Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-11-30

And yet there, just before him, his
| honest blue eyes telling the same story
| which his lips had repeated, stood Jerry
dinnerless, supperless and almost home
| less, upon this widest night of all the
year.
Mr.. Watterson forgot the rising food,
| which even now was threatening his
mills; he forgot the urgent errand which
| had driven him out into the storm, and
he seized the boy by the arm, pushed
open the little door of the bakery before
which they stood, and fairly dragged
him within.
"Here!" he cried to the bakers wife,
who came, bowling and smiling, to ex-
ecute the great mans commands. "See
Give this lad the best supper you can
cook and all the provisions he can carry,
and send the bill to me-" Then, hur-
riedly drawing some money from his
pocketbook, he thrust into Jerry's hand
and said: "When you have eaten, go
back to Mrs. Crawford and pay her for a
month in advance. Then find doctor
for Nellie, and stay with her yourself
until she is we'll. After that come back
to me at the mills. If they are standing
you shall have work No. Not a
word p he continued, as the astonished
| boy would have spoken. "The money
| is present to you and Nellie from me. !"
And before Jerry could recover from his
surprise Mr.. Watterson had gone.
Supper, money and doctor for Mel
| lie /! Could it be true? The boy un-
clasped his hand and looked at the
precious bills. Yes, it was true
AS he ate the bountiful meal prepared
| for him by the bakers good wife, the
bobbin-boy pictured Nellie's delight
when he should return and tell her of
what had happened to him; and, later
when he faced the dreary storm, home
ward bound, with great basket, heaped
with buns and oranges from the bakers
shelves, upon his arm, his laugh was
light and his laugh rang merrily out
across the darkness and the rain, as he
thought how boldly he would meet
"Mis' Crawford" and how astonished
and puzzled she would be when he paid
her-not week, but month iii advance
:" It's just like fairy story!' said he,
half aloud, as he climbed the sloppy steps
of his boarding house. just like fairy
story, with great, big, splendid, rich
man fairy"
* X
1t was almost morning. Already the
black curtain of night, rent here and
there by the furious wind, was slowly
lifting toward the east and the dull gray
dawn appearing, forming sombre back
ground, upon which the leafess trees
that fringed the far-away hills were
painted in waving silhoutte.
Sinoo tho cr1r bod rrcpo DOWN bo IL
storm had continued, and even now the
rain driven by the mighty wind, fell in
long, slanting lances upon the town and
the frothing river, that, filled with great
masses of broken ice and debris from all
the up-country, roared and plunged be-
tween its banks and shook with giant
hands the foundations of the mills be-
meath which it ran.
At the head of the dam, where the
channel was the narrowest, and directly
opposite the Watterson mill, was an ice
Jam.
Piled block upon block, until it tow
cred high in the air, pressing with terri
BILE force against the mills, upon the one
hand and the natural wall of rock upon
the other, the broken ice had formed a
great white barricade, growing each mo-
ment, which checked the mad rush of
the water, and sent it swirling backward
in eddying waves, which beat furiously
upon the mills and threatened each mo-
ment to engulf them.
Along the higher shore the towns
people had gathered, powerless to aid,
but simply awaiting the catastrophe;
and among them, pale and haggard, was
the proprietor himself, already ruined
man.
AS he passed to and fro, intent upon
the scene before him, hoping against
hope that the jam might even yet give
way in time to save his building, many a
watcher turned aside with plying word
and look, for Mr.. Watterson was man
beloved by all of his employees.
Suddenly there was a movement In the
crowd-a fastening toward the common
centre and, with eager faces, both men
and women gathered about new
conner, who was speaking earnestly.
eyes, if that timber could be cut it
would break the jam. 1t lies just SO
that it holds
The owner of the mills burst through
| the crowd.
"What timber Where? Quick
| Tell me! Gan the Jam be broken =
eyes sir, replied the other, respect
fully, touching his hat. I have just
been below. and from there saw that a
great log which had lodged at the very
crown of the dam is all that holds the
ice. II that could be cut the jam would
be broken"
"But how can it be reached? queried
Mr.. Watterson, anxiously. ''Can any
one get at it to cut it ?"
eyes, SIR replied the man; Gin one
way
"And that is"
''Over the ice ITSELF"
A shudder ran through the listeners,
and even the proprie5or's face grew more
pale. Who would venture on such a
bridge on SUCH an Grand?
With common impulse the crowd,
led by the workman who first discovered
the log, turned hurriedly away from the
| D.