Omaha daily bee., 1914-08-09

/ her only a few hours ago. She passed us in
a with OF her guides, while watched
in hiding on the banks. Not that alone but
other of her guides told mine she here with
you She had sent him to South Portage for quiz
nine He stopped there to get drunk-and that's
how my guide managed to worm the information
from him."
Alan passed a hand across his eyes. Il don't
understand" he said DULY. 1T doesn't pos
sible she could"
A shot interrupted him. the report of a rife from
considerable distance upstream, echoed and re-
echoed by the cliffs. And at this, clutching fran
tically at his arm, the girl drew him through the
door and down toward the river.
"Oh, come, comet" she cried wildly. There's no
ime"
But why? What was that?"
Judith is returning. left my guide up the
trail to signal us. Don't you know what 1t means
II we don't manage to escape before she gets here?
But how%
According to the guide the rivers the only way
other than the trail"
The current is too strong. They could follow
pot us at leisure from the banks"
But downstream-the current with US"
Those rapids?"
1--WE must shoot them!"
Can 1t be done?"
ut must be-!
Two strokes took Il to the middle Of the pool
where Immediately the current caught the little
craft in its urgent grasp and sped It smoothly
through more narrow and higher banks. A moment
them.
With the clean balance OF an experienced canoe
man, Alan to his feet for an instantaneous
connossance both forward and astern. He looked
back first, and groaned In his heart to see the
sharp PROV Of the second canoe glide out from the
banks He looked ahead and greed aloud. The
rapids were q wilderness Of shouting waters, white
and green, worse than anything he had anticipated
dreamed of.
But there was now no escaping that ordeal. The
already spinning between walls where
the water deep and fast with a CLASSY surface
The next instant 1t was in the jaws; and the man
settled down to work with grim determination pit
ting courage and strength and experience against
the ravening waters that tore at the
every hand whose mad clamor beat back and forth
between the walls of the gorge like vast belowings
of Internal mirth
He fought like one possessed. There never
an instants grace for judgment or execution; the
must be synchronous with the other, both in
stantaneous or else-destruction.
The canoe wove this way and that like insane
shuttle threading some satanic loom. Now It hest
tated, nuzzling gigantic boulder which the
water wove pale green and glistening hood now
in the space OF a heartbeat It shot forward twice
its length through a OF Dreaming waves, now
plunged wildly toward what promised instant ami
hilation and cheated that only by the timely plunge
OF a paddle, guided by luck or instinct or both.
The one ray Of hope in Alans mind, when he
surveyed before committing himself and the
woman he loved to that hideous gauntlet, sprang
from the fact that, however rough, the rapids
ehort. Now when he had been in their grasp q
minute, he seemed to have been there hours.
His laborings were tremendous, unbelievable in-
spired. In the end they were all but successful.
The goal Of safety within thirty seconds more
of quick, hard work. when Alans paddle broke and
the canoe swung broadside to a boulder, turned
turtle and precipitated both headong into that
age weller.
As the next few moments passed he was lighting
like mad thing against overwhelming odds Then,
Of q sudden he found himself rejected. spewed
forth from the cataract and swimming mechanical
ly In the smooth water of a wide pool beyond the
lowermost eddy. the canoe floating bottom up near
by. and Rose supporting herself with hand
on II.
Her eye met his clear with the sanity Of her
adorable courage.
He houndered to her side, painted instructions TO
transfer her hand to his shoulder, and struck out
for the nearer shore.
Both found footing at the same time and waded
out, to collapse exhausted, against the bank.
Then, with sickening qualm, Alan remembered
the pursuit. He and looked up the rapid just
In time to view the last swift quarter of the canoes
descent; Judith in the bow, motionless q rife
across her knees, in the stern Indian guide
kneeling and fighting the waters with scarcely per-
ceptible effort in contrast with Alan's supreme
struggles.
Like living thing the seemed to gather
itself together, to poise to leap with all its
strength; 1t hurdled the eddy in bound, took the
still water with mighty splash, and shot down.
stream at diminished speed. the Indian furiously
backing water.
AS though that had been the one moment she
had lived for Judith lifted her rife and brought 1t
to bear-upon her sister.
With q cry of horror, Alan flung himself before
Rose living shield. anticipating nothing but i'm.
mediate death. This not accorded him For
a breathless instant the woman in the canoe stared
along the sights. then lowered her weapon and.
turning, spoke indistinguishably to the guide who
instantly began to ply q brisk paddle.
The canoe sped on. vanished swiftly round a
bend
After a long time. Alan voiced his unmitigated
amazement:
"Why-in the name OF heaveni Why"
The girl said DULY Don't you know" And
when he shook his head. Her guide told mine
you had saved her life ON the dam at Spirit Lake.
Now do you seer?
His countenanee was blank with wonder: Graft
tude2"
Rose smiled YEARLY. mot gratitude alone, but
something more terrible. She rose
and held out her hand mot that / can blame
her. . But coma. IL We strfka throuKh hara