The Prescott daily news., 1908-09-17

After a time she became aware of a low murmur like wind among tree tops, and she listened inteltly. She saw there was no wind. She glanced at the man. His pipe had gone out, his head was resting on the thwart be hind her and his eyes were closed. ! He was asleep. Then she reali 'ed 1 1t was the incessant call of the rap ids, the tongues she had been teSr'ps SO often in her dreams throughout the past week and could not forget during the day. Hardly realizing what she was doing, she drew her paddle gently through the water and the canoe slipped ahead down the lake. Some strange, unreasoning impulse, which she did not try to combat, was urging her nearer. She wanted to hear the roar more distinctly, it was so myste- rious and indefinite coming from such distance.
 Gradually the noise increased, re- ceding and advancing as the faint air currents moved away or toward them, until it sounded more like the distant thunder of surf than wind.
 The man still slept, his ears too fa- miliar with the sound of quick waters for it to penetrate his dreams. The girl lifted her paddle from the water and laid 1t across the gunwales | in front of her. The canoe had begun to feel the pull of the current and l 6riffad CtnQdi1v a~J tho OlIf1nT A premonition of danger made her 1 dip her blade and back water few strokes. The canoe came to a stand still almost immediately She noticed this and realized she could safely go nearer. That thin dark line fascinated her, as fear of a great height draws some people to the very edge of an abyss, and then those terrible voices beyond were calling necessarily, but in words she could not quite understand. The line of bent water crept nearer, and then suddenly seemed to rush upon them.
 The blade slashed the surface des- perately, but stronger hands than hers had the canoe in their grip. The light craft appeared to come to life and leap forward with eagerness.
 Her sharp scream woke the man to instant realization of their danger but too late to escape it. As they shot like an arrow down that smooth slope of water he yelled for her to turn, and scrambled dexterously over the forward thwart into the bow. snatching up the spare paddle at the same time
 He remembered that the only course to the left wall, and he threw the canoe over to that side Every nerve and muscle in his body was alert for instant action. His ears had become deaf to the tumult. Back in his brain was only one idea, and that was to win. The light craft bobbed about dizzily and again and again dipped her gunwales under. The cross-cur. rents twisted and hammered her and only his great strength and skill saved them from swift destruction. Each moment he maryeled that they still survived, and in the wild confusion of rocks and waves and binding spray and pallid moonlight 1t seemed more instinct then aught else that guided them alright.
 The girl kneeled low and swung her paddle from side to side as the canoe slowed this way or that, and she was dimly conscious of wild joy and ex- hilaration through it all.
 Their flight had continued for per. haps 30 seconds-though 1t seemed as many hours to the man-and they had won almost to the foot of the curve, when powerful eddy wrenched the paddle from the girls grasp and the off-shore waves. The next instant l they were in the water. As they went over the man had thrown himself for ward and had caught the girl by the l shoulder with one hand Then dark ness closed over their heads
 He felt the icy clutching of the cur rents, the suffocation, and the hope less battling for life, His brain was on fire and his lungs bursting, but his grasp on her shoulder did not weaken. Then another eddy whirled them to the surface and the moonlight flooded bis eyes. He saw the trees reeling by and the white waves high above him, but in that brief instant caught a glimpse of low point rushing to meet him. Then they were dragged beneath again. He struggled might fly with gleam of hope in his heart. and suddenly his feet scraped on the bottom. One more effort and the 1 l- l.o