The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-06-17

NhC II WhCA liiC iliOOl NOAiC up uhQ
ride all night, but we was plum tuck
cred, all three of us. So Starbuck
said we would go up the canyon
ways and camp for the night and rest
up Meg's horse all the next day
that was today-and ride all the next
night-that was tonight.
"When we thought we was up far
enough for to be pretty well hid, we
staked the horses up above, where
there was little grass, and built
fire down on a ledge and had supper
l never knowed, no more than a baby,
that Starbuck and Meg was former
man and Whenever drempt 1t. After
supper they told me their story.
Starbuck said she'd saved his life
and they were going to head for the
Panhandle and start over again. We
didn't talk long. All Meg said was she
wanted me to know she was Star
bucks real wife and she didn't like
to be called just Meg, but Margaret
Starbuck.
Anyway, the two Of 'em went to
sleep close to the fire. moved off
way. l was so blamed done out I
just couldn't sleep-so there I was
lying on my back on the rock, think
ing where'd l land next, when /
began to hear a funny kind of noise.
And it kept getting louder n louder,
n funnier and funnier-up the can
yon. l lifted up to look, and there,
away up the canyon, seen big
1t, right from wall to wall, and roar
ing. l set up and called down to Star
buck, and pointed. What's that white
thingT I says.
''He jumped like he was shot.
wATERr he yells. Margaret he
yells. 'Cloudburst! Quick for your
life! Grab your saddle, Haynes! Get
to the horses! Up! Upv
"He grabbed their two saddles.
grabbed my saddle, and we made.
hard as we could, up the canyon wall.
I'd got maybe ten feet when I heard
Meg scream-she'd fell down. The
water was crashing and roaring down
on us like all hell was let loose. She
He dropped the saddles and picked up
Meg and started climbing with her
and the water struck us.
II was maybe twenty feet higher
than Starbuck and Meg. If I'd been
forty feet it wouldn't have helped );
that water was hundred feet deep.
1t picked me up like a match, and
picked them up, and picked the
horses up-I never knew a thing till
l came TO, on shelf away down the
canyon. was pounded clean to
pieces How 1 ever lived / don't
know-but there I was.
II looked careful for signs and kept
calling Starbuek and Meg-but didn't
have no hope much of ever seeing 'em
again till spied something, down at
the mouth of the canyon, and pretty
well out in the creek on a gravel
bar. First / thought 1t was a big
piece OF, driftwood; then 1 thought 1t
was one of the horses. / seen, when
l got closter, 1t wasn't. 1t was Star
buck and Meg.
Il waded a ways out into the creek
and got pretty near the sand bar to
see if either of 'em was alive. Meg's
skirt must "a caught in a snag on
the bar, and that held 'em there when
the water went down. There they
were, lying on. the up side of the bar.
with their arms tight round each
other-and their heads part under
water-Starbuck's head was clean
under water
Haynes wiped his forehead with the
back of his grimy hand 81 waded
back ashore and kept on down the
wash till 1 got TO the main crossing.
and set down there to wait for help.
Inside an hour couple o. your
wagons come along, headin' west. I
told the boys the story jes' z twas.
They'd heard about the trouble at
Sleepy Cat but didn't know nothin'
about it. They agreed to help me. We
unloaded most of the hay on one
wagon and drove the wagon I'D the
creek, close as we could to where
they lay. We waded out and one of
the boys took aholt of their feet. and
the other one and took their should
ers together, so we got 'em out to
the wagon the way they lay, n got
'em into the wagon. So, John-well-
here we are"
Hollow-eyed, he said no more.
Selwood, after a moments silence,
spoke to Scott. 81 guess everybody's
out of the Kitchen" he said. "Get
hold of Bull and tell him to cook
some supper for Haynes and hunt up
bed for him." He turned back to
Haynes. "Where are they?'
"John, we laid 'em down at the
barn In the harness-room = there
want no other place, n I JUS plum
didn't know what to do with 'em till
seen you. II you don't think it's
right"
He hesitated. SeIwood finished the
sentence. "It's all right" he said, ris-
ing. As he started toward the dining
room, Pardaloe laid heavy hand on
his shoulder. And he looked down at
him with serious eyes, "John," he said
solemnly. remember what the cards
said Saturday night at Calabasas?
We couldn't figure out just how 1T was
coming, could we? But the old deck
didn't lie; death was in 1t that night.
sure enough, wasn't IT."
Selwood stepped into the hall, to
find Christie, wide-eyed. at the omen
door. She caught his hands. 'When
/ came downstairs they told me Won
had been called from the table.