Evening star., 1924-11-16

ELF TO PARACON'S BROAD BACk.
beneath him. He could hear the rain
L steady drive on the roof, as 1T had
driven for hours and for days. A
deeper note was added to 1t, and as
! he listened something struck the
house. He felt ii. II struck silently
" ct with such force that for one reel
| ing instant he fancied the dark
! square of his bedroom had lifted and
settled again like n ship. Then. from
out tside. rain and darkness were split
! by a wild. inhuman cry.
1t was a cry that hooked Brickdale
out OF bed as a line hooks a perch
out of pool. He was shaking SC
that he could scarcely find the button
OF the electric light. He pressed it al
| light followed. He spring to the win
dow. a vague gray square in the
darkness. and flung UP the blind.
His first thought when his eyes
were cleared to the gloom was the
confused one that he had somehow
gone to bed on the ground floor. A
gray level stretched few feet be-
| low him, pitted and ruffied with the
unceasing rain. He could recognize
nothing OF his familiar garden land
marks. Everything was changed
| where in the night came another
| muffied crash. and the frantic inhu-
man screaming broke out once more
shadow ran across the gray Level
at which Brickdale blankly stared-a
| shadow Tipped with foam, which si-
lently struck at him, splashing up TIL
wall beneath him. He shrank back
with a cry, turned. and stumbled to
mis- door.
IL
dark OF the closed house was full OF
a dozen voices that yet were one
the voice of running water. He felt
| a gain that he was going down in the
hold of sinking ship. Blind panic
| shut his throat. He managed to shout
hoarsely for Light. Light"
a light answered him. March, the
young groom came down the attic
stairs four at a time, carrying a Ian
tern. In this hour OF stunning un-
| usualness Brickdale saw him for the
| first time as a man and not as q
| servant. He was in shirt and
| breeches. his hair rough. his feet bare
and flashing white on the stairs. The
dreadful screaming went on. piercins :
the dull sound OF the rain and the
| flood as lightning rends a cloud
Brickdale ran to the groom. He said
What is it? Oh. what is it?' March
horses" He went past Brickdale In
haeh to the lower hall Brickdale
heard him splashing in water. The
lantern light danced on oily ripplas
where a Persian prayer rug foated
grotesquely. Knee-high in water
March was struggling with the front
door. His strained face looked back
at Brickdale. He painted roughly
"Help-help me-you."
- Ia
the bolts beside March. The door
came open at last. and the thrush OF
the food water almost swept them
off their feet, though both were big
men. March painted: "Itll be the
dam at Cedar Lake gone! Come to
the stables! My horses-we must ge,
the horses OUT. Holding the lantern
high. he thrust his other arm roughly
through Brickdale's. They fought
their way toward the stables.
The water drove at them out OF the
dark in ugly swirls. crested with drift
! The rain hissed against the stable
lantern. They moved in a narrow
ring Of light. and without was chaos
and the voices OF destruction. Twice
Brickdale stumbled and would have
| fallen but for the hand gripping him
He was lost in body as well as mind
| The very direction Of his drowning
,, house was gone from him. And the
water was growing deeper.
The screaming OF the horses was
near them now. Brickdale felt con.
crete under his feet-blessedly solid
March pushed him up two steps and
| thrust the lantern into his hands.
| Hold 1t high he commanded
curtly, "and don't move. Keep right
there or you'll be knocked down and
| tramped to pulp as they come out
I'm goin' to try and head 'em inlandT
He left Brickdale and leaped to the
door Of the stables. His rough
strong young voice went before him
crying cheerily to the horses. Steady
now, Paragon! Steady there, Pet
Quit that noise now! I'm comm te
you-I'm comin'!"
| Brickdals thought the horse.
quieted at the voice. He wa.
strangely struck by its beauty-tht
beauty Of kindly strength. He felt
also strangely alone and forgotten.
MARCH had the door open and wa.
A'A in-at the risk OF his life The
stables were between the river and
the house. and the river wall was
gone already. taking the chimney with
1t. The beasts were mad In theil
| Stdlis brlckoale, nolulng the lantern
| nearly dropped It as Pet tore through
the doorway and passed him In 8
storm OF foam. He would not have
recognized the sleek mare as she
flashed by with foaming muzzle ant
| narjng eyes. He heard the splash anG
thunder OF her hoofs as she fed in
land along his drowning terraces
and his breath drew cold. There were
things In life
| Paragon, less maddened, was out
galloping for the higher fields. HI
also tore by, sending a great fan Of
water over Brickdale and the lantern
and beside him, holding to the straps
went March in long, flying leaps HI
yelled something to Brickdale as hs
went past, but the words were lost
In the reeling lantern light Brickdale
saw him swing himself incredibly tt