The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-03-11

patient and powerful shove, sent the
bully backward headlong into the sand
and gravel.
The boys in the drift, who had not
seen the moving ice, but who had lost
all admiration for Dick, began to cheer.
But in a moment everybody was look.
ing at the ice which now began to grind
against the shore, with crashing and
thunderous sound. A large fiat-boat,
nearly a hundred feet long, was torn
from its moorings and crushed by the
slow, but irresistible motion of the ice,
which ground the timbers to splinters.
Powerful as was this slow, smooth ava
lanche of ice, it was broken in turn by
an immense rift that stretched nearly
from shore to shore, passing within
twenty feet of Tom Corson.
The poor lad was now thoroughly fright
ened, and ran in terror towards the
shore, where stood all the boys and the
master, each suggesting different plan
for saving him, for the ice on which he
stood was beginning to break up, and he
could not now get within n hundred
yards of the shore, great longitudinal
assure having shut him off.
Finlay launched a skiff in the opening
made by the first rift, and called to Dick
to get in with him. Dick refused, de-
claring that skiff could not live two
minutes in the ice.
The school-master, however, got in
with Henry, and they pushed off. Just
then great, triangular piece which had
been lOosened by the second fssure,
caught against the shore, and, being fore
ed down by the mass OF ice above, assum-
ed rotary motion, and soon made kind
ling-wood of the skiff.
The master and Finlay were glad to
get back to the shore with their lives.
Both had held to their oars, and Finlay
seized the one carried by the school
master, and, with the two in his hands,
leaped upon this rotating cake Of ice,
ran to its outer edge, where it was grind
ing hoarsely against the yet unbroken
mass upon which Tom stood. Hesprung
clean over the dangerous point of con-
tract, and reached the terrified Tom.
Take this oar" he said, and follow
me-"
The cake of ice next the shore had by
this time drifted away from the mass on
which they stood. Finlay easily cleared
the gap, but Tom fell in, and Finlay
pulled him out by the oar, to which Tom
held with death-grip.
The triangle was fast going to pieces,
and at the next leap Finlay had to
scramble out of the water first, and then
pull Tom out.
But now there was no longer any COM
munication with the shore, and the sal
walton of the two boys seemed out of the
question. They drifted along upon a
cake of ice, which ever grew smaller by
the wearing away of its edges. The boys
and the school-master ran down the shore,
helpless to do any thing for the lads who
were aflOat.
Then there was q sound below them OF
the cracking of ice-cakes, such as they
had not heard before. 1t came nearer.
The ice before tho two boys seemed to
be running back upon their own piece,
which reared up in front, broke in two
in the middle, and was overwhelmed and
sunk by great piece from above.
Finlay and Tom managed to extricate
themselves from the ruin of the ice raft
on which they had stood, and to get up,
on the piece which had been forced
above it. Then they saw what it meant.
The ice was gorged at the bend of the
river. For minute the great mass was
locked in.
Quick! 1t is already trembling and
about to move. Only swift and agile
feet can save them.
They climb along the ridge and over
the hummocks. They are safe ashore at
the very instant when the dull roar and
swash sets in again, and the great, grind
ing mass is on the move.
The master had fully intended to pun
ish Dick Corson. But he couldn't. The
events of the morning had punished him.
His disgrace was so complete that q
whipping would almost have been a
mercy. But the teacher did write upon
the blackboard, "Bullies are not gener-
ally brave" And Dick Corson left
school.-Ed. Eggleston, in Youths Com
DdRiOn.