The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1909-01-05

Don't call me dear any more. After
this please call me Miss WeIlman.
shall never speak to you again. Good
by"
Ralph started to speak. but the party
at the other end Of the line had rung
off.
Hum" he unused, scratching his
head in perplexity. shell never speak
to me again, but I'm to call her Miss
Wellman hereafter. Rather inconsist-
ent, to say the least l wonder who
her guests are. / wonder If the other
fellow Well, well, maybe he is com
ing, but he'll have to hurry II he ex-
poets to reach the Wellman home with
out getting his feet wet"
Ralph thrust his hands deep into his
pockets and strolled to the window
overlooking the river which flowed be-
tween his home and Miss Wellman's.
Through the gusty rain he could make
out the surging stream, swollen till 1t
nearly reached the top Of the banks.
Dark, discolored, filed with branch
es of trees and other light material
caught in It's food, the river raced sui
lenly onward like an unclean thing.
"Tt's going to rise lot more before
it goes down." he muttered.
From the river his glance sought the
distant shore. Dimly he could discern
pale lights through the gloom.
"Geelr Ralph cried suddenly as he
realized how much the river had risen
in the past hour IF it comes up
much farther it will go hard with
Glare over there"
He strobe to the telephone. AS he
placed the receiver to his ear he
caught a sharp crack and rending
sound; then the wire went dead. He
was cut of from communication with
the outside world and with Glare.
Again Ralph strobe to the window.
AS he looked down at the angry water
it seemed to him that the river had
risen materially in the moment that he
had been at the phone.
The thought galvanized him into sud
den action. He jumped from the win
dow and tore out of the room into the
pelting rain toward his automobile
shed.
Here he quickly stripped his huge
car of its gigantic searchlight and gas
tank and with the apparatus rushed
back to the room. In a moment he had
the gas turned on, and a food of light
poured through the lens.
With care he raised the window and
projected the light through the open
ing toward the opposite shore. The
powerful light cleayed way through
the dark and rain, showing in outlines
clear enough for his vision the oppo-
site shore.
Ralph gasped at what he saw. The
water was at the second story OF the
Wellman home. He had not before
realized how much lower the Well
man home was than his. Some one
came to the window directly opposite
the Curtis home.
Ralph strained his eyes. Surely 1t
was Glare and alone. Where were the
others? Then he remembered that
Clares father and mother had left that
morning for town and had undoubted-
ly been prevented from returning by
the flood.
Ralph advanced to the window and
waved his arms reassuringly to the
girl. She responded. Quickly he turn
ed of the light. Gathering up the ap-
paratus in his arms, he hurried from
the room out into the rain again and
to the boathouse.
The frail little launch had been TAX
en- from the house when the river be-
gan to rise and moored alongside 1t.
Now the house was wholly under wa
ter, and Ralph was forced to swim TO
the boat, holding the searchlight as
well as he could.
In the boat he started first the light
and then the engine and put out into
the swollen stream The little craft
was sadly buffeted by the sticks and
the waves and time and again ship
ped water as Ralph sturdily headed
for the opposite shore.
The searchlight disclosed the Well
man home with the water now little
above the second story. In the win
dow stood the girl, waving her hands
encouragingly.
At length Ralph managed to catch
hold Of the window. Inside the room
the girl stood nearly waist deep in the
water
.Quickr' cried Ralph. "Get into the
boaty'
Silently the girl obeyed. Just as she
was safely seated Ralph's grasp was
broken The water dashed them furi-
ously away and then against the
house. Something snapped. With a
muttered ejaculation Ralph looked to
his engine. Nothing seemed to be
amiss, and he threw the throttle for
ward. The engine raced terrifcally,
and he quickly jerked the throttle
back.
1.-THE propeller shaft is broken" he
announced in a voice that strove to
be calm. wen have to float down
with the current and try to land some
where
The girl was startled, but also tried
b appear unconeexpad.