The herald., 1916-03-09
The Elopers'
Curious Pursuer
By JOHN Y. LARNED

NO"
1T wasn't bar. was it|
NO; it wasn't any kind Of a man or
beast-nothin' Twin"
What was it, then, if IT wasn't
alive? Couldn't nothin' dead cit after
you. Did it ketch YOU
1T come pretty nigh kctchin' us.
1.-TWO legs or fourT'
mo legs ut all; it rolled
you must a been runnin' down
hill"
NO: we was runnin' Oh pretty nigh
a dead level
Was You on foot or a-hOSShack!
"Nrithcr: In an automobile"
81 don't know nothin' Chat would roll
after you except il seal
81 tOlc you it wasn't alive.
We'll. what was IT,
Gimme a Segar and I'll tell You
The curious man produced the cigar.
Jim lighted up and told his story.
That was the way he got his tobacco;
he excited some mans curiosity, then
cratificd it for Il small consideration in
the shape of weed.
Mandy and | done our cOurtin out
I'm the Rocky mountains. Mandy was
fond of ridin' hoSsback till she heard
of what they called in them days boss
less carriages, and rs soon as they
come to be common in the east she got
her father to send for one for her.
II didn't take her long to Tarn To run
il. though she got spilled several times,
and the machine had to be sent down
to Denver for repairs oncet week.
well. when | come cOurtin' Mandy
her dad had jiSt struck vein turnln
out 500 to the ton Of ore. and It
wasn't to be expected that lie would
look at q galOot that hadn't 200 cents
to n ton of gall. Mandy didn't see It
in that light. She argyed that her dad
/ would be rich and she could afford a
/ poor husband. The ole man jist tOle
! her that the next time | come round
/ I'd git the contents Of his gun.
There didn't seem to be nothin' to
! do but for me and Mandy to light out,
/ and we did. The ole man was away
| at the time. and we didn't have nothin'
| to do but put our buds in the auto, git
/ In ourselves and chug-chug away. 1t
was n hot day. with clouds loOkin like
/ a mans coat that had passed through
mOwin' machine. We was goin'
down to a settlement in the foothills
TO git married, and, since it looked
like rain, instead of takin' the longest
road we tux the shortest, that run
through Devils canyon.
We was joggin' along in the can
yOn, takin' our time and thinkin' what
a tame runaway match we was havin'
when we hearn behind us what sound
ed like low thunder. Mandy lowed II
was thunder, but somehow | didn't
think It was. In few minutes wed
made up our minds that it was a tor
rent comm down the canyon. There'C
been cloudburst up in the mountains
and the food was on the way in oul
direction.
"Mebbe We wasn't skeered! Their,
was no outlet from the canyon til
there was a break In its perpendicular
side miles below where we was. TIL,
canyon wasn't an average of mOre'I
twirt as wide as the road. and wheI
good healthy cloudburst come dow
the food was from ten to forty fee
high, accordin' to the width Of tn,
walls holdin' II in, and it come like al
express train.
"Mebbe Mandy didn't put on all tn,
| 4 - Ia IL
along that canyon like a cannon ball
But we couldn't git on as fast rs tn
food, and we knew that II we didn'
reach the break below before the wa
ter reached us we was goners. Tn
trouble was we couldn't keep up fas
time, the road was so crooked. /
wasn't long before the head Of tn
water was In sight | looked bacl
just In time to see 1t strike one side o
the cliff where there was a turn II
the canyon. 1t was like the head of
tremendous sea serpent, flingin' gu
logs and stones, sometimes Who'll
tree, agin the rock, as much as to say
Git out Of the way! Dent you Sc
I'm tryin' to git them lovers aheadT
1T was the worst sight l ever see
wouldn't let Mandy turn to look a
1t, for she had the wheel, and IL sh
saw 1t she'd likely collapse Ever
time there was a turn we had to SLOW
up. But the flood had to slow up, toe
and In that way we gained on II, W
turnin' faster than It. About a mil
above the break we was runnin', 70
the canyon was purity straight and w
knowed it was nip and tuck with US.
Down this mile we cavorted, tn
head of the flood hollerin' at us an,
THROWN logs at us to stop us, but W
kept right on. When we had about
quarter Of mile to go to reach tn
break l began to calculate II WEI
have time to climb the incline leadin
out Of the canyon. | looked back, an,
1t seemed that the devilish thing wa
right on TO us.
when we got to the break and tn
rise we had to slow up a bit for tn
turn. The food passed us, but threw
tree ut us, miSSin' US by about
yard. Then we was safe"
II see" remarked the curious man
you was chased by rollin' water