Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1914-12-03

mo, don't understand. That's tn,
trouble. I'd like to help him. to Civ,
him what he needs. But ! don't know
how. There's nothin' can give him.
He turned his face away from her
looking up at the furnace, big ant
menacing, outlined against the sky
There was silence among the mills
From the old village behind them came
faint vague sounds of life--a distant
tinkle of laughter. crying child. &
neighing horse. From the new towI
beyond the mills came no sound but {
single voice in song, wild eery cham
that had been brought from another
land. The song was finished. Kazis
and Simon stirred, as though they hat
been waiting for its close to bring
their strange encounter to an end.
What's that?"
Both started. From somewhere neal
them had come sudden muffled
cackle OF mirthless uncanny laughter
Sounds IS II 1t come from the fur
mace. There hadn't oughter be any
body round here. But guess it's just
the Waterman In the power house. The
still night makes 1t sound like that
But even as he spoke they saw the
figure of man crawling from behind
the furnace. He scrambled to his feet
and began to run, with an awkward
hobbling gait. up the tracks toward
the bridge. The moonlight fell full on
his face.
"Piotr!"
AS the cry, in voice he knew
reached him. the man stopped sud
denly, stared wildly about and saw the
two figures advancing on him. He
raised his hands in a frantic gesture.
"Kazia! Go back-gosback!"
She did not heed his warning. 'Piotrl
What are you doing?"
go back!" he screamed. you'll
be killed. It's dynamite!"
Instantly the others guessed what
impended. Kazia heard a low moan
beside her. saw Simon run, as fast as
his age-stiffened limbs allowed, toward
the furnace, as II he thought to avert
the imminent destruction.
you mustn't" she cried. "Come
back!"
II the old man heard. he did not
obey. She fed after him, In instructive
purpose to drag him back out OF
danger.
They reached Piotr. passed him. He
stood bewildered, glancing uncertainty
toward the refuge of the woods. Then
with low whimpering cry, he, too
joined in that moonlight race. He
could not have overtaken her, had she
not tripped and fallen over a switch
He flung himself upon her, moaning
shudderingly.
"Kazia, l didn't want to hurt you"
! Simon sped on.
That was what Mark Truitt, crouch.
ing where he had last fallen. saw just
before the explosion came. There was
a hoarse deafening roar. The great
furnace seemed to reel, then toppled
and fell.
They found him weakly trying to
remove the debris from place near
the edge Of the ruin. They drew him
aside and a hundred strong hands took
up his task. Soon they found the dead
Piotr and under him Kazia, still
breathing. 1t was not until daybreal
that they came to Simon.
Kazia was carried to the village and
laid In Doctor Hedges own house. AL
through the night and in the morning
until the great surgeon from the city
came, he fought of death. Then the
surgeon took up the fight with q
knowledge and skill the old doctor did
not possess. For two days they did
not sleep but watched and battled.
T In the adjoining room man, him
self the object of the doctors care
passed through his Gethsemane. The
dead. his own pain and weakness, al
else, were forgotten in his agony fol-
the one who, 1t seemed, could not live
Sometimes he would rise from the
couch where they had laid him and
creep into the other room to Join the
watchers there until the sight of the
still, bandaged form became more thar
he could bear. Then he would lei
them lead him back to his couch. His
lips moved constantly. In what words
he did not know. Their burden wal
the cry Of all Gethsemanes. 44
Let this cup pass from me-"
! So the miracle was made perfect
Toward the last of that watch his
weakness began to overcome him. The
doctors supposed he slept and said
at is best" He did not sleep. He
had lost sense of his surroundings Blu,
his brain was alive. He was fighting
struggling supremely, to hold her bach
from the precipice over which she was
slowly falling. Once she seemed to b.
slipping from his clasp. He heard hel
piteous cry to him.
. He rose with. start and totteret
into her room.
"She called me-" he whispered.
Hedges thought it was delirium ant
would have led him back to his couch
But Mark resisted.
81 ten you, 5ne calleu me. ] mus
pee her."
Let him." said the surgeon. Prob
ably it's his last chance"
Hedges released him and Mark wen
over to her. He dropped to his knees
by the bedside and kissed. very gently
the arm outlined under the sheet.
! "Kazia," he whispered. my wife
my love. don't leave me! Can't YOU
hear. dear?-the miracle has comet"
He thought that she sighed, as doei
tired child when 1t sinks to sleep
and that little smile touched the pale
lips.
The others did not see, but ther
they had not heard her call.