Glacier County chief., 1940-03-01

ness and strength that almost knocked
it from the boys hand Jimmy
laughed, picked him up and started
for the rocking chair, still grinning.
AS he passed the window he glanced
out, then stopped, transfiXed. The
grounds were yellow lake now, and
the waves of that lake were slapping
the side of the big, farm house. For an
instant the boys heart stopped beat
ing and cold chill ran the length of
his spine.
He sprinted out into the hall, press
ing the astoniShed and reSentful baby
against his side and looked down the
staircase. Water in the house now, all
right. Water in the lower hall, water
on the stairs. He ran back TO the stairs
and, got the same view and another
chill.
The baby was yelping not with
pain but with rage over the vice that
was holding him and over his deferred
breakfast. Jimmy carried him back to
the bedroom. sat down in the rocking
hair, and spooned the strained vege-
tables into the open mouth. Then he
gave the Old Man his bottle Jimmy
waited till the milk was all gone, and
laid the baby back in his cr:b. He had
things to do now. but he wasn't sure
just what they were.
First. he guessed. the fire TO make.
Jimmy looked down at the half empty
wood box Enough wood for today, he
reflected. If they weren't back by to-
morrow he'd break up some furniture
The fire was slow in starting, but at
last the logs caught. To his great relief
the child was asleep again.
He tiptoed over to each of the win
doWS in turn and looked out AS far as
he could see, on every side. the flood
surrounded them-a dirty turbulent
rushing roaring flood with the tips of
trees showing above it. There were
strange things on its whirling surface
ice floes, pieces of furniture, a dead
cat caught in the branches of an up
rooted tree a deeply depressed
He stared toward the knoll on which
the cattle had huddled yesterday aft
ernoon. No sign of it now, nor of them
They must have been scared They
must have wondered why he didn't
come to help them. A lump came into
the boys throat. :.
He knew now what had happened
The dam had burst during the night
A lot of animals and perhaps a lot of
folks had been droWned-and he and
the Old Man had slept through it all
their floor yet. Probably it wouldn't
get any higher. If it did. he'd carry
the Old Man up into the attic.
She would be home pretty soon. No
flood could keep her from that kid
Course it had kept her away. so far
But she'd come-some way.
Anything might happen, any min
ute. Lucky he could swim Not far in
that flood. though. He could certainly
get the kid as far as that big oak.
Then he could scram up the tree and
get firm seat in crotch near the
top. He'd try the attic first, though.
Meantime he'd have some blankets
handy.
He went out into the hall and tried
the telephone again, though he knew
it wouldn't work. 1t didn't. Neither,
OF course. did any of the electric lights.
He had already learned that all the
plumbing was on the blink Good thing
he had filled that tub the night before.
Funny, too. He hadn't really thought
then that the dam would break. But
above and below and beyond all these
thought was his conviction that She
would come soon. Oddly enough
though he liked and admired Driscoll
1t was not DriScoll he saw fighting his
way through that yellow flood. {.
But he saw Her clearly.
He went back into the bedroom and
heated some water for the Old Mans
bath. When She comes She's goin' to
find this kid clean an warm an fed
an o. K, he told himself. While the
room. Strengthened the bed cover and
refolded the blanket across the foot
Of the bed, adding another blanket
from the connecting spare room-"for
'mergency."