The St. Charles herald., 1922-04-08
A Rival in the
Flood
By FRANK H. WILLIAMS

X
" As12. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.
fretty Dorothy Gordon pressed her
pretty face against the window nane
ana looked through the gusts of rain
and sieet to the swollen river some
Attis distance beyond the house.
IL was wild night. The river had
risen steadily since morning and now
spread in the distance, a rain-swent
ugly, moody lake whose farther shore
was lost In the darkness of the early
twilight. The river bade fair to be up
10 the house by midnight.
dorothy shivered slightly as she
gazed at this dismal scene. She was
worried-not about herself, for a mo-
Tor boat riding at ease on the rising
waters near the house gave her a sure
means OF escape, but because of
howard Freeman, her sweetheart.
who was immured in an office building
on the other side of the river. Some
moments ago Howard had telephoned
that the building was surrounded by
water and that he was leaving by a
rowboat. Dorothy had pleaded with
him to let her come for him In the
motorboat but he had refused. Per-
haps now, at this very moment, he was
getting into the rowbOat. OF course
there was no danger, but the current
In the center Of the stream was swift,
the river was filed with floating logs
and debris. Would he be able to win
the shore in his fragile boat without
trouble?
To Dorothy, who had lived there by
the river all her life, the food was a
normal occurrence. Every year the
river overfowed its banks-not as ex-
tensively as this present flood, Of
course, but enough to familiarize those
people who lived near the stream with
the characteristics of flood time. So
Dorothy did not fear the flood so far
as she herself was concerned. 1t was
only because of Hownrd's unfamiliar
ity with food conditions. owing to the
recentness Of his arrival in the city,
that she was worried.
That and another thing which kept
beating at the back Of Dorothy's mind
and which she resolutely tried to keep
from her were the causes of her wOr-
rieS.
OF the two worries, this thing at the
back of her mind was much the great
er. Despite her efforts to keep it down
1t rose up and frightened her. She
tapped restlessly on the window pane
with the tips Of her fingers as she con-
tinued gazing out at the flood. What
should she do? Howard's message had
been explicit-she should remain where
she was and not come out to him. He
would be angry IL she ventured out
into the food and storm to come t6
him. There had been no question
about the sincerity with which he hat
said this.
And yet-Dorothy came to a sudder
resolution. She swung back into thu
dimly lighted room.
I'm going out in the boat" she
cried to her stepmother, the only othel
occupant Of the house, who was sway
ing agitatedly back and forth IN
rocking chair near the center table.
~ wouldn't" was the reply. "lt'
dangerous"
"Dad will be here any minute nov
in the other motor boat" said Doro
thy. 'T've got to go, that's all.
can't stand 1t any longer"
The rain dashed at Dorothy ana
chill wind buffeted her as she race
from the house toward the boat. He
feet sank into the soft earth as sn
ran. slowing her speed considerably.
Now that she had come to this decl
sion and was actually launched on tn
thing she had been longing to 90 a
afternoon, she was afire with eager
ness. She wanted to get to Howar
tust as quickly as she possibly couit
Fortunately the launch started q
once. Dorothy heaved up the ancno
which had moored the boat ciose !.
the house in a little bayou made D
the advancing waters, and switchin
on the searchlight, started up streai
against the swift current for the ono
building a mile away where Howar
worked. u,,4
Darkness had come by now, swi1
end dense. The searchlight cuttln
through the night disclosed stead
downpour and a rushing mass
branches. tree trunks and JUNK OF on
- .~1 another
II was slow work beating up agaln'
the current. Every now and tnen ~
othy gave a swift turn to the wne'
to escape a rushing log. once :
twice the boat quivered under tne - y
nact Of some heavy object, whose o'
rush was unavoidable.
would she never reach the om'
Suddenly, as the boat veered @ q
.,de IN response to Dorothys enof'
to escape a tree trunk, she gaspe1: :,
There, coming swiftly down ..a !.
.tream some thirty feet to Dorothy
rieht. was . rowboat. No oars = ws' {,
. rs.,hle. AT thesrear Of the boat. no..
Inc his coat In the water ana tryl.
- ruide the boat in this fashion, wi W