The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1908-06-05


/! tangle of manzanitas, climbed UP a
rocky gully to the mountainous rim
encfrcling Rock Lake, and followed
a. faint trail that took her straight to
the glacier-like mass of snow that
dipped downward at an astonishing
angle. Rags.sran ahead OF. her. whin-
ing pitifully at every thund erclap.
The rain came down in big warm
splashes. The heart of the storm
was roaring across the lake and hurry
ing ON its drenching way hard after
the fleeing girl
A blazing glare Of lightning, fol
lowed by a terrific report Of thumb
er, frightened Anne so that she broke
into a run DOWN the hard-packed
snow She seemed to be flying along
with fearful velocity. and alarmed lest
she should lose entire control of her
self, she dug her heels In the crust
lost her balance in SO doing, and
fell backward upon the snow She
sat up and was about to regain her
feet, when she discovered that the
canon's sheer walls were sliding up
hill
The sight made her dizzy. She
closed her eyes to shut out the Aur-
natural spectacle, only to feel be-
meath hersan undulating movement OF
the snow pack.
Then it dawned upon Anne that the
huge. drift of snow had been started
from its bed by the storm. She open
ed her eyes and screamed with ter
ror as another thunderbolt crashed
overhead It seemed to rock the very
mountainside and give fresh impetus
10 the avalanche.
Anne staggered to her feet. i'm
PEELED by a wild desire to seek safety
in flight. She took but half a dozen
steps when the careening mass up
set her, rolling her over and over in
the rlrmpled, broken drifts. She was
almost smothered, terribly frightened
land when she felt herself dashed
against the projecting limbs of a
Etree and wedged roughly among the
thick branches, she nearly lost con-
sciousness.. But with fierce tenacity
she chung to the bending, cracking
boughs while the avalanche doomed
past with roar that drowned even
/ the peals of thunder.
The pinetree, in the top of which
she had been lodged. stood near the
side Of the gorge and luckily escaped
the full force of the snowslide But
every vestige Of a branch, save the
topmost cluster, was sheared OF
by the grinding mass Of snow, Ice
and debris.
Anne was too badly scared to notice
this; too dazed to move a muscle
She had miraculously escaped awful
death from the crushing avalanche
yet she was far from being assured
of her safety, perched aus she was,
high above the bed of the canon.
The storm, too. followed furiously
in the devastated path of the snow.
slide. The wind swayed and rocked
the towering pine. A long branch
that had been missed by the ava
lanche was torn from the tree trunk
and hurled far down the ravine.
The rain fell in sheets, soaking pool
Anne to the skin. Through 1t all she
kept her arms locked about the rree
trunk. The thunder grew less heavy
From her elevated position Anne saw
the black storm-clouds sweeping past
the camping grounds. For moment
she forgot her own plight in think
ing of the danger of her competitions
then she shivered with cold as blast
of wind gave the big pine a farewell
twist.
/ The storm had spent It's short
fierce career. The rays OF the sun
| penetrated rift In the clouds. Close
to the horizon was this rift, but the
! welcome sunshine was none the less
comforting to the cold, marooned girl
At camp they were greatly worried
when the storm-clouds broke oyel
Rock Lake. The dull roar of the
snowslide caused panic among the
/ women. 1t sent the men post-haste
to find Anne.
/ Wnen ghey had gone halfway across
the meadow, they saw Rags, wet
bruised and running on three, legs. He
was coming oyer the shortcut route
and yelping at every limping step.
The men were sick at heart. Round
Ing the shoulder of the mountain, they
cut OF their view of the gorge, they
say mass of snow, earth and up
rooted trees scattered over the noun,
tainside
Do You suppose she started home
that way 3''asked Tom Sanders.
| II hope not. Why, oh, why did
not go with hertz moaned Elliott
Noxon
A faint halloo seemed to echo this
plant. 1t was repeated with more
emphasis.
In a very few moments Anne's
l Wheraabnuts wore diacova,.a1 ~, an a