Glacier County chief., 1939-09-01
up the Rescue club . But it will be

up the Rescue club But it will b,
too late"
TOO late"
rushed madly up the pass, like one
bereft Of her senses.
The boulders on either side of thu
track blocked her view of the valley
but as she reached the gorge she be.
came aware that she should have heard
deashing over its stony bed. Stopping
for moment to strain her ears, she
caught something's faint that 4
was a vibration, rather than actua,
sound-as though a telephone were
ringing in the last house of a long
row.
It was thunder up in the hills.
Mercifully. it was very far away
Rushing round the bend, she was able
at last, to see the Pharisees Fall
through its screen of trees. To her
amazement. it was still pouring down
in steady white column, with no Wis
1ble increase in volume.
She stood, scarcely able to credit the
evidence to her eyes, while a wild hope
flared up in her heart. Some miracle
OF Nature had intervened-a landslir
or fall of boulders higher up-whicf
had either damned the flood, or di-
verified its course.
There was no time to lose in specu-
lation. Reckless of danger, she plunged
down the steep side Of the gorge
snatching at such frail holds as ferns
and wild strawberry runners, as She
glissaded down muddy slopes and NOISY
rocks. Often she only saved herself
from pitching headlong to the bottom
Of the gulf, by catching at the branches
OF wild cherry or birch.
Her luck held, for her last Jump was
blind. so that she. landed with 8
crash. amid the boulders of the stream
AS she got up again, her first thought
was for the torch which she hac
snatched from the hall table, in hei
rush through the cottage.
To her great relief, it was unbroken
TO match her bones. Slipping it inside
the neck Of her pulloVer for safety
she scrambled over the exposed rock.
until she reached the entrance to tho
potho1e.
Without giving herself time to think
she gripped the rope ladder and be.
only to meet with disaster In skip.
ping rmgs-to descend more QUICKLY
she lost her footing and hung suspend.
ed by her hands. As she swayed to anc
fro the motion accelerated and shl
s st The snd rou 5Sa4 IKE fly dangling
She realized that she was MISSING
the ballast provided by Courage, OF
her previous descent, when he hac
stood below to steady the ladder. Now
in her struggle to regain her footing
she kicked wildly against the rock
only to crash back under the fall. For.
ttmately, her palms were hard, t,
match her muscles, and she manageC
to lower herself until her toes scrapet
the insecure rumgs again.
Lower and lower she dropped. Tn,
| light drew dimmer-damp dungeon
| odors arose from the vault below
and she found herself on the rock,
floor Of the daylight chamber. Shud:
dering in anticipation Of what was {,
come. she flashed on her torch AMI
guided herself, by the trickle Of water
across the dark shaft.
All she could see was q CHASTITY dro,
like the shaft Of a lift, enclosed b
walls Of dripping rock-and an inse.
cure,looking rope-ladder dangling int.
At first, she fingered to shout, in tn,
faint hope that the climbing part,
might be on its way up, but she onii
awoke q mutilated echo which Va!
plainly out Of practice. Time was rae.
ing on, while up IN the hills the floot
was pi1ing itself up against its baFrier
/ tapping higher every minute. 8oone.
or later, water must find it, level,
She 6T1pped the rope ladder VIII
one hand and dropped backwards int