The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1919-02-06
The Cloudburst
Confined from page one)

muddy food. Six times he dived into the
railway ditch, and each time he nipped off
wire. As he cut the hast one, the barrier
swung away like khe- draw of bridge, and,
swimming high, the entire herd pointed
for the high ground where the railway en-
tered the hill quarter of mile away.
Lew stood watching the muddy food a
few moments, then turned down the track to
his pony. A dozen or so hulking long,
horns barred his passage, paving the gravel,
snorting and hooking the ground in fren.
zy. They were accustomed to seeing
horsemen, but anyone on foot was tear
some object, to be destroyed on sight.
Lew was not left in doubt as to the best
course to pursue; as they charged him, he
turned and with mighty spring leaped in
to deep water near the fence on the side
away from the river.
When Lew came up, he saw that the cat
tie had stopped at the edge Of the water. He
crawled over the submerged fence and pull
ed himself along by the top wire, hoping to
work back to where the pony stood with
out being noticed; but 1t was of no use.
The longhorns stood on the track above,
with bullying eyeballs and tossing heads,
bawling excitedly, ready to attack as, soon
as chance presented itself.
There was only one thing to do-swim
for the cornneld. He was not a strong
swimmer, and he was already becoming
chilled by the cold water; he knew that he
could not long cling to the submerged
fence. As he was in pocket between the
railway and the bluffs, there was no current
for him to fight against, and so after pull
ing off his shoes he struck out.
He swan until he was out of breath; but
taking new grip on himself, he kept on
until he felt that he was nearly exhausted.
His goal seemed as far away as ever; in his
extremity he thought of trying to get back
to the railway again, but he had come far
Their from it than he thought. Frantically
he looked for plank or piece of driftwood,
but nothing of the sort was near.
He knew that he was doing little more
than splash, although he struck out desper-
ately. Despair was beginning to fill his
mind when suddenly hope surged up again,
and he gave shout for help. Fred Dock.
stadter was running his horse down through
the pasture, yelling something at him.
Making up his mind to tread water awhile
and rest, he cautiously dropped his feet
and struck mud about three feet down.
"Why didn't you wade long befores"
Fred cried when he came up. ''You could
have just as we'll as not.''
Grinning sheepishly, Lew crawled ashore.
"Too busy swimming" said he, to cover
his confusion. 'Come on in; the waters
fine.''
GA little more and your hands would
have struck bottom" said Fred. $50 that
is all the cattle you saved. is it?'' And he
looked ruefully at the dozen or SO running
up and down the railroad track, and at the
few in the lane. "What will pa say? If
you fellers weren't so keen to fool me all
the time, I'd have had those cattle all out
by now
Lew pointed south to where the main
drove of cattle were running about, and as
Fred looked in the direction indicated he
said:
~ think you'll find most of 'em running
round over there. Get a move on and
round 'em up before they kill themselves in
the CON-
Fred looked at him doubtfully.
eco on!" said Lew. sI've quit fooling
folks. They're your cattle. Go after 'em."
Fred put the spurs to his pony, with his
face aglow.
"All right, Levi" he shouted over his
shoulder. 81 don't know how you saved
them, but I'll make.it up to you hundred
times!''
And his voice raised the echoes as he
herded the scattered longhorns toward home.