The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1916-03-15

Whatever was to be done. she must
do it and it must he done in haste.
Running through the freighthouse she
espied coil of rope. 1t suggested
sclaething-though at the instant she
could not have told what. But she
caught it up on the instructive i'm.
pulse and ran out on the track. The
cars, flaming in the distance, We're
coming down the long grade. A tele-
graph pole standing just above the
station putIa wild idea into her head.
If she could pass the rope above the
burning car, it might help the en-.
gineer to escape fro1n the top. Try.
ing her skill as q plainswoman, she
ran a moose and cast the rope, lariat-
like, at the top of the pole.
In her nervous haste she failed,
again and again, to drop it over the
crcss.bar. No rope was ever so stif,
clumsy and intractable. and the cars
were fast rolling nearer. But re-
straining her fears she kept trying.
and at last, in. spite Of everything, she
landed the big moose over the pole and
| Edl. kACIOSS lAC llhSh oIS" - ASuoS
Of tall blue-gum trees. To the near
est Of these Helen ran, and as fast
as she could, climbed the tree, the
loose end of the rope hung over her
neck and shoulder. Gaining branch
high enough. and using all her
strength, she drew the rope taut. With
a few half bitches she made 1t fast
around the tree and tried it with her
weight. =.
The flaming cars, in spite of all that
Storm had been able to do, contin-
ued to gather speed down the Signal
grade. The engineer found himself
in a~ticklish dilemma. For Jump
his chances now were no better than
If he stuck to the car, and he saw
nothing for it but to stick. Only, he
hoped nightly for something to turn
his way. He was fast approaching
the station. From the gum-tree hedge
he saw what seemed a branch waving
violently. Then he perceived it was
more than that. it was someone try
ing to -signal him-a 'wolaan-and she
was climbing hand over hand out on
a cable stretched across the track.
But he could understand even less
THAN he saw Of what she meant to.
do. Overcome by flame and smoke
Just before the cars neared the hedge,
he sank down on the deck Eut Helen
would not give up. Clinging as best
she could to the cable, she waited for
him to pass under her. Enough Of
consciousness remained to Storm in
the fury Of the fire to enable him to
realize as he carne~Close that it was
Helen On the cable trying to save
his life. AS he swept under her he
raised himself. She clutchea biindly
at him, and holding en- in desperation,
managed to drag him from the top of
the burning car.
The agent, returning from the camp
with Rhinelander, saw the blazing rum
|>away; and, amazed. saw Helen hang
ing frora her cable and striving with
failing strength to hold her heavy
burden.
He ran toward her, snatching a tar
paulin from pile Of cement bags as
! he passed them on the platform, and
with Rhinelander reached the hedge
in the to break Storms. heavy fall
into it when Helen let him go. A mo-
ment later she, herself, dropped ex-
hausted into the. canvas.
Eelow the station a deafening ex-
| plosion shock the solid earth. 1t
sartled the two construction camps.
A new and suade, flame shot 40 feet
up into the air and \lense clouds Of
black smoke beloved above where
the powder cars had stood. Seagrue
! glanced as Spike as they stood to-
| gether. Over toward the station two
men were carrying Storm into the
waiting room. ard Seagrue. coming
over, joined them. Inside, he saw
bending over the unconscious en-
gineer, stretched on the floor, slcn-
der girl dressed il black. She turned
anxilusly, in moment, to ask ii a
surgeon had been called. AS she did
so. Seagrue. du,afoundgd, looked into
the face OF Helen tiesacs
iTD * ,GG-, HAL 1913