The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-06-04
I replIed in the affirmative. lie let 20

hight SOULS was IN the stream. Fortunately
Y knew almost every turn and bend of the fine
: river, or should more than once had very
narrow escape, If had not been quicnly up
SET II is all very well 10 row in daylight, but
in the gloom, when the banks and the water
| alongside are equally shroudcd. so that where
, one begins and the other ends IL an extremely
:, difficult problem to solve, and snags and sub
! merged shoals are quite invisible, the pulling
down a rapid stream is no joke. But did
not mind IL then. Urged by arccklcss daring,
| sculled rapidly on alone.
Alone, all but for the company of two good
, planks. Whence came they, and whittier they
were bound, | did not know; but noticed
they kept close to mellow swirling away, now
10 the dim light meeting then dividing, turn
ing round separating themselves, and soon
enclosing my SOULS. so rs to impede my way
and cndunger my safety They Rugged me so
closely at last that | lay on my oars, and
cutching the intrusive boards pulled them IN
to the boat where, under the thwarts, they eX.
changed dripping condolences rs to what they
should do next. What they did shall be told
in due course.
"Sueh great effects from trivial causes spring.
The blazing house was now almost visible.
1.-THE reflection WAS caught by the water just
beyond me. On scudded round the bend OF
soon had opened up the town reach and the
burning and halfdemolished building was
cracking and roaring half q mile oil. The
smoke, dotted with a million sparks, flew up
to heaven, while screams and cries and the
roar of falling timbcrs ascendtd with them to
the lurid sky; the heat even in my gig was
soon felt intensely, and the two planks beneath
my feet winked at each other in the glare, and
glisencu side by side at the thought OF what
was coming.
A yell, roar! Four people had got upon
the crumbllng parapet, some feet above the
stable roofs, and were crying and shrleklng
loudly for assistance. Twenty men at once
rushed in to offer ropes and help. What could
they doY The unhappy inmates, clad in even
ing dress looked wierd and unearlhly IN the
fiery glare One was lady, three were men.
Taking off their coats, they knotted them 10y
the sleeves, and let down the lady to the lower
root IN safety. Then general cheer arose for
the men who had done so bravely.
| watched and waited the heat was terrible.
/ pulled away to the opposite wing, abutung
on the river, now almost wholly clad IN flames
and smoke, but still itself unburnng. What
was that? Could 1t be a man or woman kneel.
ing there unobseryed amid the shrouding
smoke by all the rest, who were gazing AT the
gallant men around the stables? The soldiers
had arrived, and were doing good service, but
no one else perceived the solitary form wrap
ped in an ulster coat, and trembling on the
wall above the river.
Not q moment was to be lost. Pulling IN
hastily shouted:
Leap! leapw AS | spoke rose up IN the
boat. The planks winked once more and rat
tied. Jump" yelled in my excitement.
One look to heaven, glance down TO the
swittlyrunnlug river, and the person | adj
dressed leaped feet first. Unthinkingy,
moved suddenly. The light gig rocked, and
| in vain tried To recover my balance; the boat
tipped over, and | fell headlong into the water,
now covered with debris.
The two planks started after me together
| from beneath the thwarts. | sank; and rs |
did so thought of Rosie, and made up my
mind to die, if | must-but struggled man
fully tor life the while.
When one is unwilingy under water the
brain seems to become buster than at all other
times know not why, but in that half MIN
ute or so that was underneath / saw many
acts of my life. Circumstances looked, from
my mental point OF view, very different from
what they had to my bodily eyes l had plen-
ty Of time to repent of my rashness, to utter q
prayer, and to forgive my enemies; and then
| struggled, knocked up my head, half sank
again. put out my right arm and grasped
something. 1t was plank.
Seeing body rising up close by, raised
the head. The person had tried to save was
evidently sensible. / was delighted to find
that he, too, was floating on plank, the twin
supporter of my arm; and how those good
friends tossed about, and drove up against
each other in sheer delight, as we all tloated
away down stream together, battles desCrip'
ton.
| | impelled my plank toward the other, and,
no doubt aided by that wondrous law OF at
traction and sympathy which exists even In
wood, | succeeded in getting close to my com
panion. Leaning my arms upon the trusty
plank, | managed to support the torn nearest
me; but all this time neither Of US spoke
word nor could we discern each others tea
lures The fastsubsiding fire was away be-
hind us now.
The steady planks kept floating with US to.
ward the bank but | was not very anxious to
90 ashore Just then, rs the rver-sidcs were
steep and certain curling eddcs DID not look
attractive.
The moon had been obscured 10y heavy
clouds, but we could discern the stones which
here and there rose up from out the water
from a shOal IN mid-stream. We would soon
be in safety. The planks apparently thought
otherwise. They bobbed abou. and grew very
impatient to reach the shore.
Suddenly noise like distant thunder sound
cd A storm was coming up. No, it must be
tram passing the bridge above No; the
noise increased the sound was born continu-
ously on the wind. The planks got very rest.
less now. The banks even came closer to US,
but the stream ran all the faster. The noise
was getting louder every minute.
| | knew what it was at last | knew too
we'll. 1t was the Mill Weir.
If the slulce were open to the huge over shot
wheel our doom was sealed Nothing much
short of o miracle could saveu us. Striking out
for the bank, l called to my companion to do
the same, but encountered with the ulster coat
his progress was not great. We would find
footing on the lasher, probably, the eddy
would assist US.