Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-06-10
The Danger =Line
(oopyright, 1903, by Daily story Pub. Col
sy JEsANNETTE H. wALwoRTH


 should suffer for the folly of their children. Your insane obstinacy passes belief"
 "I am very sorry, mother"
 ''Oh, Lord, what good does that do? A pleasant prospect ahead of me. To be housed with 8 superior sort of crank with the Mississippi river slop- ping oyer the front doorstep. It nev- CT has come any higher than that and presume there is limit even to it's powers for evil"
 To which the girl replied nothing. It was inevitable that she and her mother should share their watery isolation with each other alone. All of their .neighbors had "refugeed" over in the hills or gone to the city to be out of harms possible way. Since that explosive sound had start led her from her hard-won sense of security the girls brain had been working very actively. She must ex- ert every nerve to reducing the dis aster to a minimum. Already the larger portion of the live stock had been sent back to the Mason hills. But there were the cows and her poultry to be housed in the gin rooms. There was fuel to be stored, and general preparations made for g siege of uncertain duration. Four short weeks ago escape had been pos sible. She had put the chance away from her, acting on conviction of duty from which nothing on earth could make her swerve. She was not given to looking backward, but with the frightful roar of that crevasse making itself heard in the stiffness of the soft spring morning, she al- most wished the chance might be given her once more.
 'sThat conscience of yours is always getting in the way of your own com fort. will be glad if it does no worse this time," her mother snapped querulously.
 Yes, it was certainly her conscience that had made her say "no" instead of ives" when Arthur Dennison had asked her to marry him without any feminine frippery' and let him place her and her mother in a place of safety before returning to his ardu- OuS ouUCO d0 OAA8AA HI NA@4 kU VI the levees along the whole front of one district.
 Every fiber of her being had thrill led with the glad affirmation she would not let her lips utter. She would not let him burden himself so heavily because of generous inn pulse of pity. "He does not know, poor mother" the girl argued with herself conscientiously. "After the danger is over and we secure she would make life unbearab1e for him and he shall not come to hate her nor me either. will chance it with her alone. Poor dear she is my bur den. No one shall share her with me-"
 Which was the cruel reason why she had looked up into the face dear- est of all the world to her and said with that mendacity which only your truly good woman is mistress of: CT have known you such short while MT. Dennison and I have never thought of you in-in this light. It would be great injustice to you to settle so vital a matter under the inn pulse of self-preservation."
 Unprotesting he had given his hand in farewell. There was no time for prolonged alliance. Lives and prop erty were in his hand for preserva- tion. He had smiled gravely down into her sweet, troubled eyes as he said:
 "I had hoped for a different answer, dear, but should you see cause to re- call your decision send for me. I shall be found-well-any near the danger line. I am sorry cam not be more explicit
 And conscience-up to that danger fraught moment had sustained her. She had done right. She reiterated the words fercely to herself. She would do it all over again. Yes, she would.
 But all that had happened weeks ago. And Dennison was-she knew mot where. What she did know was, that, within few miles of them the safest levee in the state" had just given way without a moments warn ing and that she was alone with her crippled mother in the old plantation house so far away from neighbors or help. Alone, but for the corps of in- capables who had remained on the place when the hands had been en- rolled to fight the common enemy un- der Dennison's generalship. Her hardest task would be managing her mother. She assumed her gayest air of confidence.
 "The water never has come up into the house, mother. Perhaps we shan't lose anything but the violets and the spring vegetables"
 "What has been is no rule for the Mississippi river. You have heard a dozen people say it is going higher this year than ever."
 The girls darkening eyes turned towards the outer world where spirea and wistaria were making a white and purple tangle against the trel- lised veranda. Birds sang in the mag nolia trees and a turquoise sky brooded peacefully above:
 "There is no real danger, mother. Only inconvenience and deprivation.