Gunnison news-champion., 1915-03-26

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end a hniet kicked ~ turf xi.hin q
eozen fsst A glance discovered two
figures aebouching into ths CLEARING
He dropped into place and. planting
paddle ia shadows. sent the canoe
well oat NifA a vigOr0s.s thrast.
Two strokes took n 10 the middle
Of the psol where Immediately the
eurren; caught the little craft in its
urgent sEazp and sped IL smoothly
Through more narrow aad higher
banks. A moment more and the
mouth Of the gorge was ya~ning for
them.
With the clean balance OF an en-
perienced canoeman. Alan rose 10 his
feei ter an instantaneous reesnnois-
saHoe both forv ard and astern lie
looked back frst. and sroaned IN his
heart 10 see the sharp prov Of the
second canoe glide out from the
banks lie looked ahead aud eroaned
aloud The rapids we're a wilderness
of shouting waters. white and sreen.
worse than anything he haA anstsi-
possd or ever dreAmel af.
But there ves nov no escaping that
ordeal The canoe was already spin-
Ains between walls where the wstss
sen deep and fast with . glassy sur
ohoe.
The next instant n wss in the jaws;
90 the man settled down to work
With grim determination, pittins cosr-
80 and strength and experience
aOAinst the rsveninG wstsrs that tore
- the canoe ON svssy had. vhess
~ clamor beat bach and 1erth -
tween the walls q the gorge hhs vose
ballowinss Of Internal nirth.
Z He fought like one Possessed.
fhers was never IN instant's grace
e0s Judgment OF execution; the one
nus1 be synchronous with the other,
both instantaneous, % sass-dsstrue-
o1sa-
The canoe wove this way end that
olke a insane shuttle threading come
OotAnic loom. Now Il hositated. nus-
sling . gigantic boulder over which
tho water wove . pale green and
Glisesaing hood. now IN the space Of
. Asartbeet n shot forward twice its
bsAGtA through . So Il creAminG
wavss, now plunged wildly toward
what promised instant annihilatioa
80 cheated that oaly by TIE timely
DluaGs Of paddle. guided ~ lsck %
instiAct or both.
ne one ray Of Aops IN Alan's MIND.
whea he surveyed bsfOrs committing
htDself and the woman hs loved 10
tAak hideous gauntlet. sprang from
The fact that. however rough. the
eApids were short Nov, when he had
BEEN In their grasp . minute. he
Oosned to have been there hours.
His laborings were tremendous, un-
0elisvable. inspired In the end they
Wors all but successful The goal of
safety was within thirty seconds
0ors Of ouick. hard work. when Alans
Ood1le broke and the canoe swung
6roadside to . boulder, turned turtle
and precipitated both headlons into
that savage welter.
As the next few minutes passed he
was fighting like a mad thing against
overwhelming odds. Then, of a sud
den, he found himself rejected. spewed
mechanically in the smooth water OF
vide pol beyond the lowermost
eddy, the canoe floating bottom up
near by, and Rose supporting herself
with ore hand ON it,
Her eyes met his, clear with the
sanity of her adorable courage
He f0undered TO her side, painted in
structions 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, ex-
hausted, against the bank
Then, with a sickening qualm. Alan
remembered the pursuit. He rose and
looked up the rapid just in time to
view the last swift quarter Of the
canoes descent; Judith In the bow.
motionless, a rife across her knees. in
the stern an Indian guide kneeling
and fshting the waters with scarcely
perceptlble effort in contrast with
Alan's supreme struggles.
Like a living thing the canoe
seemed to gather itself together. to
poise, TO leap with all its strength:
II hurdled the eddy In a bound. took
the still water With mighty splash.
and shot downstream 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 it to bear
upon her sister.
With a CITY OF horror. Alan flung
himself before Rose. a living shield.
anticipating nothing but immediate
death This was not accorded him.
For breathless instant the woman in
the canoe stared along the sights.
then lowered her weapon and. turn
ing. spoke indistinguishably to the
guide, who instantly began to ply q
brisk paddle
The canoe sped On ysnishea swiftly