Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-01-09


the smoke of because Jack had smoked
so long that he thought he couldn't
stop, and when she saw that it was
fairly LIT and drawing all right, she
nestled down close beside him and said
"Now, Jack, tell about it."
swell, Alice, dear, it was a mighty
close fit will tell you: There was a
dozen of us sortin' logs up at the bot
toms, for TO feed the mills tomorrow,
an good many logs had come down
through the day, an kind of jam
med up things so they was some dam
ger o. the boom breakin' cause the
water is higher'n usual Just now. Jim
Brown an me was together, an / See
Jim looked sort o. serious, SO l asked
him bout it. He didn't say nothin'
fur minute, but pretty soon he
says
tom Gagged oughter know, he says
the boom is strong; but l reckon if
they is much OF jam up above. it'll
tear things when it does bust. An
judgin' by the looks of the river. i
reckon they is a bad jam somewhere
Il looked up the rIyer, an sect they
was mighty few logs comm down, and
l knowed they must be. Just then
Bill Hovey come down an says
''They Is a jam up to Wilson'S
Bend
"'Twarn't only 2 O'Clock, an l
knowed was likely TO get back at the
usual time, so L didn't send We nc
word, but Jim an me an half a dozen
of the fellows jumped into wagon an
drove ups fast as we could go. When
we got there we see 'twere bad jam,
for another one further up the river
had busted an piled up the logs mighty
thick. When one busts onto another
in that way, We know, it makes it bad.
Well. We worked nigh an hour trying
to start her from the shore, but, il
wasn't no use and finally Jim said:
"Twon't do 70 let this go on. We've
got TO work in the middle. Who'll &c
with me?' and he started out for the
jam in the middle of the river.
well, l see the boys all look at me.
They knowed well enough that l was
the best man to go-I knowed it too,
but j thought o. you an l waited a
minute. But the other fellers said they
wouldn't. so went
Fore 1 got to where jim was, see
that if We did start it from the middle,
we'd likely have to come down on the
logs to the boom, an l know'd were a
mighty risky job. But twas the only
way to the mills, an somebody had ter
do it, SO Jim anil worked the best way
we know'd for half an hour. At last
We started it, an see there was just
chance o getting TO shore. jim was
just ahead of me, an we was goin' as
fast as we could, when the thing give
way. an we was sailin' down the river
at about fifteen miles an hour.
eve hadn't got a quarter of a mile
afore the log l was on turned, an in
steppin' round, one of the spikes on my
boots snapped off, and L slipped in /
hung ON to my pole, am made a bridge
tween the logs, an ! was just climb
in up when another log struck the end
of it an splntered it into bits. fell
back, and thought l was clean under,
but the two logs just c'amred me by
the neck. You may know how quick
they come together by KNOWN they
didn't Craze my shoulders as l fell, but
they caught my neck afore my head
got under water. But quick as twas,
| had time. as / see 'em COMM to hope
you was prayin' for me. 1t didn't look
like anything else could save Inc, for L
knowed VIXEN the logs came together
they'd crush my neck ike an egg
SHE'LL"
"Oh, JackIr poor Alice vas white
with horror, and trembling like a
leaf.
Yes. dear said Jack, drawing her
closer, 81 thought of you, an felt
mighty sorry fur little Jack. Fur /
knowed how you loved yer great
rough ignorant"
"Hushl please dOn't!' and Alice's
hand was ON his lips.
"Well, well, didn't have time tc
think of much, fur felt the logs wa:
chokin' me, an yet L knowed some
thing was keepin' 'em about four inch
es apart. What twas | didn't know
till afterward. My arms was free un,
der. an l tried to pull the logs apart,
but, bless, ye they was million-pouno
pressure, an / nights well ha' tried
to pull up a tree, an l heard Jim cal
out, Help help!' He migAt as well ha
hollered for the stars fur help as holler
to the fellers on the shore, fur they
couldn't get to us then, an L knowed
it. But it gave me hope to hear hls
voice SO near by. I was bothered
though, to know how he came to be SC
near, fur just afore 1 slipped, SET
there was a clean place nigh 30 feet
between US.
1.-The boys said, afterward. that M
Jumped a Is foot gap. ] don't know
bu. he did, but / never see no sucf
thing done. Anyway, he was lnele
an as soon as he landed he was wor KIN
like mad. He pred one log out anc
got it across the end O. the one ~
been on, and then he PRED open tn'
two that held me and got oetweei
'em. Alice, twas more'n emmy tole'
men on the river'd do, but he dld
all alone. Jim an me was frlends--
reckon now we always viii be.
"Well, as soon as bed done thl
'twere easy fur me to climb CUT WIN