The Tupelo journal., 1909-08-27


lest once she confessed In . 0w
voice, "but we got out again."
"The roads are all under water.
though"
What time is 1t, please?"
McCloud looked at his watch. Two
minutes past II"
Dicksie started. past IL? oh, this
is dreadful! We must start right
back, Marion. / had no idea we had
been five hours coming five miles,"
McCloud looked at her, as If still
unable to comprehend what she had
accomplished in crossing the flooded
bottoms. Her eyes fell back to the
fire. What a blaze!" she mumured
as the driftwood snapped and roared.
Its fine for tonight, isn't it,"
Il know you both must have been
in the water" he insisted, leaning for
ward in front of Dicksie to feel Mari
on's skirt.
'I'm not welt" declared Marion,
drawing back.
Nonsense, you are wet as a rat!
Tell me-" he asked, looking at Dicksie.
about you trouble up at the bend. I
know something about it. Are the men
there tonight? Given up, have they?
! Too bad! Do open your jackets and
try to dry yourselves, both of you, and
| I'll take a look at the river"
Suppose only say suppose-you
first take a look at me-" The voice
came from behind the group at the
fire. and the three turned together.
"By heaven, Gordon Smith" *
claimed McCloud. Where did you
come from"
Whispering Smith stood in the gloom
in patience. where do look as if |
had come from? Why don't you ask
/! me whether I'm wet? And won't you
introduce me-but this is Miss Dick.
sic Dunning, l am sure"
Marion with laughter fastened the
introduction.
and you are wet, of course" said
McCloud. feeling Smiths shoulder.
mo, only soaked. l have fallen into
the river two or three times, and the
last time a big rhinoceros of yours
down the grade, a section foreman
named Klein, was obliging enough to
pull me out. oh, no. | was not look
ing for you," he ran on, answering
McCloud's question; mot when he
pulled me out. l was just looking
for a farm or a ladder or something.
Klein, for a man named Small, is the
biggest Dutchman | ever saw. Tell
me, Klein / asked, after he had quit
dragging me out-he's a Hanoverian
where did you get your pull? And
how about your height? Did your
grandfather serve as a grenadier under
old Frederick William and was he kid.
naped?' Bill, don't feed my horse for
a while. And Klein tried to light a
cigar had just taken from my pocket
ard given him-fancy! the Germans
are a remarkable people-and sat down
to tell me his history, when some
friend down the line began bawling
through a megaphone, and all that
poor Klein had time to say was that
he had had no supper, MOI dinner, nor
yet breakfast, and would be obliged
for some by the boat he forwarded me
II 11llu, III SlOolhSY NhIopClA IL
Smith looked cheerfully around at
Marion, at McCloud, and last and
longest of all at Dicksfc Dunning.
did you come from across the
river?" asked Dicksie, adjusting her
wet skirt meekly over her knees.
"You are soaking wet" observed
Whispering Smith. across the riv.
oroy h. aahoaJ fgyLTaH h o,I1u INV
dear Miss Dunning! Every bridge is
out down the valley except the rail.
road bridge and there are a few things
I don't tackle; one is the Crawling
Stone on a tear. No, this was across
a little break in this man McCloud's
track. l came, 30 be frank, from the
Dunning ranch to look up two women
who rode away from there at even
o'clock tonight, and / want to say
that they gave me the ride of my life"
and Whispering Smith looked all
around the circle and back again and
smiled.
Dicksie spoke in amazement. How
cid you know we rode away? You
were not at the ranch when we left"
Ou, uOu DISK Hill. CTleu MdTlOu.
"He knows everything" explained
McCloud.
Whispering Smith turned to Dicksie.
II vas interested in knowing that they
got safely to their destination-what.
ever it might be, which was none OF
my business. 1 happened to see a
man that had seen them start, that
was all. You don't understand? Well.
if you want it in plain English, I made
it my business to see a man who made
it his business to see them. It's all
very simple, but these people like to
make a mystery of it. Good women
are scarcer than riches, and more to
be priced than fine gold-in my judg-
ment-so l rode after them"
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Ocd