Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1884-02-06


dam several feet above his head.
GLOW the river has crept up since
night.fall. knew the rain of the last
two days would cause a rise; but this
looks serious. Luckily the dam will
stand the pressure OF a common flood"
lie laid his ear close to one of the
projecting timbers of the dam.
"That immense weight of water
doesn't even jar i'll" he murmured.
Picking his way over the rock river
bed was no easy matter in that thick
obscurity; but his familiarity with
every foot of the locality helped him,
and in short time he stood before the
llume.
All, here was uproar enough The
llume was full to the very topmost
plank. A hiss Of flying spray struck
him sharply in the face; but he gave
no heed to the ice-cOld drops that
clung to his forehead. ..q~
That strange, promonitory haunting
feeling had enwrapped his every sense.
Upton felt, rather than thought, that
somewhere out in this cool darkness
urked danger, and he knew not how or
in what shape it was to come.
lie hal walked long distance down
by the side of the fume, when he
heard sharp clatter among the rocks
of the dry river-bed as of some one
stumbling heavily, followed by a NUT
tered curse
That voice lie knew it, and he
shut his teeth sharply to keep back an
exclamation of horror. ..,.
Sam Lomax, the road agent, the ter
ror of the honest, hard working miner
in whatsoever mine, together with his
mcrciless band of renegades and In
dians, was creeping up this river-bed,
and this midnight raid meant death to
the four partners of the Clear River
Mine.
Rallying every energy he turned and
fed up the river-bed as for dear life.
Not ofhis own danger was he think
ing but rather of tho peril of the un-
armed men in the little cabin yonder--
his "pards" who had become endeared
to him through the many months of
weary privation and toll, so choerily
! shared together; his comrades, unto
whom his soul Glove with love as strong
as that of brother
Why did objects beside him, before
him, become so distinct? He threw
up his head as he ran.
The clouds were parting, and he per-
ceived that in few moments their
friendly aid would be Withdrawn. The
moon would burn like some great
watchfre in the heavens, and his fight
would be revealed to those merciless
eyes not pistol shot away.
The odds were all against him. Strain
every energy, every nerve as he might,
to-morrow's sun would look down on
four victims to LomaX and his band,
and the dear folks at home would look
in vain for those whose bones were
whitening by rotting dam in those
western wilds.
The dam. An inspiration, born of
dire necessity, leaped into his mind,
and light famed forth in his eyes.
The strength of hope sprang up in his
heart and swung every nerve, and on
he sped.
The dam loomed up before him. He
sprang to little locker, built for con-
venience sake, close by the end of the
dam, threw up the cover, seized a box
of blasting powder, thrust it under one
Of the projecting supports of the
dam, lighted a short fuse, thrust one
end in the keg, and then turned and
fed.
And the moon burst forth from be-
hind the Clouds her calm, pale light
falling softly over all that the darkness
I had hid.
"Ha, ha, ha" laughed the happy
trio, still sitting round the cabin table,
as one Of their number finished relat-
ing some anecdote of his rollicking COL
lege days; and the laugh was still echo,
ing, when the door was suddenly burst
open and Upton, with face as white as
death mark, stood on the threshold.
lie made beckoning motion, and then
disappeared.
The miners sprang to their feet, but
even as they did so, loud explosion
deafened their ears, and terrible thrill
rocked the little cabin like a cradle.
With one impulse they leapcd to the
door.
They saw the whole front of the dam
move out in one mass, one instant
transfgured by the light of the moon
into stately wall Of FURNISHED silver,
tho next broken and sheathed in a glo-
rious sheeting spray.
And then torrent with foaming
crest leaped down over its own high
way, from which it had been shut out
50 long, stripping bare the foundation
Of the dam and driving the hume be-.
fore it,
The miners on the bank stood dumb
but the men in the path of the opened
hoodgates uttered one cry as the dark
death touched them; and then all was
silent save for the mighty song of the
| waters which rang I'm to the noun