Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-06-25

who were spending an afternoon in shady
retreat by the benk of mill stream. There
were three or four young men and half
| dozen maidens, and, as it often happens on
such occasions, some rivalries we're excited
among the former.
These should have only added piquancy
to the merry intercourse of all, and would
have done so, had not the impatient tenn
permanent OF Logan carried him a little be-
yond good feeling and generous deport-
ment towards others. Without due refiec-
ton, in no sarcastic spirit, Edward Wi ilson
made remark on some act of Logan's that
irritated him considerably. An angry spot
burned instantly on his cheek. and he re-
piled with words of cutting insult; SO cut
ting that all present expected nothing less
than blow from Wilson as his answer to
the remark. And 20 deal blow was his
first impulse; but he restrained the impulse,
and it required more courage to do this than
to have stricken the ipsolent young u.an to
the ground. A moment or two Wilson
struggled with himself, and turned slowly
away. .
His flushed and then paling face, his quiy-
ering lips and unsteady eyes, left on the
minds of all who witnessed the scene an
impression somewhat unfavorable. Partak-
ing o! the indignant excitement of the mo-
ment, many of those present looked for the
instant punishment of Logan for his unjns-
tifable insult. When, therefore, they saw
Wilson turn away without even defiant
answer, and heard the slow, sneeringls ut
tered word, coward - from the lips of Lo-
gan, they felt that there was a craven spirit
about the young man. A coward we in
stinctively despise; and yet how slow we
are to elevate that higher moral courage
which enables man to brave unjust judg-
ment rather than to 90 what he thinks to
be wrong, above the mere brute instinct
which in the moment of excitement forgets
all physical consequences.
I AS Edward Wilson walked away from his
companions, he fel; that he was regarded as
a coward. This was for him a trial; and
liItle group of startled maidens for whose
generous regard he would have sacrificed all
but honor.
1t was, perhaps, half an hour after this
unpleasant occurrence that Logan, whose
heart still burned with an unforgiving spirit,
encountered Wilson under circumstances
that lett him free to repeat his insulting
language, without disturbing the party. who
were amusing themselves at some distance,
and beyond observation. He did not sue
coed in obtaining sspersonal encounter, as
he had desired.
Edward Wilson had been for some time
sitting alone with his unhappy thoughts,
when he was aroused by sudden cries of
alarm, the tone OF which told his heart too
plainly that some imminent danger impend-
ed. Springing 10 his feet, he ran in the
direction of the cries, and quickly saw the
cause of the excitement. Recent rains had
swollen the mountain stream, the turbid
waters of which were sweeping down with
great velocity. Two young girls, who had
been amusing themselves in boat that was
attached to the shore by a long rope, had.
through some accident, got the fastening
loose, and were gliding far out into the cur
rent, with a ieariully increasing speed, to-
wards the breast OF the mill-dam, some hun
dreds of rods below, from which the water
was numbering down a height over
twenty feet. Pale with terror, the poor
young creatures were stretching out their
hands toward their companions on the shore
> and utteriug heart-rendlng cries for succor
Instant action was necessary,or all would
be lost. The position of the young girls
hadlbeen discovered while they were yet some
distance above, and there happening TO be
o another boat on the mill-dam and that nigh
e a, hand, Logan and two other young mer
had loosened it from the shore But the
danger of being carried over the dam, should
D any une ven ure in the boat, seemed so in.
evitable, that none of them dared TO hazard
e it, Now screaming and wringing their
hands, and now urging these men to save
s their companions. stood the young maiden
/ of the party on the shore. when Wilson
o dashed through them, and springing inte tht
o boat, cried out:
It Quick, Logan! Take an oar, ,or all is lost!
But instead of this, Logan stepped pact
e or two from the boat, while his face grew
Ut pale with fear. Not an instant was wasted
At a glance, Wilson saw that if the girl
D. were saved, it must be by the strength O
g his own arm. Bravely he pushed from tn
IL shore, and with giant strength born of tn
leI moment and for the occasion, from his higt
unsel6sh purpose, he dashed the boat ou
as INTO the current, and bending to the oar
e. took a direction at an angle with the othe
as boat, towards point W here the water wa
he sweeping over the dam. At every strok
er the light skiff sprung forward dozen fee
= and scarcely half a minute elapsed ere Wi
ur son Was Sv-;I- she other boat. J 9th wei
D. now within twenty yards of the fall; an
the water was bearing them down with
I'D velocity that a stronger man with every az
o. vantage on his side, could scarcely hai
contended against successfully. To transit,
er the frightened girls from une boat TO tn
he other, in the few inmates of time left e.
,Ir the down-sweeping current would bear Il
- frail vessel to the edge of the dam and sti
I'm to retain advantage was, for Wilson, Ii
Uo possible To les 90 his boat and manal
theirs he saw to be equally impossible.
nd A cry..of despair reached the young man
ears as the oars dropped from his grasp I'M
So the water. 1t was evident 10 tne 81 ectato
Il OF the fearful scene that he had lost his pre-
ence of mind, and that now all was owe
led Not SO however In the next moment
ne sprang into the water,which near the brea
of the dam. was not three feet deep. As
ted did SO he grasped the other boat,and oraci
the himself firmly against the rushing curreI
EN- held it poised few yards from the poi
ith where the foam crested waters leaped ir
raj the whirlpool below. At the same insta
hat his own boat shot like an arrow over
to dam. He had gained however, but sm'
ant advantage. 1t required his utterm'
vas strength to keep the boat he had grasp
Ind from dragging him down the fall.
en- The quickly formed purpose of Wilson
uf- thus springing into the water had been