The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-02-13
The Rains
Came
CONTINUED from Page 81

lowed BY bits Of plaster from The
ceiling.
He thought. I must be passing
out. and at the same time he
saw 3 look of extraordinary as
constituent on the face Of the
major and then the lights wen,
out. Above the elamor Of par
rots and macaws and Pekinese he
heard the mysterical screams Of
Miss Murgatroyd from the other
room
II was the major who acted
Calling across the table to Ran
some. he said. Come along We
must get the women out Of the
house
Stumbling in the darkness.
knocking over chairs and glasses,
Ransome followed him toward the
drawing room. On the way he
stepped IN the darkness full on
the face Of a Moghul painting
which had fallen from the walls.
At the feel of his heel grinding the
glass into its fragile beauty he
spranc away as if he had stepped
upon q snake.
Then there was a moment of ex-
traordinary stiffness. with only the
sound of the river and the falling
rain. and then the lions began
again to roar and from the huddle
of buildings at the end of the
garden there rose a sound of
screaming and wailing that was
like a single voice of terror and
despair.
With a great effort Ransome re-
sisted the hay temptation to let
everything slide, to hope that a
second shock would come quickly
and destroy them all.
In the darkness he called Ed
wina's name, and out of the dark
ness her voice came back to him.
not frightened, but queer and
strained.
Are you all right ?" he asked.
Yes. her voice came back.
Extraordinary. wasn't IT ,"
Maybe it isn't finished yet"
What are We going to do
now
Il don't know. Better leave it
to the major"
The major had been collecting
them. urging them off the veranda
into the shelter of the porte
cochere. the one spot which was at
the same time safe and sheltered
from the awful flood of rain. Sud-
denly he asked, "Whsre are the
?"
No one seemed to know. If
Miss Murgatroyd knew she was
unable to answer. She did not
scream now, but whimpered with
terror.
The major shocked her and said,
Where is Mrs. Bannerjee ?" but
all she did was to go on sobbing
and saying, Il don't know l
don't know" And almost at the
same moment Mrs. Bannerjee APP
oeared, coming down the stairs,
y
fine lantern and surrounded by
a feathery ripple of yapping
Pekinese.
And then as she moved across
he room a new sound came from
he veranda overhead . single
Isolated sound of wailing and ter
ror, the voice of Mr.. Bannerjee.
But almost at once it was drown
I'd by still another sound, faint at
first, like the distant kissing of
million snakes, then growing loud
r. and more distinct, increasing in
volume, and as the group beneath
he porte cochere turned, il grew
nto the unmistakable sound of
water, and across the
darkness there appeared narrow
white line of foam about the height
If man which seemed to gather
out of the thick darkness every
,aint ray of light that came from
/ moon completely hidden by
LIQUIDS, light which otherwise was
lot apparent and now seemed
1bosphorescent.
Ii came toward them swiftly.
the distant mud wall of
he garden. as the hiss changed
nto a roar which drowned the dis
ant walls, the roars of the lions, /
he barking of the Pekinese and
he terrified means of Mr. Ban
lerjee.
Ransome pushed Edwina before +
him into the house, Miss MacDaid I
ook care of herself, and the major /
Kicked up Miss Murgatroyd like
ack of meal and shouted, Make /
or the stairs. It's the water
works The dam has broken"
Outside the wall of water swept
cross the garden and engulfed the
buildings at the end, sitting the
ound Of wailing and despair in the
resi- sound of broken beams and
rickwork. Then the roaring be-
ran slowly to die away again into
distant kissing, and from the
lty there rose new veil Of
ound made by the voices of those
Who had seen death coming to-
ward them across the great square
'efore the old wooden palace.
Ransome was quite sober now.
he foggIness gone completely
rom his brain. and in the midst
# the disaster he was aware of a
nelodramatic beauty IN this scene
n the Bannerlees' upper hallway
= Mrs. Bsnnerjee and Edwina. OPP
'osite each other. the one SO dark,
he other so blonde and fragile
he dogs huddled about Mrs. Ban
IerJees feet. the pathetic erum-
lied pale blue Of Miss Murgs-
royd's silly taffets gown. the me-
or and Miss MacDaid regarding
aeh other with fixed looks Of
Iorror, the whole scene hghtened
y the yellow glow Of the lantern.
Then outside the house the night
vas still again save for the sound
( one or two distant isolated