New Oregon plaindealer. (New Oregon, Iowa) 1859-1866, 1860-09-14

DER circumstances that left him free to
repeat the insulting language, without
disturbing the rest Of the party, who
were amusing themselves at some dis
tance, and beyond the range of observa.
ton. lie did not succeed in obtaining
apersonal 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 impended. .Springing
to his feet he ran in the direction Of
the cries, and quickly saw the cause of
the excitement. Recent heavy rains
had swollen the mountain streams, the
turbid waters of which were sweeping inc
down with great velocity. Two young
girls, who had been musing themselves
at some distance below, in. boat
that was attached to the shore by a
long rope, had, through some acci-
dent, got the fastening loose and were
now gliding down, far out in the cur
rent, with a fearfulincreasing speed, to-
wards the breast of a mill-dam. somo
hundreds of yards below, from which
the water was laundering down a
height Of over twenty feet Pale with
terror. the poor young creatures were
stretching out their hands towards their
comrades on tho shore and uttering
heart~rending cries for succor. 5oCY 81
Instant action was necessary or all
would be lost, The position of the
young girls had been discovered while
they were yet some distance above, and
there happening to be- another boat on
theimill-dam, and that nigh at hand,
Logan and two other young men had
loosed it from the shore. But the dan
ger of being carried over the dam
should any one venture out in this boat
seemed so inevitable, that none Of them
dared to encounter the hazard. Now
screaming and wringing their hands,
and now urging these men to try and
save their companions, stood the young
maidens ofithe party, on the shore, when
Wilson dashed through them and spring
ing into the boat, cried out:
Quick, Logan! take an oar, or all is
But instead Of this, Logan stepped
back pace or two from the boat,
while his face grew pale with fear. Not
an instant, more was wanted. At a
glance Wilson saw thatif the girls were
saved, it must be by the strength Of
his own arm. Bravely he pushed from
the shore, and, with giant strength,
born Of the moment and for the occa-
sioa, from his high, unsel6sh purpose
he dashed the boat out in the current,
and bending to the oars, took q direction
at an angle with the other boat, towards
the point where the water was sweep
ing over the dana. At every stroke the
light skiff sprung forward . dozen feet,
and scarcely half minute elapsed ere
Wilson was beside the other boat
Both were within twenty yards of the
fall; and the water was bearing them
down with velocity that a strong row.
er, with every advantage on his side, |
could scarcely have contended against
successfully. To transfer the fright
encd girls from one boat to the other,
in the few moments oftime left ere the
downsweeping current would bear their
frail vessel to the edge of the dam, and
still to retain an advantage, was, for
Wilson, impossible. To leave his own
boat and manage theirs he saw, to be
equally as impossible. D
A cry Of despair reached the young
mans ears, as the oar dropped from
his grasp into the water. 1t was. eyi.
dent to the spectators of the fear7
ful scene that he had lost his presence
Of mind, and that nov all was over,
Not 50, however in the next moment he
had sprung into the water, which, near
the breast Of the dam was not more than
t,rn foot door, h Az Lo a;d ca - ON. sx,n