Evening journal., 1910-06-04

shoulder in battle, men and women
who have incurred shipwreck. all who
have escaped perils wherein each has
stood brsvely up in the tight for life.
can never meet again without an ex-
change Of heart thrills.
While superintendent Of a mine in
New Mexico, finding it necessary to
descend TO a town where we did our
banking. l started IN an ore wagon
drawn by mules ] had hardly got
seated before / saw n girl in a short
skirt and large felt hat carrying an
easel under one arm and a box of
paints under the other coming toward
me She said she wished to go down,
and ! handed her into the seat beside
me. She was an artist from the east
and had come ont TO sketch. ] little
thought that NJ the journeys end we
would be firmly locked in each others
arms ana our courtship would have
lasted less than half an hour.
We were obliged to pass through a
gulch so narrow I'm parts that there
was barely room for a wagon. the
rocks rising prccipitously on either
hand Through it the creek when it is
not dry trickled over sand and stones
There is a defle on the route about
mile long. and when one enters it there
is no possibility Of getting Out except
at one end or the other By the time
we had entered the upper end Of this
dehle we had got acquainted and were
chatting glibly.
On turning a bend we noticed some
cattle near the lower end of the gulch
They had been down to drink at one OF
the little pools i'm the creek bed. but
were getting out as fast as their hoofs
would carry them. our driver uttered
an exclamation. Then he pulled up
the mules. jumped out and put his ear
to the sand.
"a cloudburstw he cried. white as
the snow upon the mountain top and,
thinking only of saving himself. de-
tached one Of the lead mules. sprang
on its back and away he went lickety
/ split without SO much as giving us
another word. I knew what a cloud
/ burst was and that in a short time a
wild torrent would be tearing its way
along where we were Jumping from
the wagon. | detached two mules and
called the one word Hurry" to the
young lady. She knew something was
wrong and sprang down beside me.
/ Without wo,d lifted her and put
/ her astride one of the mules. l be-
/ thought myself OF the whip. reached
for it, then bounded on TO the other
mule I had loosened. and we galloped
away.
] took position behind my companion
and lashed the mule on which she rode
without cessation. The first sound we
heard-and we heard it soon. too-was
a low murmur. as of far distant
storm. Then came a sound of the rush
ing of many waters. ] cried to the
girl not TO look back, but l was toe
late. She took one glance. what blood
was left in her checks left them. anC
she gave a spasmodic grasp at the har
ness and collar before her 1 haC
; thought she would fall. but after thI
first stroke of terror she recovered her
self and never once lost her nerve.
What she saw was wall of waite
and sand blocking the gulch and NOV
ing toward US with terrible rapidity
Less frightful would have been tn
leaps Of a hungry lion. 1t was push
] ing before if logs, rocks. anything, ey
erything that it found In its way
+ There was every chance that We toe
5 would i'm a few minutes be struck b.
p the turbulent mass and become an in
sensible part Of It,
. Somehow l forgot myself in my in
terest in the girl. 1t seemed to m
that / must save her It was not tina
/ was brave, but an object made m
insensible to fear. | lashed her mul
with ali my strength and until
: mighty roar from behind drowned m
voice yelled. We bounded over rock
without knowing that they were il
our way; we jumped over logs tina
on another occasion would have seen
ed impossible. We must rely on th
agility, the sure footedness Of on
mules. Every moment / dreaded t
see the animal before me 80 down
but l thanked heaven that our mount
were Of that hardy. sure footed species
Nearer came the din Perhaps W
would have been oyertaken sooner ha
not the torrent now and again bee
for a moment stayed by a sharp ben
in the gulch. Then it would hurl it
advance mass against the rock, recoi
and recommence its downward course
We reached the mouth Of the gulci
On either hand the ground sloped III
ward / yelled to the girl to turn he
mule aside, but the din, now only
few yards behind us, drowned m
voice. The mules both knew as we
as we where safety lay and wit
scarcely any abatement OF speed dasl
ed up the incline. while the horribl
monster that had been pursuing u
whirled on with a disappointed howl.
When the mule before me stopped
was of my own and beside him ju!
in time to catch the girl as she fell
a faint. / held her in my arms ii
she came to herself and then buri
forth into a torrent Of such devotiC
as l might have used to one l ha
known and loved for an eternity. "
Syere made one by that frightful to
rent.
Years have since passed. but not "
has either my wife or myself passe
beyond waking suddenly in the nigl