Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1916-08-24

heard her brother shout in sudden
alarm and Natalie's voice raised in en-
treaty. but she sped on under an i'm
pulse as irresistible as panic fear.
Down through the openings beneath
her feet she saw, as in Il nightmare,
the sweeping flood, burdened with
plunging ice chunks and tlecked with
foam. She seemed to be suspended
above it, yet. she was running at reck-
less speed, dimly aware of the conse-
quences Of a misjudged footstep, but
fearful only Of being overtaken. Sud-
denly she hated her companions. Her
mind was in a furious revolt at their
cowardice, their indecision or what
ever it was that held them like a group
OF wooden figures safe Oh shore while
the man whose life was worth all
theirs put together exposed himself to
needless peril. That he was really in
danger she felt sure. She knew that
Murray was apt to lose himself in his
dreams. Perhaps some visionary mood
had blinded him to the menace of that
mounting ice ridge in front of the
glacier. Or had he madly chosen to
stand or fall with this structure that
meant so much to him? She would
make him yield to her own terror, drag
him ashore, if necessary, with her own
hands.
She stumbled, but saved herself from
a fall, then gathered her skirts more
closely and rushed on, measuring with
instructive nicely the length of every
stride. 1T was not an easy path over
which she dashed. for the ties were
unevenly spaced. Gaping apertures
gave terrible glimpses of the river be-
low, and across these CHASTITY abysses
she had to leap.
The hoarse bursts of shouting from
the shore ceased as the workmen be-
held her fitting out along the steel
causeway. They watched her in dumb
amaZcmcnr.
All at once O'Neil saw her and hur-
ried to meet her.
eliza" he cried. 'be careful. What
possessed you to do this?"
Come away" she gasped. Its dan
serons. The ~jam-look." She pointed
down the channel.
He shook his head ilnpatiently.
"yes!' she pleaded. Yes! Please.
They wouldn't come to warn you
they tried to stop me. You must go
ashore" The frightened entreaty in
her clear, wide open eyes, the disorder
that her haste had made affected O'Neil
strangely. He stared at her, bewilder-
ed, doubtful; then steadied her and
CROPPED with his free hand for support.
He could feel her trembling wretch
edly.
'Thcre's no danger, none whatever
he said s%oothingly. "Nothing can hap
pen"
you don't know. The bridge has
never been tried. The ice is battering
at it and that jam-if it doesn't burst
"But it will. 1t can't last much
longer"
"It's rising
"To be sure, but the river will over
flow the bank"
please" she urged. You can do
no good here. I'm afraid"
lie stared at her in the same incrct
ulous beWilderment; some impulse deep
within him was struggling for express
sion, but he could not find words to
frame it. His eyes We're oddly bright
as he smiled at her.
won't you go ashore?' she begged.
"lll take you back, of course, but l
want to stay and see"-
"Then-Il stay"
"Eliza!' Her name burst from his
lips in q tone that thrilled her, but
with it came Il sudden uproar from the
distant crowd. and the next instant
they saw that the ice barrier was Civ
ing way. The pressure had become ir-
resistible. AS the Salmon had risen
the ice had risen also, and now the mar
row throat was belching its contents
forth. The chaos of upended bergs
was being torn apart; over it and
through it burst a deluge which filled
the valley with the roar of a mighty
cataract. Clouds Of spray were in the
air; broken masses were leaping and
somersaulting; high up on the shore
were stranded foes and fragments left
in the wake of the moving body. On
ward it coursed. clashing and grinding
along the brittle face of the glacier:
over the alder tops beyond the bend
they could see it moving faster and
4 faster, like the crest Of Il tidal wave.
The surface of the river lowered swift
4 ly beneath the bridge; the huge white
1 pans ground and milled, %shouldered
aside by the iron sheathed pillars Of
1 concrete.
"See! It's gone already. Once it
clears a passageway we'll have no
Y more gorges. for the freshets are com
i ing. The bridge didn't even tremble-
there wasn't a tremor. not a scratch!!'
Eliza looked up to find O'Neil regard,
u ing her with an EXPRESSION that set her