The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-10-14

side world It had vanished unquestionably, sweep
entirely away by the food.
To the west and south were broad rolling lands with
only the long shining rails of steel to reclaim them
from the primitive state, and to the east the great blus
treste stretched from her very feet toward where hes
home lay, miles beyond the horizon.
Down where its massive piers met the water, logs
and beams barrels and debris of all Sorts tossed and
fought for supremacy like living things. The bridge
had proved at first an obstacle to many of the drftne
objects, and while they halted at the unyeldng bar
across their path others had hurried behind them
grappled with and crowded them until at last bar.
rer had formed that de6ed the passage Of every NOV
ing thing except the tossing, foaming water that
rushed over and under it with total disregard for
everything but its own mighty power.
Further up the river great trees had torn loose from
their soil and joined the motley crowd the river
In the center of the stream one fallen monarch shorn
of its magnificent dignity lay with its roots like great
feet kicking rdculousy into the air at every surge OF
the waters and its branches laden with strange fruit
for much of the hotsam and jetsam had found lodg-
ment among them BY steady, continued pressure
some of the swaying limbs had found grip in the
restlessly moving mass, and one hoary limb by some
strange manoeuver had thrust itself up between the
sleeper of the trese There SCARED by its constant
fret against the rail- crushed by the tremendous press
behind it and the unyeldng steel before it great
section had broken off and lay parallel to the shining
rail-
EIizabeths little scarlet-coated figure still dripping
from the river and Terry at her elbow the only
living things in this scene Of desolaton. An awful
loneliness surged her SOUL and her throat ached
with the sobs that she stihed,
She had been trained early to habits of action and
courage, and looked about her again for inspiration
With the instinct that guided Terry in his runaway her
eyes chung insstently to the east and home and It was
she stood and gazed that the sight Of the great
limb the track flashed its message of danger to her
tired brain It directly in the path of the east
bound train and
She turned about AS she did SO long shrll whistle
sounded The train that the engineer had
seen her the track and blown warning: the roar
Of the waters below had drowned the sound Of its
coningl
There was just instant for decision
In fash her jacket off Chat little scarlet jacket
that father had insisted upon her wearing when she
rode, that he might her long way of and she
was waving 1t frantically.
The train was coming at high speed. Could, oh,
could she stop in time? Tn her excitement she ran
to meet it, still waving and gesticulating.
The wheels and brakes were screaming and sparkling
now 1t was stopping-it had stopped
The engineer had jumped down beside her and she
was explaining to him what the trouble was but some
how she felt very vague and indefinite now and this
didn't sound like her voice at al
Then passengers came crowdnR out to see what VA,
wrong, and things began to blur before her eyes
Faithful Terry still stood beside her. and she leaned
against him for support When, suddenly from amid
the throng OF passengers alightng came the sound q
the dearest voice in the world-her fathers Eliza
bethl = It said And with wide glad eyes and lew
happy cry, she reached out her hands and sank into
her fathers arms