Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1888-07-19

IAN Oh h@A Oui4t uam t4SLt AcTDee
the valley and turned the stream into
their long line Of sluiceway The
snow had ceased falling and Bert
could zee the level water Of this dam
shine " through the misty valley
like plate OF FURNISHED steel.
When the last footballs of the chop.
per- died away, al air Of singular
solitude peryaded the clearing. There
were 10 biris In such attitudes, and
in the perfect stiffness the vast noun
talns seemed vaster and immeasurably
removed from men Bert was sensi-
tive to these varying aspects Of nature
and ne fell into a brown study. He
wondered whether the superinten-
dent wasn't night about MIN Per-
hsps he did live too much among his
paper-and Ink friends il the books,
and If il came to an emergency in
life, would he be a man and face 1t ?
Some such notions as these were float
ing through his head when his eyes.
wandering idly NJ and down the
stream, fell upon the dam with more
intentness. He stared for q moment
and then leaped to bis feet
What be saw sent the blood flying
to his heart, and cold as the day was
a Precipitation started out upon his
body. II would have been invisible
to one Of weaker eyes, but with his
clear young vision, keen as hawks,
he saw distinctly the middle supports
Of the dam sway and bulge out like a
half.filled balloon and at the same ill.,
slant a distuI bance, like an eddy,
broke the steelly surface of the waters.
It meant that the structure was Civ
ing away 1t meant that it was al
ready leaking Just before the crash,
and that once the prisoned flood was
loosened the valley would be inunda-
ted on the instant 1t meant death
and destruction to every soul in the
mill
Bert saw and comprehended in
flash, and sickening sense Of mis-
helplessness rushed in upon him. He
would be compelled to sit as spec.
tator of the disaster he was powerless
to warn them against, for the dam
would certainly not hold together a
dozen minutes and no man or beast
could traverse a quarter Of the pre-
cipitous road in such an interval
Were these men TO die like rats in 4
trap when a word in time would save
them? He cast wild glance around
him and saw the log shoot and an idea
like an inspiration darted into his
brain.
He had not second to deliberate.
The dam was going He snatched
up an ak and with dozen lightning
blows struck a long slab OF bark from
the nearest and smallest log. A lump
Of chalk the foreman had used in
measuring lay close by. He seized it
and on the smooth space on the log
scrawled in great letters these words
THE PAN IS BREAKING. RUN
The. shoot was only six feet away,
but the log seemed like lead. Bert
stopped and made mighty effort.
His muscles quiycrcd like taut cords, hut
he was built like u young athlcfc and slow
". trcmulouSly he raised the great trunk
on hi> shoulder. The sweat dropped from
his forehead into the snow. liz LasrCd,
his veins stood out big ami blue, ne took
six quick staggering steps and threw the
iru int the trough.
~ the strange messenger whl7Zed ont Of
sight falntnrsS laid hold oI him and he
felt. tnr Nh instant, that he would surely
sWnou, but he rose superior % Il ana strain
rd his ewes up the valley Never, perhaps,
in his whole life, will he live again mo-
mcatS -: such aEuniZCd and deadly sus-
pcnSc Would thu I1g coming down al
tn, unusual time. attract attention =
Would anyone hc in the yard Would
the lettorcd side TALL upward: Did il turn
in the trough and thus rub out the chalk
Upon these questions, rs upon threads,
hung the life of the mIllmcn
Meantime the signs N hCrak:uE multi
piled about Tic dam Several large trees
that Ercw upon the abuimcnts lest purchase
in the yielding earth and suddenly sank
into the water Bert could ~cc their buShy
tops swept round and round in the eddy.
and then, - II seemed, glittcgiug light
. ln.ff.,r,
wark, dividing il right III the centre, AMI in
the next instant the waters leapcI cut III a
vast, crowded wall. and rushed downward
and away.
Burt had no watch and hall distracted
by suspense he could not even guess how
long time had elapsed since he sent down
the log. At one second il seemed half an
hour, AT the next not more than minute
or two He cast another glance into the
valley, through which now rushed secth-
ing tCmpcStuuUS torrent and started NJ -
run down the trail. II they received his
warning in thine he must meet them AT
any rate, ne would soon know. The trail
was n slippery a. glass and tSforr he had
traverSgd il half way he was soaked from
head q tOot with Slush from his many falls
As he nearcd the end his heart began 70
beat So quickly that he felt sUffoCated, and
although the clustering PINES still obSCurcd
the view he could now hear the dSShing
and nearing Of The waters beneath Al
length he cleared the last bend, stood out
upon little cmincncc that overhunE the
fioOi and saw nothing but iGSolation
Where the mill had stood was rivUr
No sign was LEFT not even floating
plank and the log shoot near BY ended
abruptly in the water Up u this moment
Bert had cherished faint hopc that the
men might have escaped upon the other
side, but single glance st the opposite
=.