The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-04-27
TEN MINUTES
WIN THf
Short Story
Writers
Ben's Rescue
cay Nora ttone

The litle Group Of skaters paused Ia
.lcok as Alice Bralnerd came ant np
an The ice More than one oi she
Young men proceeded To give an ex
mhltion ot fancy skating III me none
oi attracting her attention. but Miss
lAalnerl struck out with long swing
ipE strokes and apparently dld n0t
loreeive taat there was any one else
upun the ice
i was this very exclnsiyeness
which made Miss Bralncrd 80 attrac
tive She haa come 10 Coserove only
three weeks before when her father
took charge Of the railroad shops
and she had met few persons. one
or two Of the girls had called ana had
reported l'aai she WAS charming. hnt
thc young men had found ii more dit
aenh TO make her acanainfance
There haa hecn no social event At
which She could be generally intro
drcell and So as she STATED up the
river SHE was all alone.
Ben Turner looked after the trim
little figure with longing eyes. lie
WIS q comparative stranger h1mselt
for he tad come only month be
tore 20 work in tie dranghtlne depart
mcnt at the shop He had begged
an afternoon off 70 take advantage
of tho FIRST good skating oil the seas
ON and he was enjoying il to the hlll
nntil Alice Brainerd had come upon
The lee.
lien had seen her once or twice
and from the FIRST there haa been ne
other glrl in the world for him. He
would probably make her acquaint
anee In time, but hc gru3ged every
aaH taat interviewed and he wished
that he might skate after her ana
Introduce himself as ono OF her fath
ers staff
i was with this hall formed inten
ton tliat hc STATED slowly after the
eiil following past the bend of the
river whore they were lost to sight
hy most Of the skaters. lie aad inst
PASSED the bend when he heard an
ominous cracking ana then a wom
ans scream shril and terrified
A quarter OF a mile beyond there
vas q dark SPOT on the glare OF ice
apd In the black water he could see
a wolnans face, white and agonized
desperately Ben pushed ahead and
presently he was lying on the sound
ice trying 70 reach the girls hands
IN 'per terror she pulled him TO
ward her aud he felt the ice give
Leneath his weight and then came
thc chilling suhmcrsion in The ics
gater
AS Ben felt himself going he
struck out for the girl and caugh
her BY the shoulders, supporting hci
I in an effort 10 make his way 20 tut
sound iee She threw her arms con
"ulsiyely about his neck. and it wai
with difficulty thnt he could preyen
them both from being drawn unde
the ice
The water was freezing cold ant
MS hands soon numbed. while ia
skin was cut and bleeding from thei
contact with the r0ugh edges Of TAI
/ ace. He felt that he could not h0l,
lout much longer His strength wa
failing fast and presently his froze
LIMBS would refuse To answer To ni
win and they must sllp into the blacl
gulf that seemed 10 yawn for them.
u hear some one coming murmnI
4 ed The girl can you hold out a fes
minutes lOneer?'
Il must he answered. grimly "Ar
the people near"
The girl turned her head Thor
It's one old man coming out from shor
with board The others are skat
I lihg"
"1'll hold on somehow, assure
Fen, his teeth chattering SO that h
could scarcely make himself under
stood What is the old man yelling2
lie says 90 stand up answered
1 tie gir y wonder what he meansg
| Ren gave groan Il can not hol
cent muen longer he said. 10 yot
think you can hold ON now unit
ihey come? You are.
AS he had meen speaking his bod.
| had gradually been sinking III tn
water and now he gave a shout Of
| lis knees had touched bottom AM
lpresently he was standing upon HI
tcct and was raising the girl Thel
Q board was pushed toward them am
cr iris Miss Bfanerd, and afterwar
Ben, were drawn to firm Ice.
# guess You're new to these parts
commented the grinning rescner Ev
erybody knows the sunken island. III