The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-02-22
JOE LAMBERT,S FERRY.


March morning. The wind blew in
sharp gusts from every quarter of the
compass by turns. 1t seemed to take es.
pecial delight in rushing suddenly
around corners and taking away the
breath of anybody it could catch there
coming from the opposite direction. The
dust, too, flied peoples eyes and noses
and mouths, while the damp, raw March
air easily found its way through the
best clothing ands turned boys skin
into pimply goose flesh.
1t was about as disagreeable morning
for going out as can be imagined; and
yet everybody in t little Western river
town who could get out went out and
stayed ont.
Men and women, boys and girls, and
even little children, ran to the river
bank; and once there they stayed, with
no thought, it seemed, of going back to
their houses or their work.
The people of the town were wild with
excitement, and everybody told every
body else what had happened, although
everybody knew all about it already.
Every body, mean except Joe Lambert,
and he had been so busy ever since day
light saving wood in Squire Girard' S
woodshed, that he had neither seen nor
heard anything at all. Joe was the
poorest person in the town. He was the
only boy there who really had no home
and nobody 10 care for him. Three or
four years before this March morning,
Joe had been left an orphan. and being
utterly destitute he should have been
sent to the poor house or ''bound ont" to
some person as a sort of servant. But
Joe Lambert hal refused to go to the
poor house or to become bound boy.
He had declared his ability to take care
of himself, and by working hard Jobs,
saving wood, rolling barrels on the
wharf, picking apples or wedding onions
as opportunity offered, he had managed
to support himself after a manner" as
the village people said. That is to say,
he generally got enough to eat, and
some clothes to wear. He slept in
warehouse shed, the owner having given
him leave to do so on condition that ne
would act as a sort Of watchman on the
premises.
knew nothing of what had happened; ;
and OF course Joe Lambert did not
count for anything in the estimation of
people who had houses to live in. The
only reason | have gone on. of the way
to make an exception Of so nnimportant
person is that | think Joe did count for
something on that particular March day
ut least.
When he finished the pile of wood that
he had TO saw, and went to the house to
get his money, he found nobody there
Going down the street he found the town
empty, and, looking down a cross street,
he saw the crowds that had gathered on
the river-bank, thus learning at last that
something unusual had occurred. OF
course he ran to the river to learn what
it was.
When he go. there he learned that
Noah Martin, the fisherman, who was
also the ferryman between the village its
neighbor on the other side of the river,
had been drowned during the early morn
ing in foolish attempt to row his ferry
skiff across the stream. The ice which
had blocked the river for two months,
had begun to move on the day before and
Martin with his wife and baby-a child
about year old-were on the other side
of the river at the time. Early that
morning there bad been a temporary
gorgirg of tho ice about q mile above
the town, and. taking ad TsDtage of the
comparatively free channel, Martin had
tried to cross with his wife and child in
his boat.
The gorge had broken up almost i'm
mediately, as the river was rising rapid