Orangeburg times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1872-1875, 1874-11-19

visited each country with his cargo of
rchips.S But playing alone grew lnonoto-
nous. 4 AS dusk scfep IS on, Ehe saw-mill
on the opposite side OF Gths acove lit up
its-long rows of windows, throwing
broad lines os Itremulous light across
the black water. To JACQUES IL looked
like an enchanted palace, and it attract
ed his, idle diaobed lent feet with ire!
sistible force. sseA
Perhaps he did not mean to go in.
As he explained afterward, he only
though he would see If Guillaume were
there, because Aie had something very
particular to tell him. Guiliaume's
father was one of the night-workers in
the mill so Guillanme was often there
in the evening. He had repeatedly said
to Jacques: :: !" Mdi$ que c,est n,agns,i-
que sKiers done afr, que, &c, ,tc Ia tdsse
Voir. Which is French for :" How
splendid itgis Do come and let me
taho y you round" This invitation was
a continual spur to jacques curiosity.
Oncelhe had been in the mill with his
fall,e.. in in the dey-4in,e hut tn 90 in
every evening, like Guillaume, was the
dream of his life. \ fsA
Nov, as he drew near the forbidden
spot, the delicious smell of the fresh
pine, the unceasing motion of the noisy
machinery, the bits Of wood of all
shapes, calling for jack-knives to Ont
them, .tolleds him on, and he entered,
remembering no longer his fathers COM
emande. For hile he. watched the
sharp saws as ,they cut shingles and
Slaths ands solapboards. He sat on the
curling, lsweet-scented shavings, and
built forts of the bits of wood thrown
aside aa useless. notwithstanding his
disobedience, he had never been so
happy, inshis life. sgss i Agg
: Hhsn Gnillaume found him. and in.
sisted on taking him to the other mill
TO see the huge round Z logs sawed into
planks. The dim Light, Che roar of the
machinery, and the novelty of every
thing made one place as fascinating as
another to jacques, So he willingly
followed Guillaume. They entered q
long, low building, full of saws banded
in groups of four or five! These groups
were placed all aleng at regular inter
walls, and we're all saving logs, into
planks with fearful, steady swiftness.
Guillaume was so used to it that he had
no thought OF fear, and jacques was too
lgnorant to have q tremor.
They stood and watched the men roll
new logs on to the tramways. with long
crowbars, and push the planks already
made into deep black holes in the floor,
,gfiere q racayEi.y .of the stream toek
them and carried them to the lower mill, },
TO be sawed into shingles and clapboards..
It required great care to walk about
for the floor was full of these pitfalls.
All of q sudden jacques Disappeared
In. the dim light, thinking u mass of
4,
was the real floor, he stepped on it,
His weight started il. Above the thud
of the machinery, GuiIlaume heard q
faint scream, and turned just in time to
see jacques head disappearing in the
pitchy blackness. ~
Guillaume knew all about the mill,
and quick .as thought he asprang down a
flight of stairs at the side, just in sea.
as he was going to turn q torrent of
instant to explain. The next second the
Frenohman had waded into the dark
water in search Of jacques. At last he
found him crushed among the heavy
planks, and brought him out in his
the dripping, .insensible boy tenderly in
their coats and bore him carefully home.
The doctor came and examined him.
He said there were no bones broken
and that in few days he would be as
supple and active. as ever. But days
passed on, and he woke from his insen.
sibjlity only enough to have,a fearful
dread of water, to jabber q senseless
gibberish, and to fail to recognize his
dearest ,friends. Littlp sby little his
mother aud father were forced to admit
that their only child was a hopeless
idiot.
Two years dragged slowly by, when
one day jacques looked mp all Of q sud.
den and said, in his old natural voice,
hardly remember the word: "Thinkest
.thou-that my .father-will beat me ?"
Tears came into the mothers eyes to
hear sensible words from her bows lips
once more. ",Beat theeI Why'p" she
asked, in tone MS calm and quiet aa
she could make it in her sudden Joy,
sforFshe did not dare show her surprise.
for fear of frightening away jacques
returning wits.
With great difficulty jacques got out
the one word "milI," and q violent
shudder shook him. His mother assured
him by word and tone and caress that
he had nothing to fear.
The whole two years were total
blank to him. He took up the thread
of his life just where he dropped it
when he fell. But MS his mind grew
strong and as his power of speech oame
back he gradually learned what had
happened, and. now you will not find q
more obedient boy in all Chicoutimi.
.