The Greenville morning herald. [volume] (Greenville, Tex.) 1890-1956, 1910-08-23
TwoMade One
A Grcal Love Was Made by
as Great a Danger
BY klNGSBURY WEIGH
Copyright, 1910. by American Press
Association

Nothing will suddenly draw people
together as danger Incurred In compn-
ny. Men who have stood shoulder TO
shoulder in battle men and women
who have incurred shipwrcck, all who
have escaped perils wherein each has
stood bravely up in the fight for life.
can never meet again without an ex.
change of heart thrills.
While superintendent of mine In
New Mexico, finding II necessary to
descend to a town where we did our
banking. | started In an ore wagon
drawn by mules. | had hardly got
seated before | saw girl In n short
skirt and large felt hat carrying AN
easel under one arm and n 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 out to sketch little
thought that at the journeys end we
would be firmly locked in each others
arms and our courtship would have
lasted less than half an hour
We were obliged to pass through a
gulch so narrow In parts that there
was barely room for wagon. the
rocks rising prccipltously on either
hand. Through II the creek when II Is
not dry trickled over sand and stones
There Is deflle on the route about
mile long. and when one enters Il 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
deflle we had got acquainted and were
chatting gliby.
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 in the creek bed, hut
were getting out as fast as their hoofs
would carry them. Our driver uttered
an exclamation. Then he pulled IN
the mules, jumped out and put his ear
to the sand
"a cloudburstr' he cried, white as
the snow upon the mountain top and
thinking only OF saving himself de
tached one of the lead mules, sprnng
on Its back and away he went llckety
split without so much us giving us
another word, l knew what cloud
burst was and that in short time n
wild torrent would be tearing its way
along where we were. Jumping from
the wagon, detached two mules and
called the one word "Hurryw to the
young lady. She knew something was
wrong and spraug down beside me
Without n word | lifted her and pui
her astrlde one of the mules. be
thought myself of the whip. reached
for II, then bounded on to the other
mule l had loosened, and we galloped
away.
took position behind my companion
and dashed the mule on which she rod.
without cessation. The first sound we
heard-and we heard 1t soon. TOWNS
low murmur. as OF far distant
storm. Then came sound OF the rush
ing of many waters | cried to the
girl not TO look back, but ! was TOO
late. She took one glance. what blood
was left In her cheeks left them, and
she gave spasm0dic grasp at the hnr.
ness and collar before her had
thought she would fall. but after the
first stroke of terror she recovered her
self and never once lost her nerve.
What she saw was wall of water
and sand blocking the gulch aud NOV
ing toward us with terrible rapidly |
Less frightful would have been the |
leaps of hungry lion. 1t was push |
Ing before 1t logs, rocks, anything, ey |
erything that II found In its way |
There was every chance that we, too, |
would In n few minutes be struck by |
the turbulent mass and become mn In |
sensible part of 1t.
Somehow forgot myself I'm my In |
terest In the girl. IL seemed to me
that must save her. 1t was not that
was brave, but an object made me
insenslble 10 fear. dashed her mule
with all my strength md until
mighty roar from behind drowned my |
voice ! yelled. We bounded over rocks |
without knowing that they were In
our way; we jumped over logs that
on another occasion would have seem
ed impossible. We must rely ON The
agility. the sure fOotedness of Oui
mules. Every moment | dreaded to
see the animal before me go down
hut thanked heaven that our mounts
were OF that hardy, sure footed species
Nearer came the din Perhaps we
would have been overtnken sooner had
not the torrent now and again been
in the gulch. Then II would hurl rs
advance mass against the rock, recoil
and recommence Its downward course
We reached the mouth of the gulch
On either hand the ground slOped up
ward. ] yelled to the girl to turn her
mule aside, but the din, now only
few yards behind us, drowned my
voice. The mules both knew ms well
as we where safety lay and with
any abatement OF speed dash
ed up the incline, while the horrible
monster that had been pursuing NJ
whlrled on with disappointed howl.
When the mule before me stopped !
was Off my own and beside him Just
In time to catch the girl as she fell In
a faint held her In my arms till
she came to herself and then burst
forth into a torrent OF such devotion
as ! might have used to one had
known and loved for an eternity We
were made one by that frightful tor
rent.
Years have since passed, but not yet
has either my wife or myself passed
beyond waking suddenly In the night
by the horror of that mad rushing OF
waters behind as.