The Dermott news., 1917-08-30

And shook Ills F ist at the SKY. hind the black screen of sweeping cloud down upon the granite noun tains. They saw splinters of fire where the thunderhoIts strnck. The pealing of thunder was appalling.
 Their frail palisade backing was not huff completed It must be raining somewhere, for the water was still slowly rising. IL was five and a half feet now from the crest. It was hope less If another rain fell, and the rain was coming. There was an added chill in the still air of the valley as the storm drove down upon them. A few of the fainter hearts flung down pick and shovel and ax and stood craven. Oaths, curses. blows even, from those of the hraver sort shamed them into work again. These brave hearts and true might be swept away with the dam if 1t gave way, but they would not give up and no man working with them should flee his task or shirk his duty. By the living God. whose sport and playthng they seemed to be. they swore it. and so weak and strong. bold and timid labored on-desper- ate, resolved. godlike in their cour- age and persistence.
 The clouds were moving swiftly now. To the east It had been clear, but now 1t was also black, and then with roar greater even than thousand thunderclaps. the wind tore down the mountains. through the narrow canyons. into the valleys. shrieking in the pines and fell upon them and hurled them down and brushed them back. And after the wind. the rain. A drop or two struck Vandeventer's cheek; another. anoth- CT. and then the flood. He lifted his head and stared and shook his fist at the sky and turned to the human ter mites he commanded.
 Garry on, carry on, boys" he cried. shrieling to be heard above the thun- der peals. well beat IL yet"
 A cheer rose about him and was 1 caught up and ran along the top of l the great dam. The half maniacal yell was such n cry as men might give vent to In the heat of battle, the ex- citement of wild charge. and then they fell to IL again. The more ignorant unaware of the feehleneSs of the pali sade. the more knowing indifferent to 1t, seeing only the job. alike realized only their duty to fight on. to answer the appeal to their manhood. to refuse to admit defeat even when life trem- bled In the balance
 Yes, to use the ancient simile again, the fountains of the great deep were broken open. What had befullen them before was nothing to this. The hard rain of the night seemed tritling com pared to this avalanche of water. This was cloudburSt indeed. And to make II worse. to make their task harder 10 render their efforts useless. the high wind roaring down the valley piled the water up and drove 1t in thunderous assaulting waves against the great mound of earth on which the men struggled and labored frantically.
 Vandeventer, shovel in hand-he did not dare to throw 1t down, lest his ac- ton be misconstrued-went from gang to gang, from man to man, talking to them, appealing to them, pointing out weaknesses here and there, inspiring them, holding them up as man might hold a stricken line against the on slauCht of victorious and overwhelm- ing force. And against wind and rain Tn that thick darkness, blinded by the flashing lightning, stunned by the peal- ing thunder. with zeal superhuman they tolled on and on and on.
 Back and forth went the chief. show ing himself leader of leaders. and wherever he stopped the fury and des- peration of the effort to stem the tide increased. When he came plodding along the muddy roadway to the part committed to Meade he did not find the engineer.
 "Where's RobertsT' he yelled above the noise of the storm.
 "He and two men have gone, sir."
 "Goner cried vandeventer. cut to the heart as what he thought was 6 desertion. "Well." he ahouted. realix- Ing there was nothing he could do then and that he had neither breath nor