Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1915-06-08

lessened perceptib1y, thanks to the
strong current sucking through the
spillway.
His shot flew wide, but almost in.
stinctively his finger closed again
upon the trigger, and he saw the pad.
die snap in twain, its blade falling
overheard. And then the Indian fired
again, his bullet droning past Alan's
ear.
AS he fired in response Jacob start
ed, dropped his rifle and crumpled UP
in the bow of the canoe.
simultaneously earth and heavens
rocked with a terrific clap of thun'
der.
He turned again and ran swiftly
along the dam, toward two heavy tim
bers that bridged the torrent of the
spillway.
Then a glance aside brought him up
with thrill of horror; the suck OF
the overflow had drawn the canoe
within hundred yards of the spill
way The dead Indian in it's bow, the
living woman helpless in its stern.
1t swept swiftly onward to destruc.
ton.
His next few actions were wholly
unprecedented. He was conscious
only of her white, staring face, her
strange likeness to the woman that he
loved.
He ran out upon the bridge, threw
himself down upon the innermost tim
Der, turned, and let his body fall back
ward, arms extended at length, and
swung, braced by his feet beneath
the outer timber.
With swiftness that passed con
scious thought, he was aware of the
canoe hurting onward with the speed
of wind, its sharp prov apparently
aimed directly for his head. Then
hands closed round his wrists like
clamps; tremendous weight tore at
his arms, and with an effort of incon.
ceivable difficulty he began to lift,
to drag the woman up out of the foam
ing jaws of death.
Somehow that impossible feat was
achieved; somehow the woman gained
hold upon his body, shifted it to his
belt. contrived inexplicably to Chamber
over him to the timbers; and some
how he in turn pulled himself up to
safety, and sick with reaction sprawled
prone, lengthwise upon that foot-wide
bridge, above the screaming abyss.
Later he became aware that the
woman had crawled to safety on the
farther shore. and pulling himself to-
gether, initiated her example Solid
earth underfoot, he rose and stood
swaying. beset by great weakness.
Through the gathering darkness
CHASTITY twilight in which the flaming
forests on the other shore burned with
an unearthly glare-he discovered the
wan, writhen face of Judith Urine
close to his and he heard her voice, a
scream barely audible above the COM
mingled voices of the confiagration
and the cascades:
you fool! Why did you save me?
tell you. have sworn your DEATH"
The utter grotesqueness of it all
broke upon his intelligence like the
revelation of some enormous funda-
mental absurdity in Nature. He
laughed little Historically.
Darkness followed A flash of light
ming seemed to flame between them
like fiery sword. To it's crashing
thunder, he lapsed into unconscious
ness.
When he reused, it was with shiv-
er and shudder. Rain was falling
in torrents from sky the hue of
slate. Across the lake dense volumes
of steam enveloped the fires that
tainted beneath the deluge A great
kissing noise filled the world, muting
even the roar of the spillway.
He was alone.
But in his hand, tattered and bruised
by the downpour, he found-a rose.