Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-02-10
She HrguS Daily Short Story
Crossing the Divide. BY Azile Aidy1
(COpyrighted. 1908. by Jessie Morganl

ing With one foot on the swinging SIN
gletree, he gave tremendous leap
and sprang to the back of the mad
dened leader. He drew himself along
over the foaming creatures shoulder
and, reaching forward. succeeded in
freeing the bit from it's clinchcd teeth.
then. talking softly and gently patting
its neck, gradually quieted the poor
animal, which now. responding to the
saving of the reins. came to n stand
still halfway down the mountain side
The man sprang to the ground. as |
did the driver, and together they mend |
ed the trace and looked over the entire |
harness The horses. steaming and |
trembling. were now docile as lambs.
You'll have no further trouble to-
night" said the man to the driver. |
These poor brutes are pretty thor
oughly exhausted
Smoking JehOshaphat. but that was
close shave. said the driver. Wed
all been in kingdom come If it hadn't
been for YOU"
'Oh. not as bad as that. | guessw
horse who had caused all the trouble,
You would have come to your senses
in time, wouldn't you. old boy?" The
| horse answered by rubbing his head
against the mans shoulder
The giant walked back and climbed
| into the coach as though nothing IN
usual had occurred, but the driver as
| he mounted to his seat and gathered
up the reins muttered: That dod-
| gasted horse never Civ in like that to
anybody in his life before That fell
ler's 4 regular charmer, like the one in
the show at Frisco"
And as the stage ratified on he would
say every few minutes. "A regular
charmer. that's wot he isl
They made fairly good time thereaft-
err and just ut dawn pulled up before
the door of Il small hotel in Lewiston
AS the girl, very pale, stepped to the
ground she held out her hand to the
silver haired giant, saying:
81 want to thank you. l saw what
you did, and it was that which fright
ened me most. You saved our lives.
l shall never forget it. Goodby," and
she disappeared into the hotel
He saw her several times after that
ut the Peterson ranch just below his
mine. He learned that she was the
new governeSS for the Peterson chill
dren, but was always busy when he
called at their ranch. And how often
it seemed necessary to see Peterson
lately, even though he never had more
| foI hnr
One day terrible storm came up,
and it rained increasingly. which kept
the giant busy strengthening the reser-
voirs. The next morning he was awak-
ened by the roar of rushing water
Dressing hurriedly and putting on his
high rubber boots, he was soon down
! at the point of the hill where he could
|, see that Peterson's ranch was entire
ly submerged, the house seeming to
. stand in the center of a lake, with
. the water gradually rising past the
window silis. He hurried down the
; hill and waded through the three feet
. of water to the house. He climbed
through a window, and there on the
stairs sat the girl.
Throw something warm over your
head and shoulders and come down.
he called.
= The girl unhesitatingly complied. He
opened the door with great difficulty;
then mounting the stairs halfway he
gathered her in his arms and without
"by your leave strobe out of the
. door through the water to the hills.
2 "The storm is abating. and the wa
ter will soon recede, but you could no
: remain there. My foreman's wife will
2 make you comfortable"
= How small and light she was! H'
t could carry her so forever. And how
j disgustingly narrow the flooded vale!
seemed! Reluctantly he placed her oil
a the rising ground.
d "Where were the Petersons?" h
asked
I, "They went to visit relatives on tn
It X-Bar ranch. Oh, they left the hire
J. man with me! He had just gone, a
you came, to see what he could get II
e the way of n boat or balloon"
e Then still in laughing tone, thougl
e her eyes filed, she said, at seems t
t be your business to come to my res
i cue"
Wont you give me the job 70
le life?" he asked eagerly. Il believe
" could prevent disaster touching yor
10 even a food"
# And, looking up into his strong
,s powerful face, she answered, 81 be
is lieve you could" as she put both hand
in his.