Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1915-02-11


-pappy KANT keep me In this prison
no more"
stephen took the giri's eoaxing hand
and smoothed It gently. He thought
OK IL scanned and darkened and rough.
ened. Still her eyes commanded him.
and he answered hesltatingiy:
The north forty's your'n, Ike. and
Retta's mine"
"Retta-May. yuh're a fool" groyled
her father with well-assumed dissatis.
faction "Yuh1l wear rags yit- Reck-
on we'd better put this deal In writin'
right now. Steve. There amt no use
o. waitin'."
Hadn't we better az this door first.
1ke!" said the young man. regarding
with suspicion the black stream seep.
ing through Retta's barrier. Looks
like we'd be swamped perry soon."
"Hain't nuthin' we hin 30 but let the
water run out again Does that ever
time hit rains. Hain't never ben
swamped yit- Retta-May, climb onto
that bench and tuck yer feet under
yuh. Now, Steve. write hit In that
] gifts y'ur north forty az divided from
the south forty by Big Rock and Sem
tinei Gum Tree. Haint no mistalxin'
that way o. putin hit. Everythin'
north's mine - everythin' south's
your'n. Write hit in. Steve-write hit
ini"
Standing almost ankle-deep I'm wa.
ter, the young man bent over the rude
table and gravely wrote the document
as directed
As he handed Il 70 Pedigrew the
cabin tilted sickeningly forward. there
was q gurgiing thrush OF the foamy
flood. and the fire went out quickly
with strong smell OF wet ashes. They
were I'm total darkness.
'Retta." shouted Stephen. cropping
for her I'm the blackness. "Retta. Ret
tai"
There was a gasping cry from among
the huddled furniture a. the cabin
righted itself with a kissing outpour
OF water, and then sprang sidewise
like a chunk Of driftwood In a whirl-
pool: and In a moment he held the
girls dripping. shaking form tightly
with one arm while he braced his
back against the heaving side OF the
rough wall and spread q protecting
hand over the silk Of her hair.
Any minute something might drop
upon them-some awful thing reach
out OF the hideous melee Of sound.
They could hear the old man blum
dering and sputtering furiously among
the shifting debris. They could hear
the grinding and tearing Of rock and
tree-the continuous swirl and roar
OF angry water bearing them ierkiiy
along In the awful gloom.
Occasionally a red fare Of lightning
showed them the cabins wild interior.
with objects heaped grotesquely
against the fireplace. BY one such
fash the old man made his way over
to Stephen and Retta.
.'nevfl's Own nieht. thai" he sheut-
ed angrily. "Be'n hyar nigh on to
twenty year. and never did see no SIGH
COINS on before. IN bet we're In the
river right now. goin' south like thun-
der"
So he punctuated the awful uncer-
tainty, and reiterated raspingly as the
night wore on.
Finally. after what seemed an
eternity Of tipping and whiriing none
could guess whittier. they felt the cab
In settle firmly and remain at anchor.
The storm rested. and through the
broken shutters filtered the grateful
light OF the coming dawn.
Fighting the obstructing furniture.
they made their way through the Shiny
mud to the door. Pulling II wide on
its sagging hinges. they looked out
on a scene that drew o sharp cry Of
wonder from the young couple and q
yell OF CONSERVATION from the
thwarted old schemer.
They were south Of Big Roek and
Sentinel Gum Tree. on a firm. root
bound clump that had washed safely
out into the stream and worked its
way to quiet inlet in the water side
Of the south forty.
The two valuable pastures were no.
where to be seen. Undermined and
crumbled by the wearing food Of GEN.
turtles. they had melted and spread use
lessly under the furious yellow stream.
and over their coal and gas the water
rushed and foamed and swiried; while.
freed from its pentup. film-covered
pools. Stephen Martins southland lay
green and smiling on the ridges-rich-
ly. muckily black where the deeps
caught the rosy morning light
Amazed at the miracle wrought over.
night by the storm and the freakish
river. the trio stood. silently gazing
from the cabin door. Finally the old
man spoke:
We'll. Steve" he said matter-of.fact-
ly. faint whut expected. but tits as
tbs. and haiA't goin' tub squeal about
hit ] reckon the parson1i do as well
as the 1estice. the way things has
turned out. sides bein' sight nearer,
lessen he's washed away.
Hurry up breakfast. Retty-May-