d like to ask particular
leave of Mr. Glover for us, I know," suggested Miss Donner.

"Well, hardly--the second time--not of Mr. Glover." A sheet of rain
drenched the plate-glass windows. "But I'm going to watch things and
we'll get out just as soon as possible. I know Mr. Glover pretty well.
He is all right, but he's been down here now a week without getting out
of his clothes and the river rising on him every hour. They've got
every grain bag between Salt Lake and Chicago and they're filling them
with sand and dumping them in where the river is cutting."

"Any danger of the bridge going?" asked the doctor.

"None in the world, but there's a lot of danger that the river will go.
That would leave the bridge hanging over dry land. The fight is to
hold the main channel where it belongs. They're getting rock over the
bridge from across the river and strengthening the approach for fear
the dike should give way. The track is busy every minute, so I
couldn't make much impression on Mr. Glover."

There was light talk of a deputation to the dike, followed by the
resignation of travellers, cards afterward, and ping-pong. With the
deepening of the night the rain fell harder, and the wind rising in
gusts drove it against the glass. When the women retired to their
compartments the train had been set over above the bridge where the
wind, now hard from the southeast, sung steadily around the car.

Gertrude Brock could not sleep. After being long awake she turned on
the light and looked at her watch; it was one o'clock. The wind made
her restless and the air in the stateroom had become oppressive. She
dressed and opened her door. The lights were very low and the car was
silent; all were asleep.

At the rear end she raised a window-shade. The night was lighted by
strange waves of lightning, and thunder rumbled in the distance
unceasingly. Where she sat she could see the sidings filled with cars,
and when a sharper flash lighted the backwater of the lakes, vague
outlines of far-off bluffs beetled into the sky.

She drew the shade, for the continuous lightning added to her disquiet.
As she did so the rain drove harshly against the car and she retreated
to the other side. Feeling presently the coolness of the air she
walked to her stateroom for her Newmarket coat, and wrapping it about
her, sunk into a chair and closed her eyes. She had hardly fallen
asleep when a crash of thunder split the night and woke her. As