The Benson signal., 1917-06-23

many time, camp and forest were IA
miliar to her. She wore short
skirted dress, stout boots and leg
gings, and yellow western slicker.
The exertion Of the upward climb,
stumbling over broken branches and
uprooted logs and f1Oundering through
boggy places on the trail, brought a
touch of color to her face, and though
damp, the air sweet and fragrant,
clean and pure, refreshed and pleased
her greatly: the men, too. 1t was
hard pull, and she was out Of breath
| when she reached the broken cOulee,
or ravine, which led to the top Of the
big red sandstone plateau.
"I'm terribly out of practice" she
said to the two men, 'but don't be-
lieve I'm in any worse state than you
are, Mr.. Winters"
81 told you I wasn't any good on
foot" said Winters, who was blowing
like a grampus.
Rodney laughed at the two Of them.
"Look at me-" he said 'I'm as fresh
as when began"
"Well, you're used to walking" re-
turned Winters. ''It's this plugging
along this broken trail that has
knocked us out. The rich, they ride
On-bronchos, you know"
| "When we get on top Of the mesa
we will find it easier going" said Rod
ney encouragingly.
/ 'Let us start" said the girl, sud-
denly serious, as she thought what
might be at the end Of the journey.
Before we go any farther" said
Winters, staring up the ravine at the
sky which showed about it, "just take
q look at that"
He pointed to the black clouds rap
| idly rising, apparently against the
wind, which swayed rather violently
the tops of the tallest pines, although
they were protected and in compare
tive quiet where they stood in the ra-
vine.
''It looks as if there were more rain
there" said Rodney.
"It's Incredible" answered Winters,
"after what we've had"
"But it certainly is coming down
again, and if I'm any judge, it will be
another cloudburst."
"Perhaps we'd better go back" sug.
gested Winters to Miss IllingwOrth.
"Go backv' exclaimed the girl.
''When I'm as near as this?"
"But it's only a possibility, you
know"
POSSIBILITY or not, it would take
q deluge in my path to stop me.
Come"
It was an entirely practicable climb,
but rather a hard one on the wet,
crumbling rocks. It did not take the
three young people long to surmount
the difficulties, however, and after a
few minutes they stood on top Of the
mesa.
Near at hand was the hut Of which
the conductor had spoken. It stood
upon a little rise above the general
level, and from it one could see far in
every direction. Between the hills and
over the lower crest Of Baldwin's
knob they could even see dimly the
far-off plains, little sickly yellow
light still lingering there before the
advance of the storm.
The hut was made of stone and logs.
They had not any more than reached
it before the storm began. Claps of
thunder, flashes Of lightning under
which the army on the dam were fight
ing, were heard and seen with tenfold
clearness by the little group on the
huge upland.
It was sight to awe the very soul
of humanity. Miles and miles down
the mountain side and among the hills
the whirling battalions Of clouds rolled
and tumbled and tossed and clashed
like aerial armies. The lightning,
while it was not in sheets, was prac-
tically continuous, flash succeeding
flash in uncountable and binding sue
cession. Again they noticed the strange
coruscating, bursting effect as bolt
after bolt apparently struck some gran
ite ledge and was then thrown back in
splinters Of fire. The heavy, awful roll
of the thunder was continuous and ter
rifle.
They stood staring through door and
windows in silence, Meade and their
quest forgot in the appalling tenn
pest by all except the woman. 1t was
she who recalled them.
"Let us hasten on she said, and she
had almost to scream to make herself
heard in the wild tumult. "Its mag
nif1cent, wonderful, but"
AS a matter of fact, all the mani
festations of nature at it's grandest
would not have suff1ced to turn her
head away from her lovers face If she
could have seen him.
"You can't go now," said Winters
decisively, "the rains bad enough as
it is, and that cloud will burst in a
minute. Old Noah's flood won't be a
circumstance to it"
"rm protected from the rain," she
answered.
Winters shook his head.
The weight of it would almost
beat you down, Miss IllingwOrth."