Arizona republican., 1908-04-03

1 the gorge was SO severe that, sho1ld he l lose his balance and fall into it. he would have pretty hard fight tu swim ashore, besides the danger of not bein;; able to climb ihe steep. slippery and rocky bank at any nearby point.
 But this Knowledge did not daunt Ralph, who was a boy of venturesome spirit. He stepped upon the foot-Iog and walked across the raging stream as quiet ly as if he had been walking on level ground without drop of water within a mile of him.
 Then he went directly across the roll, ing prairie toward the river. a stream without banks of any great depth. and. therefore one that swept wide of it's bounds during high-wab,r times Some times Ralph had seen it spreading over the lowlands adjacent to Us course like mighty inland sea. mes ssnrinG at some points several miles in width. And with in what appeared 10 be its cente. stood the tall cottonwood trees which at nor nal times graced it's banks.
 And today Ralph helsld the river swollen to vast proporuHis. raging ike mad as 1t rushed wildly toward its out let into q greater river JO miles away II seemed that the wlrCe country sice had poured into this one stream all It's melted snows and accumulated spring rains for never before iEzi Ralph seen lt of such outgrown proportions Across from him on the opposite bank were seN- ersl cnttlemen. come for the purpose or viewing their old friend--tiie river all its glory of the spring heshet These men knew Ralph and waved their arms to him. calling out greeting
 Flows Wolf Creek2'' asked one. using his hands as n mccaphOnc to carry his
 It-audeupl
 Second to none cried back Ralph. proud!v bonstiuig of his own dear littie Wolf Creek the pride Of the ranchers living near to It.
 Well. don't yrI know you're running a risk to be on jhis side of your own na- tive stream: cried ba.k the speaker, Waters porrlrG down from every hl.l; through every gully into Wolf Creek ana i; win probably be over it's banks before you can get bacS ther'. How'd you se' across: On the fnot-log. eh:
 Yen. on the foot-iog. replied Ralph. s ..Rr. inc water wasn't within fool or the log when I crossed 5t. I m not fret- ting about getting bad; Q. h Anu Rnlph laughed good-naturedly. "Wb7' ever heard of Il stream rising foot l''- side Of an hour? And I'll be back there in less time than it takes for you ." cross your cow pens. It's about h'c | vou watch me. So long till ] see you again.
 Then Ralph was of as fleet as a deer. But he could not keep up the rapid gat, and after the first half mile was obliged to slow down bit. After about an hour and q half of pretty brisk walking ne reached the place on the bank of Wolf Creek where he had crossed on the foot- log en route to the river.
 But upon descending the steep bank to the spot of crossing he stopped in utter alarm Where was the foot-log! Surely it could not have been carried away by the rising water! But so must have been the case. for no foot-log remained there TOW And the water was tearing at the banks many inches above the place where the ends of the foot-log had rested.
 Ralph was in A dilemma. On the one side of him was Wolf Creek, across which he could not pass, for swimming