Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-01-02

hope they'll all escape. alright, sirg"
replied in the affirmative. He let 90
the painter, with two vigorous strokes of
the light SOULS was in the stream
Fortunately I knew almost every turn
and bend Of the fine river or I should
have more than once had very narrow
escape, If had not been quickly upset.
1t is all very we'll to row in daylight, but
in the gloom, when the. banks and the
water alongside are equally shrouded, so
that where one tegins and the other ends
is an extremely difficult problem to solve,
and snags and submerged shoals are quite
invisible, the pulling down rapid stream
alone is no joke. But I did not mind it
then. Urged by reckless daring, I
sculled rapidly on alone.
Alone, but for all the company of two
good planks. Whence came they, and
whittier they were bound, l did not think !;
but l noticed that they were kept close to
me--now swirling away, now in the dim
light meeting, then dividing, turning
round, separating themselves, and soon
irclosing my sculls, so as to impede my
way and endanger my safety. They
Rugged n so closely at last that I lay on
my oars, and clutching the intrusive
boards pulled them into the boat, where,
under the thwarts' they exchanged drip
ping condolences as to what they would
do next. What they did shall be told in
due course.
"such great effects from trivial causes spring.
The blazing house was now almost
visible. The reflection was caught by
the water just beyond me. On I scud-
ded round the bend of the bank, the
stream hurry1ng me down, and now
have opened up the town reach, and the
burning and half-demolished building is
cracking and roaring half mile off.
The smoke, dotted with million sparks,
flies up to heaven, while screams and
cries and the roar of falling timbers as
cend with them to the lurid sky. Those
tiny jets of water only served to aggra-
waite the thirst in the fiery threat, and
not to quench it; no man can live near
such fire as that; the heat even in my
gig was soon felt distinctly, and the tvs
planka beneath my feet winked to each
other in the glare, and gl1stened side by
side at the thought Of What was COM
ing.
A yell, roar! Four people had got
upon tho cramb:ing parapet, some feet
above the stable-roof, and were crying
and shrieking for assistance. Twenty
mes at once rushed in to offer ropes and
help. What could they do? The I'm.
happy inmates. clad in evening dress,
looked wierd and unearthly in the fiery
glare. One was lady, three were men.
Taking of their coats they knotted them
by the sleeves, and let the lady down to
the lower roof in safety. Such cheer
arose for this. Well done, brave men,
we'll done! I watched and waited. Pull
ing in, the heat was great. pulled away
to the opposite wing, abbutting on the
river, now almost wholly clad in flame
and smoke, but still itself unburning.
What is that3 Can it be a man or wo
man kneeling there, and unobserved amid
the shrouding smoke by all the rest who
are gazing at the gallant men around the
stables? The soldiers had arrived ano
were doing good service; but no one
else perceived the solitary form wrapped
in an ulster coat, and trembling on The
wall above the river.
Not moment was to be lost. pulled
in hastily.
"Leap," shouted, "leap!"
AS spoke rose up In the boat. Tht
planks winked once more and ratified
"Jump!" l yelled in my excitement.
One look to heaven--a glance down t.
the swiftly-running river, and the person
addressed leaped feet first. Unthink
ingly, I moved suddenly; the light gig
rocked. In vain attempted to recover
by balance; the boat tipped over and
fell headlong into the water, now covered
with debris.
The two planks started after me to
gether from beneath the thwarts.
sank; and as did so thought O.
! Rosie, and made up my mind to die, if
must; but I struggled manfully tor lift
| the while.
When one is unwillingly under waite,
the brain seems to become buster than a
all other times. know not why, but il
that half minute or so that I was under
meath 1 saw many acts Of my life. Cir
cumstances looked, from ms menta
point OF view, very differen
from what they had to m,
bodily eyes. Ihad plenty of time to re-
pent my rashness, to utter prayer ant
to forgive my enemies; and then strug
gled, knocked my head, half sank again
put out my right arm and grasped some
thing. 1t was a plank.
! Seeing body rising up close by,
raised the head. The person had triet
to save was sensible, evidently.
l Twas delighted TO find that he, tc,
was floating on plank, the twin support
er of my arm, and how those goo(
friends tossed about, and drove up agains
each other in sheer delight, as we al
foated away fast downstream together
battles desert ption.
I impelled my plank toward the other
and, no doubt added by that woudrou
law Of attraction and sympathy which
exists even in wood, I succeeded in get
ting close to my companion. Leanin!
my arm upon the trusty plank, I man
aged to support the form near me; but al
this time we neither Of US spoke word
nor could we discern each others fea
lures. The fast subslding fire was ia
behind US now.
The steady planks kept floating with u
| eo"uu tuo Oauh, Out was uOI very 8nX
ious to go ashore JUS. then, az the river
sides were steep, and certain curling ed.
dies did not look attractive. 81
The moon had been obscured by heav
clouds; but we could discern the stone
which here and there rose up from out o
the water from q shoal in midstream. w
should soon be in safety. The plank
apparently thought otherwise. The
bobbed about and grew very impatien
to reach the shore.
There's distant thunderl A storm j
coming up. No. it must be train pass
| ing the bridge above. No; the noise in
fcreasesl the sound is born continousI
on the wind. The planks got very rest
less now. The banks even came close
to US, but the stream ran all the taste
i The noise was getting louder every min
ute. :s :
II knewswhat il was at last-1 knew t.
well-it was the mill We,rl