As Lane stood on the ledge, knee-deep in the water, with the certainty that he had a perfect photograph of the field of tumbling waters below in his mind's eye, a strange voice seemed to whisper in his ear.
"This is your great trial!"
Without further hesitation he shoved the boat off the ledge.
Round and round the back eddy he floated. At the outlet on the down-stream side, where the gleaming line of foam marked the escape of water into the on-rushing current, he whirled his boat, stern ahead. Down he shot with a plunge and then up with a rise. Racing on over the uneven swells he felt the hissing spray, and the malignant tips of the waves that broke their fury on the boat and expended it in a shower of stinging drops. The wind cut his face. He rode a sea of foam, then turgid rolling mounds of water that heaved him up and up, and down long planes that laughed with hollow boom, then into channels of smooth current, where the torrent wreathed the black stones in yellowish white.
Lane saw the golden sun, the blue sky, the fleecy clouds, the red and purple of the colored hills; and felt his chest expand with the mounting glory of great effort. The muscles of his back and arms, strengthened by the long toil with his heavy axe, rippled and swelled and burned, and stretched like rubber cords, and strung tight like steel bands. The boat was a toy.
He rodes the waves, and threaded a labyrinth of ugly stones, and shot an unobstructed channel, and evaded a menacing drift. The current carried him irresistibly onward. When his keen eye caught danger ahead he sunk the oars deep and pulled back. A powerful stroke made the boat pause, another turned her bow to the right or left, then the swift water hitting her obliquely sheered her in the safe direction. So Lane kept afloat through the spray that smelled fresh and dank, through the crash and surge and roar and boom, through the boiling caldron.
The descent quickened. On! On! he was borne with increasing velocity. The yellow demons rose in fury. Boo—oom! Boo—oom! The old river god voiced his remorseless roar. The shrill screaming shriek of splitting water on sharp stones cut into the boom. On! On! Into the yellow mist that might have been smoke from hell streaked the boat, out upon a curving billow, then down! down! upon an upheaving curl of frothy water. The river, like a huge yellow mound, hurled its mass at Lane. All was fog and steam and whistling spray and rumble.
At length the boat swept out into the open with a long plunge over the last bit of roughened water. Here the current set in a curve to the left, running off the rocky embankment into the natural channel of the river. The dam was now only a couple of hundred yards distant. The water was smooth and the drift had settled to a slow, ponderous, sliding movement.
Lane pulled powerfully against the current and toward the right-hand shore. That was closest. Besides, he remembered a long sluice at the end of the dam where the water ran down as on a mill-race. If he could row into that!
In front of Lane, extending some distance, was a broad unbroken expanse of water leading to the dam. A tremendous roar issued from that fall. The muddy spray and mist rose high. To drift over there would be fatal. Logs and pieces of debris were kept rolling there for hours before some vagary of current caught them and released them.
Lane calculated the distance with cunning eye. He had been an expert boatman all his boyhood days. By the expenditure of his last bit of reserve strength he could make the sluice. And he redoubled his efforts to such an extent that the boat scarcely went down stream at all, yet edged closer to the right hand shore. Lane saw a crowd of people on the bridge below the dam. They were waving encouragement. He saw men run down the steep river bank below the mill; and he knew they were going to be ready to assist him if he were fortunate enough to ride down the sluice into the shallow backwater on that side.
Rowing now with the most powerful of strokes, Lane kept the bow of the boat upstream and a little to the right. Thus he gained more toward the shore. But he must time the moment when it would be necessary to turn sharply.
"I can—make—it," muttered Lane. He felt no excitement. The thing had been given him to do. His strokes were swift, but there was no hurry.
Suddenly he felt a strange catching of breath in his lungs. He coughed. Blood, warm and salt, welled up from his throat. Then his bitter, strangled cry went out over the waters. At last he understood the voices of the river.
Lane quickened his strokes. He swung the bow in. He pointed it shoreward. Straight for the opening of the sluice! His last strokes were prodigious. The boat swung the right way and shot into the channel. Lane dropped his oars. He saw men below wading knee-deep in the water. The boat rode the incline, down to the long swell and curled yellow billows below, where it was checked with violent shock. Lane felt himself propelled as if into darkness.
When Lane opened his eyes he recognized as through a veil the little parlor of the Idens. All about him seemed dim and far away. Faces and voices were there, indistinguishable. A dark cloud settled over his eyes. He dreamed but could not understand the dreams. The black veil came and went.
What was the meaning of the numbness of his body? The immense weight upon his breast! Then it seemed he saw better, though he could not move. Sunlight streamed in at the window. Outside were maple leaves, gold and red and purple, swaying gently. Then a great roaring sound seemed to engulf him. The rapids? The voice of the river.
Then Mel was there kneeling beside him. All save her face grew vague.
"Swann?" he whispered.
"You saved his life," said Mel.
"Ah!" And straightway he forgot. "Mel—what's—wrong—with me?"
Mel's face was like white marble and her hands on his trembled violently. She could not answer. But he knew. There seemed to be a growing shadow in the room. Her eyes held a terrible darkness.
"Mel, I—never told—you," he whispered. "I married you—because I loved you.... But I was—jealous.... I hated.... I couldn't forgive. I couldn't understand.... Now I know. There's a law no woman—can transgress. Soul and love are the same—in a woman. They must be inviolable.... If I could have lived—I'd have surrendered to you. For I loved you—beyond words to tell. It was love that made me well.... But we could not have been happy. Never, with that spectre between us.... And, so—it must be—always.... In spite of war—and wealth—in spite of men—women must rise...."
His voice failed, and again the strange rush and roar enveloped him. But it seemed internal, dimmer and farther away. Mel's face was fading. She spoke. And her words were sweet, without meaning. Then the fading grayness merged into night.
THE END
There's More to Follow!
More stories of the sort you like; more, probably, by the author of this one; more than 500 titles all told by writers of world-wide reputation, in the Authors' Alphabetical List which you will find on the reverse side of the wrapper of this book. Look it over before you lay it aside. There are books here you are sure to want—some, possibly, that you have always wanted.
It is a selected list; every book in it has achieved a certain measure of success.
The Grosset & Dunlap list is not only the greatest Index of Good Fiction available, it represents in addition a generally accepted Standard of Value. It will pay you to
Look on the Other Side of the Wrapper!
In case the wrapper is lost write to the publishers for a complete catalog
ZANE GREY'S NOVELS
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset &
Dunlap's list.
TO THE LAST MAN
THE MYSTERIOUS RIDER
THE MAN OF THE FOREST
THE DESERT OF WHEAT
THE U.P. TRAIL
WILDFIRE
THE BORDER LEGION
THE RAINBOW TRAIL
THE HERITAGE OF THE DESERT
RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE
THE LIGHT OF WESTERN STARS
THE LAST OF THE PLAINSMEN
THE LONE STAR RANGER
DESERT GOLD
BETTY ZANE
LAST OF THE GREAT SCOUTS
The life story of "Buffalo Bill" by his sister Helen
Cody Wetmore, with Foreword and conclusion by Zane
Grey.
ZANE GREY'S BOOKS FOR BOYS
KEN WARD IN THE JUNGLE
THE YOUNG LION HUNTER
THE YOUNG FORESTER
THE YOUNG PITCHER
THE SHORT STOP
THE RED-HEADED OUTFIELD AND OTHER BASEBALL STORIES
B.M. BOWER'S NOVELS
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset
and Dunlap's list.
THE EAGLE'S WING
THE PAROWAN BONANZA
THE VOICE AT JOHNNYWATER
CASEY RYAN
CHIP OF THE FLYING U
COW-COUNTRY
FLYING U RANCH
FLYING U'S LAST STAND, THE
GOOD INDIAN
GRINGOS, THE
HAPPY FAMILY, THE
HER PRAIRIE KNIGHT
HERITAGE OF THE SIOUX, THE
LONG SHADOW, THE
LONESOME TRAIL, THE
LOOKOUT MAN, THE
LURE OF THE DIM TRAILS, THE
PHANTOM HERD, THE
QUIRT, THE
RANGE DWELLERS, THE
RIM O' THE WORLD
SKYRIDER
STARR OF THE DESERT
THUNDER BIRD, THE
TRAIL OF THE WHITE MULE, THE
UPHILL CLIMB, THE
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
GEORGE W. OGDEN'S WESTERN NOVELS
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset &
Dunlap's list.
THE BARON OF DIAMOND TAIL
The Elk Mountain Cattle Co. had not paid a dividend in
years; so Edgar Barrett, fresh from the navy, was sent
West to see what was wrong at the ranch. The tale of
this tenderfoot outwitting the buckaroos at their own
play will sweep you into the action of this salient
western novel.
THE BONDBOY
Joe Newbolt, bound out by force of family conditions
to work for a number of years, is accused of murder
and circumstances are against him. His mouth is
sealed; he cannot, as a gentleman, utter the words
that would clear him. A dramatic, romantic tale of
intense interest.
CLAIM NUMBER ONE
Dr. Warren Slavens drew claim number one, which
entitled him to first choice of rich lands on an
Indian reservation in Wyoming. It meant a fortune; but
before he established his ownership he had a hard
battle with crooks and politicians.
THE DUKE OF CHIMNEY BUTTE
When Jerry Lambert, "the Duke," attempts to safeguard
the cattle ranch of Vesta Philbrook from thieving
neighbors, his work is appallingly handicapped because
of Grace Kerr, one of the chief agitators, and a
deadly enemy of Vesta's. A stirring tale of brave
deeds, gun-play and a love that shines above all.
THE FLOCKMASTER OF POISON CREEK
John Mackenzie trod the trail from Jasper to the great
sheep country where fortunes were being made by the
flock-masters. Shepherding was not a peaceful pursuit
in those bygone days. Adventure met him at every
turn—there is a girl of course—men fight their best
fights for a woman—it is an epic of the sheeplands.
THE LAND OF LAST CHANCE
Jim Timberlake and Capt. David Scott waited with
restless thousands on the Oklahoma line for the signal
to dash across the border. How the city of Victory
arose overnight on the plains, how people savagely
defended their claims against the "sooners;" how good
men and bad played politics, makes a strong story of
growth and American initiative.
TRAIL'S END
Ascalon was the end of the trail for thirsty cowboys
who gave vent to their pent-up feelings without
restraint. Calvin Morgan was not concerned with its
wickedness until Seth Craddock's malevolence directed
itself against him. He did not emerge from the
maelstrom until he had obliterated every vestige of
lawlessness, and assured himself of the safety of a
certain dark-eyed girl.
Ask for Complete free list of G.& D. Popular Copyrighted Fiction
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
EMERSON HOUGH'S NOVELS
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset
and Dunlap's list
THE COVERED WAGON
NORTH OF 36
THE WAY OF A MAN
THE STORY OF THE OUTLAW
THE SAGEBRUSHER
THE GIRL AT THE HALFWAY HOUSE
THE WAY OUT
THE MAN NEXT DOOR
THE MAGNIFICENT ADVENTURE
THE BROKEN GATE
THE STORY OF THE COWBOY
THE WAY TO THE WEST
54-40 OR FIGHT
HEART'S DESIRE
THE MISSISSIPPI BUBBLE
THE PURCHASE PRICE
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
PETER B. KYNE'S NOVELS
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset &
Dunlap's list.
THE PRIDE OF PALOMAR
When two strong men clash and the under-dog has Irish
blood in his veins—there's a tale that Kyne can tell!
And "the girl" is also very much in evidence.
KINDRED OF THE DUST
Donald McKay, son of Hector McKay, millionaire lumber
king, falls in love with "Nan of the Sawdust Pile," a
charming girl who has been ostracized by her
townsfolk.
THE VALLEY OF THE GIANTS
The fight of the Cardigans, father and son, to hold
finishes with a sense of having lived with big men and
women in a big country.
CAPPY RICKS
The story of old Cappy Ricks and of Matt Peasley, the
boy he tried to break because he knew the acid test
was good for his soul.
WEBSTER: MAN'S MAN
In a little Jim Crow Republic in Central America, a
man and a woman, hailing from the "States," met up
with a revolution and for a while adventures and
excitement came so thick and fast that their love
affair had to wait for a lull in the game.
CAPTAIN SCRAGGS
This sea yarn recounts the adventures of three
rapscallion sea-faring men—a Captain Scraggs, owner
of the green vegetable freighter Maggie, Gibney the
mate and McGuffney the engineer.
THE LONG CHANCE
A story fresh from the heart of the West, of San
Pasqual, a sun-baked desert town, of Harley P.
Hennage, the best gambler, the best and worst man of
San Pasqual and of lovely Donna.
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD'S
STORIES OF ADVENTURE
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset &
Dunlap's list.
THE COUNTRY BEYOND
THE FLAMING FOREST
THE VALLEY OF SILENT MEN
THE RIVER'S END
THE GOLDEN SNARE
NOMADS OF THE NORTH
KAZAN
BAREE, SON OF KAZAN
THE COURAGE OF CAPTAIN PLUM
THE DANGER TRAIL
THE HUNTED WOMAN
THE FLOWER OF THE NORTH
THE GRIZZLY KING
ISOBEL
THE WOLF HUNTERS
THE GOLD HUNTERS
HE COURAGE OF MARGE O'DOONE
BACK TO GOD'S COUNTRY
Ask for Complete free list of G. & D. Popular Copyrighted Fiction
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
BOOTH TARKINGTON'S NOVELS
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset &
Dunlap's list.
SEVENTEEN. Illustrated by Arthur William Brown.
No one but the creator of Penrod could have portrayed
the immortal young people of this story. Its humor is
irresistible and reminiscent of the time when the
reader was Seventeen.
PENROD. Illustrated by Gordon Grant.
This is a picture of a boy's heart, full of the
lovable, humorous, tragic things which are locked