The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1916-11-11
The Elopers'
Curious Pursuer
By JOHN Y. LARNED
By JOHN Y. LARNED

NO"
1T wasn't a bar, was itr'
NO; 1t wasn't any kind of man or
beast-nothin' Twin"
What was 1t, then, il 1t wasn't
alive? Couldn't nothin dead git after
you. Did il ketch you:"
1T come pretty nigh ketchin' u.s."
Two legs or fourF'
"No legs at all; It rolled.
you must "a been runnin' down
hill"
mo: we was runnin' on pretty nigh
a dead level
WAS you on foot or a-hossbackT
Neither; in an automobile"
81 don't know nothin that would roll
after you except SEAL
IT tole you it wasn't alive"
We'll. what was itT'
"Gimme segar and I'll tell you"
The curious man produced the cigar,
Jim lighted up and told bis story.
That was the way he got his tobacco;
he excited some mans curiosity, then
gratif1ed it for small consideration In
the shape of weed.
MANDY and done our courtin' out
in the Rocky mountains. Mandy was
fond of ridin' ,hossback till she heard
of what they called In them days boss
less carriages, and as soon as they
come to be common in the east she got
her father TO send for one for her.
1t didn't take her long to farm to run
1t, though she got spilled several times,
and the machine had to be sent down
to Denver for repairs Oncet week.
"Weu, when come courtin' Mandy
her dad had jist struck vein turnin'
out 5000 to the ton Of ore, and 1t
wasn't to be expected that he would
look at galoot that hadn't 200 cents
to a ton of gall. Mandy didn't see 1t
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 nothtn' 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 hot day, with clouds lookin' like
a mans coat that had passed through
a mowin' machine. We was goin'
down to 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.
ICNUo ioU,ySn' along In tho npD.
Won, takin' our time and thinkin' what
a tame runaway match we was havtn',
when we hearn behind us what sound
ed like low thunder. Mandy lowed 1t
was thunder, but somehow | didn't
think 1t was. In few minutes we'd
made up our minds that it was a tor
rent comm down the canyon. There'd
been q cloudburst up in the mountains,
and the flood was on the way in our
direction.
"Mebbe we wasn't skeered There
was no outlet from the canyon till
there was a break In Its perpendicular
side miles below where we was. The
canyon wasn't an average Of mOre'n
twict as wide as the road, and when
good. healthy cloudburst come down
the food was from ten to forty feet
high. accOrdin' to the width of the
walls holdin it in and 1t come like an
express train.
"Mebbe Mandy didn't put ON all the
power, and mebbe we didn't shoot
along that canyon like a cannon ball!
But we couldn't git on as fast as the
0ood and we knew that II we didn't
reach the break below before the wa.
ter reached lis we was gOners. The
trouble was we couldn't keep up fast
time, the road was so crooked 1t
wasn't long before the head Of the
water was in sight. looked back
Just in time to see 1t strike one side OF
the cliff where there was turn In
the canyon. 1t was like the head of a
tremendous sea serpent. tiingin out
logs and stones, sometimes whole
tree. agin the rock, us much as to say:
Git out OF the way Don't you see
I'm tryin' to git them lovers aheadY
1T was the worst sight / ever see.
| wouldn't let Mandy turn to look at
1t, for she had the wheel, and II she
saw it she'd likely collapse. Every
time there was turn we had to slow
up. But the food had to slow up. too,
and In that way we gained on it, we
turnln' faster than 1t. About q mile
above the break we was runnin', for
the canyon was purity straight and we
knowed 1t was nip and tuck with US.
Down this mile we cavorted, the
head of the food hollerin' at us and
THROWN logs at us to stop us, but we
kept right on. When we had about a
quarter Of mile to go to reach the
break began to calculate II we'd
have time to climb the incline leadin'
out of the canyon. looked back, and
it seemed that the devilish thing was
right on TO us.
when we got to the break and the
Use we had to slow up bit for the
turn. The food passed us. but threw
a tree at us. missin' us by about a
yard. Then we was safe"
81 see." remarked the curious man.
You was chased by rollin' water.
Have another segar"