The Argosy, December 1905 — page 170: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

148 play—sparks falling, brands sputtering and exploding like bombs, and vines like fiery serpents dropping unexpectedly across their path from the trees over- head. They came out upon the bank of the river, that was here not very wide. There was an open glade, which really saved their lives, but they reached the water in a sheet of flame which licked up the grass tussocks and scorched them both like the breath of a furnace. Belle began to stumble. Desperation nerved Dan for the last few yards, and as his companion pitched forward, and would have fallen into the hissing flames which writhed about their feet, he caught her up, swung her over his shoulder like a sack, holding her with one arm about the waist, and so made the last few leaps to the brink of the water. There they splashed in together—a headlong dive which carried them away from the bank into the depths of the swift stream. And here would surely have ended my story had Belle’s salvation and his own depended upon Dan Crompton. He had reached the limit of endurance, feeling the breath going from his body and in- telligence from his brain, when he bobbed against a cable stretched from shore to shore of the widened river. The shock aroused him. Still clinging to the girl, Dan saw that they had now got be- yond the fire. Indeed, it had almost died out upon the northern bank. This cable was attached to a small ferry-boat. He managed to raise Belle’s body till it rested upon the cable, and then found breath to shout for help. Fortunately, late in the evening as it now was, the ferryman had seen them eoming down the current. Had Dan not shouted, however, he would not have be- lieved them alive and poled out to their rescue. Once aboard the flat-bottomed craft, Dan lost consciousness completely, but not before he was aware of the ferryman going calmly through his pockets, re- lieving him of everything of value, in- cluding his watch. The brute did not throw them into THE ARGOSY. the river again, as he might easily have done. self once more, Dan found that he had been carried with Belle into the ferry- man’s shack,*and that the girl was re- ceiving the kindest treatment from the wife of the thieving Charon. Life was worth more than money or watch, however. Dan was unable to walk, and the girl, although nowhere near as badly injured as himself, was so exhausted that she was unable to give their rescuers any instructions. “Send for Captain Payne Howard— she’s his daughter,” Dan whispered to the ferryman. “ He’ll pay you for any outlay of money, or for your time.” “And who the devil will take you away?” growled the fellow. “T don’t know,” murmured Dan. “T’ve nobody to look out for me = “Well, ye can’t stay here; we ain’t got no room for ye,” declared the man decidedly. “Perhaps the railroad company may do something for me,” said Dan, but he didn’t believe it. Railroad corporations are not usually paternal, and Dan could not claim to have received his injuries while in the pursuance of his duties. Captain Howard’s name made an im- pression upon the ferryman, however, and he found somebody to go to Cold- spring. At daybreak there appeared a two-horse, roomy carriage, with the cap- tain himself, and Dr. Lester following behind in his automobile. The trip to town was a nightmare to Dan Crompton. He went in the auto, after the doctor had taken all the bed- ding in the shack to pile into the car- riage for Miss Howard’s comfort. Dan made no complaint. Why should he? Perhaps the doctor did not realize how badly he was injured at first. At least, he made but a superficial ex- amination of the signalman until he got him home to Mrs. Corrigan’s. By that time Dan had little interest in what was or what was not done for him, and re- mained quite unconscious of his sur- roundings for three days. His feet and legs to the knees were scorched until the skin peeled off in flakes, and his other burns, together COnnicloooks Indeed, when he came to him- | (C@