Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-03-28

out"
''She can go home with me. 1 am GO
ing directly. AS soon as give a mes
sage to Sam She instantly regretted
her words, abruptly halting. 1t came
to her that Richard would insist upon
delivering her message. Of course, he
would oppose her going. Some petty
reason or other. She knew from the
men that he was oppositional, that he
liked to show his power. Not safe, he
would say, or the horse was needed
or Sam too busy to wait on her!
you cannot go home alone, you
two. The town is full of strange In
dians. Give me your lantern, Miss
Hardin; I'll rout out that darky."
RebelliousIy sne gave him the Ian
tern. The light turned full on her
averted angry eyes.
A naughty Thusnelda followed him.
Sam was discovered asleep in the
only room where the windows had not
yet been attacked. His head rested on
bundle of sacked trees which the
ladies of the Improvement club had
planned to plant the next day. Deep
snores betrayed his refuge.
Here, Sam! 1 want you to take
these ladies home. Chase yourself.
They've been working while you've
slept. 1 thought you'd have all these
windows out by now.''
Gerty had to supply the courtesy for
two. She told Mr.. Rickard in her ap-
pealing way that he had been very
kind; that she "would have been
frightened to death to go home alone"
lnnes had to say something! Good
night" The words had an insulting
ring.
The wind covered a passionate 81
lence, as the two women, followed by
Sam, yawning and stretching, made
their way down the shrieking street
ut was true" Innes was thinking She
had at last stumbled on the rout, but
it was not a matter of personal, but
moral untidiness; not q carelessness
of pins or plates, of tapes or dishes. It
was far worse; q slackness of ethics.
1t meant more unhappiness for Tom.
Her aching muscles told her that
she could not have slept four hours
when the darky was back, knocking at
her door.
Innes' horse loped through the
silent streets.
"Fll run past the levee; perhaps
Tom has come back" 1t occurred to
her that there might be message at
the hotel. She pulled on her left rein,
and swept past the deserted adobe.
AS she reined in her horse, Richard
stepped out on the sidewalk. He. too,
was heavy-eyed from snatched nap.
"Were you looking for me?"
The scorn in the girls face told him
that his question was stupid. For
him!
HAS my brother come back?'
He said he did not know. "You can
see 1 have been dreamingw She would
not smile back at him, but rode off
toward the levee.
Was this the river? West of the
levee, a sea of muddy water spread
over the land. There was yet a chance
to save the towns, the town, she cor
I rected herself, as her eye fell on the
Mexican village across the ditch. Fol
MeXicali was doomed. Some of the
mud huts had already fallen; the wa
ter was running ciose 10 the station
house.
She saw Wooster standing near, cal
culating the distance, the time. per
haps, before the new station would go
She hailed Wooster. Ruin was pre-
saged in the lines of his forehead.
''Pretty bad?" she cried.
He shook his head.
'Is Tom back?"
He's over there, now. Fighting like
all possessed. He'll work till h,
drops" Wooster was proud of tha
method.
"We all know Tom!' Her prid
sprang up. "But he's got to stop TO
while. I'm going up after him."
mot if my names Wooster I'll go
He'll mind me-
She watched the flowing river, swol
len with wreckage. She saw, witt
comprehension, IL section of fence
somebody's crop gone. There was
railway tie. another! The river wa
eating up Estrada's new roadbed? 4
cry broke from her as mesquit ol
the coffee-colored tide caught ON
buried snag The current swirled dan
gerously around it. Instantly, the wa
: ter rose toward the top of the levee
Men came running to pry away tn
tree. A minute later, it was dancing
down the stream. They raised til
bank against the pressing lappini
waves. There, the tree had stfucl
again. They ran down the levee wit
their long poles. Each time that hap
pened, unless the obstruction wer
swiftly dislodged, she knew it mean
an artificial fall somewhere, a quic
securing out of the channel The me-
/ were working like silent parts of bi
machine; the confusion of the frs
night was gone. From their faces on
,uuua,uuAffIN,