I
Is a
WHAT is A TEAK ? A LITTLE SPACE
A FOOTSTEP IN OLD TIME'S SWIFT RACE
A WRIXKLE ADDED TO THE FACE.
THE SPRIXG'S SUM
GREEN LEAVES , THE
MER'S SUN ,
FALL , WINTER'S FROSTS THE TEAK is
DONE ,
ITS TWELVEMONTH COIJRSE IS QUICKLY
RUN.
THIS PROBLEM PONDER , MORTAL MAN ,
AS OTHERS HAVE SINCE TIME BEGAN
HOW BEST EMPLOY THIS LITTLE SPAN.
K Y. K.
_
ON NEW YEAR'S ' DAY.
BY ALFRED HALCH.
[ Copyright. All riRhts reserved. ]
WEEK from tonight -
night , Miss
Chloe , " said Will
Fosdick , giving
the girl a linger
ing pressure of
the hand as he
_ , looked at her with
> > < that touch of
svz- ' " ' heightened color
which marks exceeding -
- _ ceeding admira
tion. "Yes , a week from tonight , " re
sponded Miss Chloe Davis , with a smile.
"Kitty and Sam will be there , and father
says his old friend , the bishop , will come
to us. We won't have a large party ,
but we will try and have a good time. "
"I am sure to enjoy myself , " said Mr.
Fosdick meaningly , "when"
"I know , when Kitty is there ! But
then Kitty"
"Kitty be blessed ! " said her compan
ion quickly.
"Why , Mr. Fosdick ! and your own
cousin , too ! "
"Oh , she's a mighty good girl , of
course ; no one can say anything but
that ; but I wasn't thinking of her just
then. "
"Really I must be going home , " said
Miss Chloe hastily. "Mother will be
sure to want me. I do hope the weather
will clear up before New Year's. This
rain has lasted about as long as it's
pleasant. "
"Yes , that's true. The water is very
high in the dam now , and , although we
draw off all we can , I'm afraid they're
getting too much of it. "
"There's no danger , is there ? " asked
the girl , her face slightly paling as she
spoke. "Father has always been afraid
of it , you know. ' '
"No ; I do not think there is. However ,
I guess it'll come out all right , Miss
Chloe , I that is , you I mean ! " and
Will Fosdick stopped.
The girl hurriedly broke in : "Mr. Fos
dick , I must go. Good-by , and don't
forget ! " and with a wave of her hand
EIO disappeared around a coiner of the
path.
The little village of Cartersville , in
Colorado , had grown and prospered on
the mines which made the hills around
it treasure houses. Mr. Davis , the father
of pretty , dark eyed 18-year-old Chloe ,
was the superintendent of Southern
Belle , and tall , fair haired Will Fos
dick was the assayer at the Star of the
West. Common interests in their work
had brought the two men together in the
firbt place , but , so far as the younger was
concerned , he soon found a reason to
call on the Davises which had nothing to
do with the character of the ore in the
200 feet level. To state it briefly , he was
as desperately in love as a man could
well be , but so far he was obliged to
confess with many an inward sigh that
he did not know if the girl cared for
him. She was always pleasant , always
apparently glad to see him , but he had
never been able to bring matters to a
point , often as ho had tried. His own.
shyness and his'real belief that she was
so much , better than himself- had made
him slammer and pause until she ea-
caped as she had that clay.
The village was built in a long , strag
gling line down the narrow valley be
tween the hills. Here and there on the
hillsides were the mills in which the ore
was worked , and winding like a great
yellow snake the stage road ran back
and forward until it ended at "Carter's , "
the universal store , saloon and hotel ,
which might have bee. * called the center
of the place. At the head of the valley
was the dam built by the mining com
panies in partnership , which stored up
the water used in the mills and which
the shrewdest of the engineers about
Cartersville did not believe particularly
safe. The house occupied by Mr. Davis
was in the lower part of the village , built
of wood like the rest , and was a pretty -
place to look at in summer , with the
flowers in front , which Miss Chloe had
raised with so much care.
For ten days past the rains had been
heavier than any man remembered to
have seen , and the trollies , which were
dry during the sti.mer ; months , were
now miniature tom-nts. The dam was
full , and the wasteway at one side was
open wide , while down between its rocky
walls the water rutlicd night and day.
And during all that week it rained ,
rained , rained , until people became seri
ously alarmed over the possible outcome.
In the menu time Will Foscliek saw
Chloe Davis tlnce times. He would
have seen her taorc had it been possible ,
for certainly there v/as no lack of desire
on his part. Each time he resolved to
put his fate to the question , but each
time he came away without having done
so , and then spent : in hour reviling his
own timidity , which seemed to tie his
tongue just when he wanted to speak.
And Miss Chloe ! Miss Chloe's pretty
eyes sparkled as she laughed in her mu
sical fashion overhcr own thoughts.
Miss Chloe was not afraid , for she knew.
New Year's day came on Wednesday
in 1890 , and in the afternoon about 3
o'clock Will Fosdick came out of the
laboratory of the Star of the West and
looked , as usual , down the valley to
where the Da vis house stood. He could
see the figure of a girl standing in front ,
and he wondered whether he would have
chance that evening , and if he had it
whether he would have sand enough to
take advantage of it. And as he stood
he heard in the clear , pure air a peculiar
noise , and turning he saw about half a
mile away a fearful sight.
The great dam was covered with a
wave of brown water pouring over the
top. As he looked this seemed to sink
down for a second , then rise again , and a
rolling mass of water swept down the
narrow valley. The houses in its path
went down like grass before a gale amid
the shrieks and cries of the people.
Fosdick himself was at a height which
made him safe , and he stood for a min
ute or two like one in a dream , pinching
TUJXOED KVTO TI1E WATER.
himself to make sure he was awake. It
was all so horrible ! He saw a man he
knew , well Jack Carter start to run
up the hillside , bnl ? the brown monster
caught him and swept him down.
For the part of a second Fosdick saw
them thrown into awild _ heap , and then
the .flood passed over , them. The water
struck -Carter's store , Trc&icht stood for a
moment * rpso bodily ifvnd- floated , turn
ing and swaying asjttough with a hide
ous drunkenness. Then it struck against
an ore . house . and sep' ° d to cravible r -
ft.
down into the surging flood , carrying
with it two men and a woman with a
child in her arms , who had climbed out
on the roof. Once a man's body was
shot up by the water until it stood waist
high , and the may struggled , waving
his arms and trying to escape. Then he
was dragged down by the legs by the in
carnate cruelty which had thus given
him a glimpse of life , only to snatch it
from him forever.
Will Fosdick started as though struck
by a bullet. In watching the frightful
tragedy before him he had forgotten
Chloe. Was she safe ? He turned and
looked eagerly down the valley. For a
moment a mist seemed to blur his eyes ,
\
THE RESCUE.
and then he saw clearly the house was
not there. By a determined effort he
turned and walked slowly back and for
ward a few times , for he realized that
before all things it was necessary for
him to be cool and to show a level head.
Then ho looked out before him.
The flood of water was nearly a quar
ter of a mile wide. It had evidently
destroyed the greater part of the village ,
and although there was no longer a tor
rent , yet the current was very swif t. To
reach the place where the Davis house
stood Will Fosdick would have had to
cross the water , and this , as there was
not a boat in the village , was impossi
ble. There was a chance , perhaps , to
cross about five miles down , where the
valley narrowed to the Needles , two
great spires of rock which had had a
bridge thrown across between them for
the use of two mines , one on either side ,
and Will Fosdick started as rapidly as
he could walk. It was a drear } ' trip ,
with evidences on every side of the
awful destruction which had been
wrought by the water. He came across
the body of a man , the skull smashed in ,
which had been left on the ground by
the first great wave , and with a shudder
recognized it as that of Mr. Brooks , the
superintendent of the Star of the West.
He paused long enough to cover it with
stones so the coyotes could not get at it.
Aboiit a mile from the Needles , as
Will Fosdick was picking his way among
ilie stones which , covered the ground , he
heard a sound as though some one were
sobbing. He halted and listened. There
could be no doubt that it was a woman
crying. In his intense desire to search
for Mr. Davis' house he may be pardoned
if he hesitated for a moment before go
ing to the rescue. He thought of Chloe ;
he was thinking of nothing else , and it
seemed to drive him wild the uncer
tainty about her fate. Only for a mo
ment , though , did he pause , for Will Fos
dick was a man before all else , and then
turning ho made his way down to the
water's edge. There , about a hundred
yards out were two rocks , between
which sorno fencing or wreckage of
some kind had wedged , and clinging to
the wood was a woman. Will Fosdick
looked and wondered if it could be done.
It was only a hundred yards , but it was
a terrible job. The brown water rolled
swiftly by at his feet , and down the
swirling stream came logs and boards
aiid furniture , mailing the way almost
impassable. K the woman was to be
saved there was no time to be lost.
f Running up the bank three hundred
yjirds Will. E sdick threw off his coat
ana plunged into the water. ' It caught
hold of him with the grip of a strong
man and dragged him down until liis _
feet touched" the ground.t With a tre-
mendons effort be sprang up t , andVeach-
ing the top struck out , fighting ni4 way"
inch byxinch out toward tfio rocks. A"
heavy board charged down at him , and
ho ducked just in time to save his head ;
he met a raffle of wreckage and was
forced to crawl over it , cutting his leg
on a sharp nail. Bit by bit ho worked
ahead , but all the while he was being
swept down the stream , and he knew
the current through the Needles must be
death. Nearing the lower rock he made
a determined dash for it , only to bo
driven off by a timber and carried down.
For a moment he thought his life had
been risked in vain , when the current
<
slackened and he found himself floating
to the rock in an eddy. Reaching it and
crawling up he lay for a moment to
gather breath and a little strength be
fore Attempting the rescue of the wom
an lit * came to save. Then climbing
over the top he lowered himself down.
As he saw the brown hair a quick throb
startled him , and in the whisper of ex
citement he called. The woman raised
her head and his look met Chloe's eyes !
It did not. take Will Fosdick two seconds
ends to leap down and seize the girl , to
lift her up into his arms and to carry her
up on the rock. It was as though he
had the strength of ten men ! Then hold
ing her tight he kissed her passionately.
There was no more shyness , no more
hesitation ; he had rescued his love from
death , and he had her safe. And Chloe
put her head down on his shoulder and
sobbed , clinging to him closely and now
and then trembling violently. Death
had been very near to her that day !
"How on earth did jrou get here , my
darling ? " he asked when the girl became
a little quieter.
"I don't know , Will. I was standing
in front of the house when suddenly the
water swept me off my feet. It rolled
me over and over ; it seemed to press mete
to death. I felt something and caught
hold of it , and then I fainted. How long
it was before I came to myself I do not
know , but when I woke up I was lying
on some boards which were floating on
the water. I pulled myself xipon them
and waited. I was sure I would die , and
I thought about you' '
"My own love ! "
"I thought you must be dead , and I
did not care much whether I was saved.
Then I cried , thinking I would never see
you again. "
"That was what I heard , my darling ! "
"Did you know it was me ? "
"No. I was hurrying down to cross
at the Needles and I heard the cry. "
"And you were going to save me , but
stopped for another girl ? " said Chloe ,
wjth something of her own tone. "Oh ,
Will ! "
"Well , dearest , 1 could not leave a
woman to die , " began Will.
"Well , dear , " said the girl very softly
and earnestly , "don't you know how
proud I am of you for doing it ? Don't I
know how you wanted to go on and look
for me ? And then if jrou had not I
should have died. But how did you get
out here ? "
"I swam out. "
"What ! Across that awful place ? "
asked the girl with a shudder , clinging
closer to him.
"Yes. It ; wasn't so bad. I'd swim
twenty of them to hold you in my arms ,
Chloe , and know you love me. You do
love me , don't you ? "
"Yes , " she whispered.
"You never let me know it. "
"You never asked me , " she answered
with a laugh. "But , Will , how can we
get ashore ? I want to know how mother
is and if she's safe. "
"We can't get ashore till the water
goes down. You could never live to
cross that current. But , Chloe , look
there ! That's your house there , stranded
just this side of that point. "
"So it is , and there's mother looking
out of the window. Is it safe there ? "
"Perfectly ; the water is going down.
Is your father at home ? "
"No ; he went across the mountains
this morning. But what an awful thing
this is ! "
And so , talking over the horror of the
flood , and at times talking about their
love , the two staid on the rock all that
night. Will contrived to make a fire at
which they dried their clothes , and by
early morning the water had gone down
enough to let him carry her ashore.
They made their way to the house ,
where Mrs. Davis kissed and hugged her
daughter as one raised from the dead.
Mr. Davis came home about noon to
find all well and safe. He and Will
Fosdick joined the men who were bring
ing those who had escaped together , and
the Davis house was made into some
thing like a hospital before night. Help
came from the surrounding towns , and
gradually things began to look well
again. It was nearly the end of March
before Will Fosdick and Chloe Davis
were married , but as he was then the
superintendent of the Star of the West
they had a good start. But neither of
them will ever forget the flood , nor the
swim which Will took in the swirling
brown water to reach the rock where he
could rescue the "other girl , " and where
he found his love and his wife.
A Pleasant Prospect.
.1-1-1 ! ' '
Wife On Christmas day you c.v.e
around with a nice sealskin taclc , and
now you come around on Xe\v Year's
with nothing but a measly little pin
cushion.
Husband ( gloomily ) : And to-morrow I
shall probably come around with a sher
iff.
What is
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' " Castoria is an excellent medicine for chil
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DR. O. C. OSGOOD ,
Lowell , Mass.
" Castoria is the best remedy for children , of
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DR. J. F. KiNcnELOE ,
Conway , Ark.
Castoria.
" Castoria is so well adapted to children that
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n. A. Ancnsit , H. D. ,
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UNITED HOSPITAL. AND DISPENSARY ,
Boston , Moss.
ALLKH C. SMITH , Prea. ,
The Centaur Company , 77 Murray Street , New York City.
W. C. BULLARD & CO.
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. xl. WARRRN. Manager.
IT
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H. KAPKE , The Leader ,
PRISES AND IE STYLISH WORK ,
Calls attention to the fact that he has just received an
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