Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-08-18

That was nearly six miles swsy. snd
the thought OF Il made the warm wafer
he was swimming in seem several de-
grees colder. Barry's lips closed hard
and his teeth set against each other,
| and he measured his every stroke 10
make IL tell. Then his turn came 70
try a ..back swim and q rest" and ne,
| too. said: II can see the shore and the
CITY, but can't get glimpse OF Slime.
There! isn't that his head?-that black
thinga Guess IL is; it's moving. YES
it's 6imr'
It was. indeed, the back OF Sine
head. but the boy under II was saying
to himself: The shores as far away
as it ever was. I'd no idea we had
padded out such distance. Reach itF
/ wiU reach il. Never swan SO far in
NV life, but must reach IL"
Still it was getting to be weary work.
and before him lay what seemed an in
terminable reach of glittering ripplcs::
He was breathing hard. his arms and
legs were moving with less force than
at first, and his progress through the
water was slower and slower.
"Can do itP It's got to be done.
I'll tread water q moment for change.
i can't see Barry. Hurrah! it's the
shallowsr'
AS he dropped his feet they came
down upon smooth sand, for all that
end of the lake was a gentle slope from
the beach. The water was up to his
neck, but the bottom was there, and
Shines heart bounded with great throb
of relief.
Barryp l must wade in fast now.
No boat when I get there; no help"
Ii was a forlorn outlook, and Sine
even thought for a moment OF all his
clothing away out there in the skill.
Then he thought of Barry Gilmore and
hardly anr thing else. until the increas-
ing shallowness of the water enabled
him to wade faster. and then TO break
into what was almost run. IL was n
great splash at all events. and Slime
was quickly shouting TO some one on
the beach half breathless account OF
Barrv's danger.
"Why didn't We wait for the oars? 1
was a-comin' down with 'em. Wanted
a swim myself, and thought I'd fool ye
little. What! Barry a-swimmin' after
the skiff? There's Jim Burr's boat.
Quick! jump I'M"
Its locked"
Locked? Well, I'll Jest unlock it."
The key Purdy used was of limestone.
and it may have weighed twenty
pounds. IL "opened Jim Burr's pad
lock for good and ALL" while Slime was
getting in: and then how Purdy did
row!
"We'll be too late"
"Shut up. Slime. Don't talk 10 me.
It's jest awful"
1t came very near it, for Barry Gil
more's brave, earnest face was getting
white when he at last discovered that he
was really drawing nearer the runaway
boat.
1.-The wind is rising. I'm almost
gone. Couldn't swim two rods further"
Yes, the wind was, indeed, blowing
harder. but the direction of il had been
for some time hanging, rs IL Is apt To
do before a summer storm. The hrst
.'suriace current. of air had lost its
breath, and the stronger blast which
was really to bring the cloud and rain
was coming from the other way. So
was the skiff it caught and carried
along. and Barry hardly understood il.
I'm swimming pretty fast yet, in
about SINE. just little further"
Oh. how difficult were those last few
strokes! When Barry family resteds
one land upon the gunwalc of the skifl.
it required a great effort to lift the other
beside it.
~ can't climb in. now I've got here.
What shall do?"
OF course he could not have climbed
i'm, If he had been obliged to lift him
self all the way up, but every ounce of
weight he put upon the side OF the boat
brought it down further and further,
until it was hardly twoinches above the
roughening water.
Nov for i'll" All the strength he
had left went into that last effort, and
then Barry was lying on the bottom of
the boat, with his wet head on the shin.
ing front Of Slime Hopkins shirt
bosom.
He did not try to guess how long he
lay there. Even after he could have
moved, he had no heart TO lift his head
and look toward the shore. At last.
Just after he had covered his ewes with
both hands. there came upon his ears
the sound OF oars, as il some very zeal
Gus rover were pulling for prize in
some regatta, and behind that sound
was another. as il some fellow had sud-
denly burst out crying.
A heavy bump against the side Of
the skiff.
"Here he is! Oh, Barryr'
"Sime, is that you? Don't say n
word, Sime-I can't"
1t was some little time before either
of them could say much; but they had
both learned just about how far they
could swim; and old Purdy sat there in
his stolen boat, his rough face all one
redness and radiance. All even he
could find 10 say was:
Amt glad! Jim Burr won't mind
my Dustin of his lock mite; but IL
git him another. "-Harper's Young
People.