The Washington herald., 1914-08-02
V-MANY WATERS.

IV-MANY WATERS
Overhead. through a rift in the foliage sky was
visible whose ebon darkness called to mind .
thundercloud.
The heat was nearly intolerable; the voice Of the
fire was very loud.
Two minutes had passed Of the ten Something
was digging uncomfortably into Alan's right hip.
The automatic pistol in his hip pocket, Of which
Jacob had neglected to relieve him Then a sharp,
spiteful cracking brought him suddenly to sitting
position, to find that the Indian had thoughtfully
touched a match to the pyre before departing At
Alans feet the twigs were blazing merrily.
1t would have been easy enough. acting on in
Ttinct, to snatch his limbs away, but he did not
move more than to strain HIS feet as far as their
bonds permitted. Conscious of scorchng heat even
through his hunting boots he suffered that torture
until a tongue Of fame licked up. wrapped itself
round the thick hempen cord and ate It through.
Immediately Alan kicked his feet free. lifted to
a kneeling position. and crawled from the pyre
AS for his hands-Alan's hunting knife still
In its sheath beted to the small of his back. Tear
ing at the belt with his hampered fingers, he con-
trived to shift 1t round until the sheath knife stuck
at the belt-loop over his left hip. Withdrawing
and conveying the blade to his mouth, he gripped
It firmly between his teeth and sawed the cords
round his wrists against the razor-sharp blade.
Before Alan could turn and he saw a van
guard Of flames bridge fifty yards at a bound and
start a dead pine blazing like torch.
And then he was pelting like madman across
the smokefIled clearing, and in less than two min
utes broke from the forest to the pebbly shore Of
wide-bosomed lake, and within few hundred feet
Of a substantial dam. through whose spillway a
heavy volume OF water cascaded with a rival
ing that OF the forestfre itself.
Two quick glances showed Alan two things: that
his only way OF escape via the dam: that there
a solitary canoe at mid-lake, bearing swiftly
to the farther shore Judith Trine and the Indian
the latter welding the paddle
In he IF NJ dar he
Jacob drop the paddle. The next instant bullet
from a Winchester 80 kicked up squirt of pebbles
only few feet in advance Of Alan.
He quickened his pace but the next bullet fell
closer, while the third actually bit the earth be-
meath his running feet as he gained the dam.
Exasperated, he pulled up, whipped out his pistol
and fired without aim. At the same time. he noted
that the distance between dam and canoe had les
sened perceptibly. thanks to the strong current
sucking through the pillway
His shot few wide. but almost instinctively his
finger closed again upon the trigger. and he saw
the paddle snap in twain. its blade falling over
board And then tie Indian fired again his bullet
droning past Alan's
As he fred in response Jacob started dropped his
rife and crumpled up in the bow Of the canoe
simultaneously earth and heavens rocked with a
terrific clap Of thunder.
He turned again and ran swiftly along the dam,
toward two heavy timbers that bridged the torrent
of the spillway
Then glance aside brought him up with a thrill
Of horror: the suck of the overflow had drawn the
canoe within hundred yards Of the spillway The
dead Indian in its bow. the living woman helpless
In its stern It swept swiftly onward to destruction
His next few actions were wholly unpremeditated.
He was conscious only Of her white, staring face.
her strange likeness to the woman that he loved.
He ran out upon the bridge, threw himself down
upon the innermost timber turned and let his body
fall backwards. arms extended at length. and
swung. braced by his feet beneath the outer timber
With swiftness that passed conscious thought,
he was aware Of the canoe hurtling onward with
he speed Of wind. its sharp prov apparently aimed
directly for his head. Then hands closed round
MS wrists like clamps; a tremendous weight tore
It his arms. and with an effort Of inconceivable
iifhculty he began to lift, to drag the woman up
'ut of the foaming jaws OF death.
Somehow that impossible feat was achieved;
somehow the woman contrived to chamber over
lin to the timbers: and he in turn pulled himself
p to safety and sick with reaction sprawled prone
Ibove the screaming abyss
Later he became. aware that the woman had
rawled to safety on the farther shore and pulling
himself together, initiated her example
In CHASTITY twilight in which the flaming forests
n the other shore burned with unearthly glare he
discovered the wan, writhing face of Judith Trina
lose to his and he heard her scream:
You fool! Why did you save me? tell you,
have sworn your DEATH
The utter grotesqueness Of 1t all broke upon his
Intelligence like the revelation of some enormous
fundamental absurdity in Nature. He laughed
title Historically
Darkness followed. fash Of lightning seemed
D fame between them like fiery sword To its
rashing thunder, he lapsed into Inconsistencies.
When he reused It was with a shiver and a shud-
er. Rain was falling in torrents from a sky the
ue OF slate. Across the lake dense volumes of
team enVeloped the fires that tainted beneath the
eluge. great kissing noise filed the world,
luting even the roar OF the spiIlway
But in his hand tattered and bruised by the
ownpour, he found-a rose.
Continued Next Sunday)