Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1915-10-02

eduleS. But at least, Sne thought nur-
riedly, she was getting farther and
farther away from them down stream,
Up above, Del Mar and his man
came to the edge of the water. There
they stood for a moment looking down.
There she is" pointed the man.
Del Mar raised his revolver and
fired.
Suddenly a bullet struck Elaine's
! paddle and broke it. CLntching the
useless splintered shaft, she was now
at the mercy of the current, swept
along like a piece of driftwood.
She looked about frantically. What
was that roaring noise?
1t was the waterfalls aheadi
q
In the meantime Del Mars other
two men had entered the house and
had run upstairs, knowing well his
wrath If anything had happened. AS
they did so, the naturalist poked his
head cautiously out of the kitchen
where he had been hiding, and saw
them, Then he followed noiselessly,
his revolver ready.
Headlong they ran into the room
where they had left Elaine. She was
gone!
Before they could turn the natural
list locked the door, turned, and took
the steps down, two at a time.
Thnn hn MN mt re fha fpook lAnr
and into the woods at an angle to the
direction taken by Elaine, turning and
going down hill, where a rapid, swollen
stream curved about through a
gorge. AS he reached the stream he
heard a shot above.
He looked Up. There was Elaine,
swept down toward him. Below he
knew the stream tumbled over a tall
cataract into the gorge below.
What could he do?
A sudden cracking of the twigs
caused him to turn and catch sight of
me, just coming up.
For, as best / could on horseback,
/ had followed Elaine's car until at
last | saw that it had been abandoned.
Thoroughly alarmed, l rode on, past
a deserted house, until suddenly l
heard a shot and a scream. 1t seemed
to come from below me, and | leaped
OFF my horse, making for it as fast as
| could, racing toward a stream whose
could hear.
There on the bank I came upon a
queer old codger, looking about wildly.
Was he the automobile thief? / ran
forward, ready to seize him. But as
[ did SO he whirled about, and with a
strength remarkable in one so old,
seized my wrist before | could get
his.
Look" he cried simply, pointing
Up the stream.
| did. A girl in a canoe was coming
Town toward the falls, screaming, her
broken and useless. My heart
capped into my mouth. 1t was Elaine!
"Come!" he painted eagerly to me, Il
an save her. You must do just as I
ay."
He pointed to an ov~erhanging rock
lear by and we ran to it.
BY this time Elaine was almost upon
IS, each second getting nearer the
irritable maelstrom above the falls.
From the rock overhung also a tree
t the very edge of the water.
There was nothing to do but obey
i'm. Above, though we did not see
hem, Del Mar and his man were gloat-
lg over the result of their work. But
hey were gloating too soon. We came
the rock and the tree.
Here" cried the new-found friend,
III get hold Of the tree and then hold
ou."
Instantly he threw himself on his
.omach, hooking his leg about the
zee trunk. / crawled out over the
'dge of slippery rock to the very edge
nd looked over. 1t was the only
nance.
The old naturalist seized my legs In
Is hands. l slid down the rock, let
ng myself go.
Literally, his presence of mind had
vented what was really a life chain,
human rope.
On came the canoe, Elaine In it as
hite as death, crying out and trying
stop Or guide it as, nearer and near
though the smooth, worn walls of
e chasm, it whirled to the falls.
With a grip of steel the naturalist
Id to the tree, which swayed and
Mt, while also he held me, as if in
wise, head down.
On came Elaine--directly at us.
She stood up and balanced herself
dangerous feat in a canoe at any
ne, but doubly so in those dark,
irling, t~reacherous waters.
Steady" I encouraged. Grab my
ns!"
As the canoe reached us she gave a
lie jump and seized my forearms.
r hands slipped, but l grasped her
n arms, and we held each other.
The momentum of her body was
For an instant | thought we
all going over. But the natural
held his grip and slowly began to
| himself and us up the slippery