Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 13, 1920 — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

PRAIRIE FLOWERS. and then he was speaking again: “ It’s breakin’ daylight! An’ we're close to shore!” Alice nodded indifferently. It seemed, somehow, a trivial thing. She was conscious of a sense of annoyance that he should have rudely aroused her to tell her that it was breaking daylight, and that they were close to shore. Her eyes closed slow- ly, and her head sank onto the arm that lay numb and uncomfortable along the gun- wale. : The Texan was on his feet, eagerly scan- ning his surroundings that grew momen- tarily more distinct in the rapidly increas- ing light. The farther shore showed dimly and the man emitted a low whistle of sur- prise. ‘‘ Must be a good four or five miles wide,” he muttered as his eyes took in the broad expanse of water that rolled between. He saw at a elance that he was well out of the main channel, for all about him were tiny islands formed by the summits of low buttes and ridges while here and there the green tops of willows protruded above the surface of the water swaying crazily in the current. ‘Some flood!” he muttered, and turned his attention to the nearer bank. The boat floated sluggishly not more than fifty or sixty feet from the steep slope that rose to a considerable height. ‘ Driftin’ plumb along the edge of the bench,” he opined. “Tf I only had the pole!” He untied the rope by which he had dragged himself aboard from the rock, and coiled it slowly, measuring the distance with his eye. “Too short by twenty feet,” he con- cluded, ‘‘ an’ nothin’ to tie to if I was near enough.” He glanced downward with con- cern. The boat was settling lower and lower. ‘The gunwales were scarcely a foot above the water. “She'll be divin’ out from under us directly,” he muttered. “I wonder how deep it is?” Hanging the coiled rope on the horn of the saddle he slipped over the edge, but, although he let down to the full reach of his arms his feet did not touch bottom and he drew himself aboard again. The boat was moving very slowly, drifting lazily across a bit of slack water that had backed into the mouth of a wide coulée. ool Fifty yards away, at the head of the little bay formed by the backwater, the Texan saw a bit of level, grass-covered beach. Glancing helplessly at his rope, he noticed that the horse was gazing hungrily at the grass, and in an instant, the man sprang Into action. Catching up his boots he se- cured them to the saddle by means of a dangling pack string, and hastily uncoiling the rope he slipped the noose over the horn of the saddle. .The other end he knotted and, springing to the girl’s side, shook her roughly. “Wake up! Wake up! In a minute it ‘ll be too late! Half lifting her to her feet he hastily explained his plan, as he talked he tore the brilliant scarf from his neck and tied it firmly about his own wrist and hers. Making her take firm hold about his neck he seized the knotted rope with one hand, while with the other he reached for the ax and brought the handle down with a crash against the horse’s flank. The sudden blow caused the frightened animal to leap clean over the low gunwale. He went completely out of sight, but a mo- ment later his head appeared and, snorting and thrashing about, he struck out for shore. When the slack was out of the line the Texan threw his arm about the girl’s waist, and together they leaped over the side in the wake of the swimming horse. Even with the small amount of slack that remained, the jerk when the line pulled taut all but loosened the Texan’s hold. Each moment seemed an eternity, as the weight of both hung- upon the Texan’s one-hand grip. “Hold for all you’re worth!” he gasped, and as he felt her arms tighten about him, relinquished the hold on her waist and with a mighty effort gripped the rope with the hand thus freed. Even with two hands it was no mean task to maintain his hold, for the current, slight as it was, swung them down so the pull was directly against it. The Texan felt the girl’s grasp on his neck weaken. He shouted a word of en- couragement, but it fell on deaf ears, her hands slipped over his shoulders, and at the same instant the man felt the strain of her weight on his arm as the scarf seemed to cut into the flesh. (E(9) Eomicbooks