain the inner pay--a harbor with It's headiand of shells. Rapidly but pain fully they neared the safer waters of the inner bay. headland, there came once more to their ears from midstream the sound of the crashing and falling of beams and tim. bers; and, well knowing that the friend whom they had sought to save was no between them. the eyer of each sought the others, and in tha. moment of sor- row their souls were linked together. The headiand of shells iocrred beyond them. sfH
 of the wind now kept them atop of a great wave. and the grounding of the boat far in upon the beach brought them to safety. There by the side of the white boat they told to each other the vows that were soon to again make the bay country furnish its dancers and the lit; tie village of Cypress Bayou to record In its annals another event.
 TEE" by Evelyn Bacon.