Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 13, 1920 — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

326 “Danger!” The naive question angered the cowboy. ‘‘ Oh, no—we ain’t in any danger, not a bit in the world. We're just as safe as if we was sittin’ on a keg of powder with the fuse lit. There’s nothin’ in the world can hurt us except this little old Mizoo, an’ it wouldn’t think of such a thing.” “Don’t try to be sarcastic, Tex. You do it very clumsily.” “Maybe I do, but I ain’t clumsy at guessin’ that of all the tight places I’ve ever been in, this is the tightest. How far can you swim?” “Not a stroke.” “So can I.” . “ Anyway, it’s better than being lost in a dust-storm—we won’t shrivel up an’ die of thirst.” “No, we won’t die of thirst, all right. But you an’ me have sure stumbled into a fine mess. What ’ll Win think, an’ what ’Il every one else think? If we go under, ~ they’ll never know any different, an’ if we do happen to get across, it ll be some sev- eral days before this river gets down to where we can get back, an?, I can see from here what a lovely time we’re goin’ to have explainin’ things to the satisfaction of all parties concerned.”’ “You seem to be a born pessimist. We’re not going under, and what’s to pre- vent us from waiting out here until the men on the bank go away, and then going back where we started from?” A flash of lightning illumined the hori- zon, and the Texan’s voice blended with a low rumble of thunder. “ With the force of water the way it is,” he explained, ‘‘ we can’t move this boat an inch. It ‘Il carry to the middle on the slack of the line, an’ in the middle we'll stay. It ‘ll be uphill both ways from there, an’ we can’t budge her an inch. Then, either the line ‘ll bust, or the river will keep on risin’ till it just naturally pulls us under.” ‘* Maybe the river will start to fall,’ ven- - tured the girl. “Maybe it won’t. We’ve had enough rain this spring for four summers already— an’ more comin’.”’ ‘We'll get out some way.” The Texan knew that the words were ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. forced, and his heart bounded with ad- miration for this girl who could thus thrust danger to the winds and calmly assert that there would be a way out. A nearer flash of lightning was followed: by louder thun- der. “Sure, we'll get out,” he agreed heart- ily. ‘I didn’t mean we wouldn’t get out. I was just lookin’ the facts square in the face. There ain’t any jackpot that folks can get into that they can’t get out of—somehow.” “Oh, does something awful always hap- pen out here?” the girl asked almost plain- tively. ‘“‘ Why can’t things be just—just normal, like they ought to be?” “Tt ain’t the country; it’s the folks. Get the right combination of folks together, an’ somethin’s bound to happen, no matter where you're at.” Then the*storm struck, and the girl’s re- ply was lost in the rush of wind and the crash of thunder, as flash after blinding flash lighted the surface of the flood. They had reached midstream. The boat had lost its forward motion and lay tugging at the taut line as the water rushed and gurgled about it. The rain fell in blinding torrents, caus- ing the two horses to huddle against each other, trembling in mortal fear. ,The drift was thicker in the full sweep of the current, and the Texan had his hands full warding it off the boat with his pole. By the light- ning flashes Alice could see his set, tense face as he worked to keep the débris from massing against the craft. A heavy object jarred against the cable, and the next moment the two gazed wide- eyed at a huge pine, branches and roots thrashing in the air, that had lodged against the line directly upstream. For a few mo- ments it held as the water curled over it in white masses of foam. Then the trunk rolled heavily, the roots and branches thrashing wildly in the air, and the whole mass slipped slowly beneath the cable. It struck the boat with a heavy jar that canted it at a dangerous angle and caused the terrified horses to struggle frantically to. keep their feet. “Quick!” roared the Texan. ‘“ Get to the upper side, before they crush you!” _ In vain he was pushing against the trunk (EMMI NCOLS (@)