The Mena weekly star., 1912-04-18

the water would subside, the awful fury of the rain would presently ceage If he could steer clear of the rocks in the broad he might win to land with her.
 The chances against him were thou. sands to sothing. But what are chances in the eyes of God! The man in his solitude had not Forgotten to pray, his habits stood him in good stead now. He peutioned shortly brokenly. in brief unspoken words as he battled through the long dragging seconds.
 Fighting, clinging. struggling, pray ing, he was swept on. Heavier and heavier the woman dragged in an un- conscious heap. 1t would have been easier for him if he had let her go; she would never know and he could then escape. The idea never once oc- cured to him. He had indeed with drawn from his kind, but when one depended upon him all the old appeal of weak humanity awoke quick re- sponse in the bosom of the strong He would die with the stranger rath- CT than yield her to the torrent or admit himself beaten and give up the fight. So the. conscious and the un- conscious struggled through the mar row of the canon.
 Presently with the rush and hurl of a bullet from the mouth of a gun, they found themselves in shallow lake through which the waters still rushed nightly, breaking over rocks, digging away shallow-rooted trees, leaping, biting, snarling. tearing at the big walls spread away on either side. He had husbanded some of his strength for this final effort, this last chance of escape. Below them at the other end of this open the walls came together again There the descent was sharper than before and the wa ter ran to the opening with racing speed Once again in the torrent and they would be swept to death In spite of all.
 Shifting his grasp to the woman's hair, now unbound, he held her with Ol0 nduu anu SWdh ualu Wllu IHt other The current still ran swiftly but with no gigantic upheaving waves as before. It was more easy to avoid floating timber and debris, and on one side where the ground sloped some what gently the quick water flowed more slowly. He struck out desper- ately for it, forcing himself away from the main stream into the shadows and ever dragging the woman. Was 1t hours or minutes or seconds after that he gained the battle and neared the shore at the lowest edge?
 He caught with his forearm, as tho torrent swerved him around, stout young pine so deeply rooted as yet to have withstood the flood. Summoning the last reserve of strength that is bestowed upon us in our hour of need, and comes unless from God we know not whence, he drew himsen in front of the pine, got his back against it and although the water thundered against him still--only by comparison could it be called quieter-and his foothold was most precarious, he reached down carefully and grasped the woman under the shoulders. His position was a cramped one, but by the power of his arms alone he lifted her up until he got his left arm about her waist again. It was a mighty feat of strength indeed.
 The pine stood in the midst of the water for even on the farther side the earth was overfiowed. but the wa ter was stiller He did not know what might be there, but he had to chance it. Lifting her up he stepped out. fortunately meeting firm ground. A few paces and he reached solid rock above the flood. He raised her above his head and laid her upon the shore. force, physical, mental and spiritual. he drew himself up and fell panting and utterly exhausted but triumphant by her side.
 The cloudburst YVES over, but the rain still beat down upon them, the thunder still roared above them, the lightning still flashed about them. but they were safe, alive. if the woman had not died in his arms. He had done thing superhuman. No man know ing conditions would have believed it. He himself would have declared a thousand times it's patent impossihil- ;iy.
 For a few seconds he strove to re cover himself, then he thought of the