The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-04-26

MY NIUNHS WtIR 1eHeLIuusu Uv tiis
voice Of u man In great agony, crying
for s,iccor. crying to me, and the voice
wns tho voice of my friend Fitzgerald.
tried to lift myself from my bed
hut Il heavy weight held mo down.
struggled to speak, but my tongue was
tied. | rubbed my eyes, but the ills
seemed glued. At Inst they parted
slowly. md saw TINT OF which my
mind has never lost the slightest inn
preston. wns not lying on my bed
| wns not in tho low, square room, with
hnlf dozen men sleeping about me. |
was standing on the rivers brink, sey-
oral miles below the station, standing
there alone IN the awful stiffness Of
winter night In tho wilderness. Tho
moonlight was 20 brilliant that every
object was distinctly visible.
| saw not twenty feet from me break
in the Ice, and the bluc water bubbling
up clearly. Above the water rose
mans fair. strong head, and two hands
grasping, trying to lift the body beneath
up to the Ice, which broke and crumbled
away from their touch.
He was dying before my eyes, and !
could not stir nh inch to save him. l
saw the beating of his hand grow
frehlcr aud the tension Of his facc re-
lax.
"Spare her, jack .-spare hcrr he
cricl.
was silent.
Then nncc again hc cried, md that
sound / think will always echo about
tho world with me: Speak to me. Give
mo 4 sign
forgot my hatred Of her and my re-
solve to hurt her; was sensible only
OF his pitiful pleading. BY q great ef-
fort | lung up my right arm as n sign
of arqniesccnce.
Ills hands fell. his head sank back.
ward, and the blue water sparklcd and
| huhhl.d In the moonlight. l shouted,
| "fitsgcrald, Fitzgeralds l seemed to
spring forward. when the whcle scene
was transformed. l was sitting up in
hci. and tho watch hv the tire was say
ing. arowsls.
Whats the matterg What are you
making such row ahoutgh ~
"Mhcre is Fitzgcralde' l said, look.
mg round, and seeing that his place in
| tho row Of mattresses was vacant.
"nc went ont about an hour ago. He
said he couldn't sleep, and was going
to skate up the river to Thompson's
Station"
| pct up slowly, ami the motion was
painful, for my whole body was numb
spoke with hesitation. M if the power
OF speech WAS new to me.
/ alNs..t1 n a a - k1.a rfV
he went down toward Carter Station
lie has been drowned six miles below.
Nv shout had aroused most Of tn,
men, They all exclaimed incredulousl,
that had been dreaming stood m,
ground, and was already getting read,
to 10 out. The doggcd persistence 0
such y matter.of-fact fellow as | i'm
pressed them. and they prepared I
accompany mo, When we reached tn
river ~ put on our skates. We coul
not distinguish tracks, for we had re
Gently been skating 4 great deal, taking
advantage cf the clear ice, rare SO lat
in the season. l lcd down tho river
tho others following, laughing at m
expense, Soon the infection Of m
profound horelessness spread, and ]
ten minutes all were skating swiftly
silently toward whatever awaited us
When Int sharp hcadland lay hetwee
us and the spot had seen IN my slslo
l halted
sHe il lying Just beyond there.
tho ice il broken We shall know.
w rounded the point in line. Th
icc was broken and thrown up in piec,
| "A 80. aes1 h,,l,ltsp.r
l have not much more to tell.
! was afterwarl discovered that he ha
: struck onc of the shallow springs on
sandy bottom which never freeze soli,
!. ly, The water would not have covere
: him standing. hut the numhing intl'
encc ot the intense cold and the frai
ness of tho surrounding ice had pr
!, vented his saving himself | offer l
eSplana,ion Of what / have said that
: saw ami heard, but six men can testl
: that, when miles away from him, | sa
! the DIVING face and heard the dyit
words II my frieni Fitzgerald. NJ
that led them to the spot where th'
found him.
He had left Letter for me in his p,
!, ya,c room, liz sail that he was goii
: to take legal advice and find the quic
,st means IF rendering void the ma
!, riagc ceremony had witnessed.
! asked me to look after his traps, al
! assur, il mo that MS soon as he felt al
to take up old associations he would
!, mo know, As read this letter | cri
Il like girl,
4 In his pocke.hook found his ms
!, riape certificate and the last letter S
i had writ n him. carefully drl
both. and rs carefully read the latt
!, What Il weak, miserable cringing If
!. sion. characteristic of the writ,
/, Pages cf alternatc whining and bul
n ing. ending with this paragraph:
:, iii YOU force any claim, the cou
n will set it aside. That would make
scandal. and l have never been talk
- about, and | should b. Yer. nsrs,
= under disagreeahle talk. 1t would
= very unmanly and underhred in YOU
- to give me snch trouble, aud at least
's have always considered Won a gem
. man"
:, sworc that size should have cans,
he nervous. | knew that such Won
". could not he wounded, mentally
:" spiritually. and that the blow must
struck at material colnforis.
'"' left the station immediately. In
the first telegraph station | reaches
= sent message IL Miss Imiis Gordo
-. her Roman address: Fer noth'
~ / will arrange a. sou desire. | sig
=. lit2geralats nam.
~ 4 month afteraard WIS IN Ven
l'' in the hotel with the Count aud Go,
al ess Monaella.
an On the night If my arrival mad
en-, package of letters beginning Ny
band" with variety ST tender IL
na. tiratinn~. AMI signca "Imiis Iitz
al.t. NTH these ] placed the nafr
IN teitstieate and tl4r last letter. !
dressed the package II the Count '
n, lia intending that tue next mornii
,c: ahoHid he put N llis hands.
ven went IL iei feeling eomparaii
cheerful. Ny sieep MAS hat 4 r.peti
e II The s'eap IN which | SAW Iitzge
die. Win. came 10 NY ssils'
/. ~ taf A Has Il If,i