Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-08-14

"Waitl For Gods sake, waitl"
cut with the knife until one of the
three strands popped and parted.
"What are you doing?' Carson cried
desperately. IF you cut III never
forgive you-never. tell you it's two
or nothing. We're going to get out
Waltz For Gods sake!
And Smoke, staring at the parted
strand, five inches before his eyes,
knew fear in all its weakness. He
did not want to die. He recoiled from
the shlmmering abyss beneath him,
and his panic brain urged all the pre-.
posterous optimism Of delay. 1t was
fear that prompted him to compro.
mise.
"All right" he called up. an wait.
Do your best. But tell you, Carson,
II we both start slipping again I'm 60
ing to cut"
"Huhl Forget It, When we start,
old horse, we start up, I'm a porous
plaster, | could stick here II II was
twice as steep I'm getting stable
hole for one heel already. Now, you
hush, and let me work"
A gasp and groan and an abrupt
slackenlng Of the rope warned him.
lie began to slip The movement was
very slow. The rope tightened loyal.
", but he continued to slip Carson
could not hold him and was slipping
with him. The digging toe of his far.
ther extended foot encountered vacan.
cN and he knew that 1t was over the
straightaway fall And he knew, too.
that In another moment his falling
body would jerk Carson's after 1t.
Blindly, desperately all the vitality
ana life love Of him beaten down in n
uashlng instant by a shuddering per.
cepuon OF right and wrong, he brought
the knife edge across the rope, saw the
strands part felt himself slide more
rapidly and then fall.
What happened then he did NOT
Know he was not unconscious, but II
happened too quickly, and 1t was upex.
peeted' Instead Of falling to his death
Ills feet almost Immediately struck in
water, and he sat violently down in
water that splashed coolingly on his
face.
his nrst impression was that the
erevasse was shallower than he hod
imagined and that he had safely fetch.
ed bottom But OF this he was quick.
" dlsabused. The opposite wall was
uozen feet away. He lay in a basin
formed In an outjut OF the ice wall by
melung water that dribbled and trick
leu over the bulge above and fen
sheer down a distance OF Il dozen Poo,
rms had followed out the basin
Where he sot the water was two feet
leep' and It was flush with the rim
lie peered over the rim nnd loo,,od
uoWn the narrow chasm hundreds ~
,See 10 tho torrent that foamed along
the bottom. "'Vus
from above. wan
'Llsten!' he called up. am nerfoct
Y safe' sitting in a pool of water nm
to my neck. And here's ho,h o,,, wy
packs I'm going to sit on thor
lhere's room for half dozen horo
II you slip stick close and you,n lima
In the meantime you hike nm ma ru w.
out Go to the cabin. SomebodS,s Ts.
there ! saw the smoke. Got n rn,s :
or anything that will make rome 'YpI SpT
Sone back and lsh for me-
lous voice. ''u 'ncredu'
~. S'0ss my heart and hope TO dla
' How' get hustle on or IN co,ch nav nn
death OF coldn " N"'cn my
smoke kept himself warm hv ,,.,
ms a channel through the rim rr,,s
.ue ueel OF his shoe. By tho ,Iro W. W.
nad drained on the last Of t,,o u.a', I.ue ne
@ Sas from Carson announced tba, No -
nad reached the ton. 'ia' ne
,.. a.'er that Smoke occupied h,us.,,
or,,,,,i m,,o CRYING his clothes. The late oft.
s,n0Cn n sun beat warmly IN unor nv h1., a..
and ne wrung out his sarmen,. anu u',u, n,',
spread them about him anu
,Oa awo ,,'., hours later, perchcd naked on
,SS, @ '~0 So ,,..,s packs. he heard voice above %
'"aS aoS o' Sls SoaId no, fail to Identify. '''''
-whS..',', SS.lC' Joy Gastellr' he called hack
Nae'e'd you drop trOmr "'''D 0acN