Snatching up an axe from a woodpile, she flew to the water's edge, and, as she rounded tho palmetto patch, a sight burst upon her which nearly drove her crazy. On the edge of the bank, with its body half in tke water, was a huge alligator, its fore paws outstretched, raising it from the ground, while its tail lashed the water into foam. Just in front of it and clinging to a palmetto root with her tiny hands for dear life was the little girl, her dress being held in tho jaws of the alligator, who was slowly dragging the child. Tho nlligator's dull eyes gleamed with anger, like red coals of fire, and when Mrs Lambert appeared the monster uttered a hoarse bellow and started backward, tearing loose the child's alight hold. The hitter's infantile fea tures were drawn into an agonised appeal, and as the animal dragged her down she was too paralysed with fear to even cry out. The peril of her baby banished all fear from Mrs Lambert, aud she rushed up and hit the monitor over the head with tho axe, and seizing the child with both hands tried to pull her away. The sharp blade cut into the alligator's eye, and mad with pain he opened his jaw and half sprang at the woman. This left the child free, and they both fell backward. Mrs Lambert said afterwards that at this moment she never expected to save her life. As she fell the alligator swung around his tail with a terrible sounding whish, but the fortunate fall of the two just placed them outside its deadly sweep. The alligator advanced as far as it could with its unwieldly waddle, and Mrs Lam bert attempted to rise and escape. Her dress caught on a root, and before she could get up and free herself the alligator made a suap at her and missed, catching hold of her dress instead. Finding that it had secured something, it com menced backing toward the water, dragging along the prostrate woman, who now fully realised her peril and filled the air with her cries for help. She frantically clutched at the roots as she was dragged over them, but her dress was of stout matorial, and the alligator's strength soon overcame ber feeblo resist ance. 