The Red Cloud chief., 1880-12-02
paddled about on

Oh anger. TOuf 1iert ske-- toti -Staf
hands kept them from being sucked I'M
der-then came the triumph of meeting
the first wave that left the steamboat.
and the ecstatic rocking mt on OF the
skiff as she role the other waves IN the
wake but to catch the first was the
poin. in the frolic, Connor was known
TO many Of the pilots rs al adept IN
'~.catching the first wave" Sometimes
he was tipped By Al unlocked for
motion of the machinery. but was as
certain as an india-rubber ball 10 rise to
the surface. and a swim to shore was
but fun TO the young Magyar.
In the house Mother Maggie was
happy when little Mike was tied in his
chair, and a bar put in the doorway to
keep him from crawling into the
attractive water if he should break
loose; and when the door was bolted on
the railroad side. he was allowed to
gaze through the window ut the engines
smoking and laundering by all day.
and fixing each blazing red eye on him
at nieht-an enhancing spe tacle TO the
child. And when the still younger Pat
was tucked up in bed sucking "A moist
rag with sugar tied up in it. her world
was all right and at rest.
But it would have taken a person OF
considerable penetration, or, as Maggie
said. one who knew all 1.-THE inS and
the outs" 10 see the peculiar good luck
of tbs day. The water was smashing
round within a few feet Of the door.
Some of the workmen had moved their
beds TO the space between the tracks,
which was piled up with kitchen uten-
| sis, and looked like a secondhand
store.
In these DAYS Of devotion to antiques
we hear dealers in such wares say that
things are more valuable for being
carefully used. This would not apply
to Twinrip's relics. The poor shabby
furniture looked more than ever dilapi-
dated in the open daylight. The social
air of a home that WAS lived in per-
vaded this temporary baggage room
between the tracks. One child was
asleep in a cradle, others were eating
their coarse food off a board. When a
sprinkling Of rain fell, an old grand
mother under an umbrella fastened to
a bed post went on knitting %serenely.
Youngsters, who needed rubbers n
w~aterproofs about as much fs did New
foundland dogs, enjoyed the fun. One
~four-year-old, sitting on a tub turned
upside down, was waving a small flag.
a relic of the Fourth of July-and look
ing as happy and independent as a
king.
1t took all his wife's hopeful elO-
auence to comfort Tim. There was no
water in Tins cellar, because he had
no cellar. The COW their most valua-
BILE piece of property. was taken be-
yond the tracks up on the hillside, and
fastened to a stake in a deserted Vine
ward. Ii the worst came to the worst,
and they were drowned out of house
and home, their neighbors were no bet
ter off, and they would all be lively
together. That was the way Maggie
put 1t.
..Do O moind, Tim" she said.
'when Keely O'Burke trated his new
wife to a ride on a hand car? Soon as
your eyes lighted on him YOU shouted
like a house-a-iire, Number Five will
be down in three minutes! Didn't
Keely clane lose his head? But be-
tween you, you pushed the car off the
track in a jify. And Mrs. O'Burke's
new bonnet was all smashed in the
ditch, an the bloody snort of Number
Five knocked You senseless. Who
would have thought that boost of the
~cow-catcher was jist clear good luck?
And you moped about with a short
draw in your chist, and seemed bound
to be a grouty old man ir the chimney
corner that could niver lift a stroke for
your childer, ali you didn't see the good
luck, YOU know. Tim-but when the
President sent the bran new COW with
a card tied to one horn, an Connor
read it when he came home from
school: For Tim Magan. who SaUed the
tram. Good luck TO himr-wasn't it
all right thenp Now you are as good
as new, and our mooley is quiet as a
lamb. and if l was Queen Victoria her.
sci, she couldn' give any sweeter milk
for me. She the born beauty"
Well, ConnOr was his mothers own
boy for making the most and the best
of everything, and he saw several items
of good luck this day.
First: The river had risen sonear the
school-house thatthe desks and benches
were moved up between the tracks and
the school dismissed; therefore there
was perfect freedom to enjoy the ex-
element of the occasion. 1t was as
good as a move or a fire.
Second: There was so much danger
that the track might be undermined
that all trains we're stopped by order of
the railroad company; therefore his IA
Their was at liberty.
Third. and best of all: Larry OLA
herty, who lived up Bald Face Creek,
had lent him his skif for the day. The
bows had an e~cstatic time the evening
before, hauling in driftwood. Though
the coal barges ha | bright red lights at
their bows, and the steamboats, were
ablaze with green and red signals. and
blew their gruff whistles continually.
yet it was hardly safe to 60 far from
the shore at night because the Ripple
was so near. When the river was rising
the drift was driven close to land, while
falling it floated near the middle of the
river. Connor could see the food was
still rising, and there were possibilities
of a splendid catch, for it was daylight,
and they could 60 where they pleased
with Larry's boat.
Father and son pushed out into the
river. Conner felt as if he owned the
world. Short sticks and slaves were
put in the bottom of the boat. Both
fishermen had a long pole with a sharp
iron hook at the end with which. when
they came close to a log, they harpoon-
ed it. Bringing it near, they drove q
nail into one end, and tying a rope
round the nail, they fastened their prize
to the stern of the boat. They took
turns rowing and spearing driftwood;
and when the log-fieet swimming after
them became large, they went to shore
and secured it
When the dripping logs were long
and heavy, it was the custom to fasten
them with the rope close to a stake in
the bank, and leave them floating. At
low water they were left high and dry
on the sand.
No other drift wood gatherers med
died with such logs. They were con-
sidered as much private property as if
already burning on the hearth.
I'm going up the hill to feed the
cow, Connor," said his father, after q
great deal of wood of every size and