Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-08-18
ACauts Ned. You wouldn't dare try

 and then jump on. We can jump of again when we like, you know"
 So saying Ned Armstrong ran out to a point where the current turned the corner, as it were, and the cakes in passing rubbed close against it so that there was no difficult tY in getting on board one of them.
 Partly carried away by his companions example, and partly in hopes of dissuading him from his fool-hardy project, Hal, who was a rather cautious, prudent lad, followed close on Ned's heels, and in another mo- ment they were standing together on the point with the great ice cakes whirling past at their very feet.
 "Now then, Hal," Fcried Ned. "We'n each jump on one, and have race in dead earnest. We can jump of, you know, be- fore we come to the road-bridge."
 "No,no, Ned! It's too dangerous" urged Hal, now realizing tho folly of the thing "Let's go back"
 "Tut, man, you're afraid; you've got no pluck" retorted Ned.
 "rve plenty of pluck, Ned. You needn't say that But I'm not going to make fool of myself" returned Hal, warmly.
 "Who's fool! Come along-if you're not a coward" |" cried Ned, growing angry too.
 II won't, Ned, and you shan't either if can help it." And suiting his action to his WUTu hd1 HULL O1 NSU dIul
 "Jest you take your hands of me, softly I'm of! You can go home to your mother" sneered Ned, and breaking away from his companion he sprang out upon large cake which just then rubbed against the point, and went careering down the current, ex- claiming boastfully: "How is this for funr
 Completely taken aback at Ned's sudden action Hal stood motionless for moment,
 
 what he felt sure was certain death. Then, full of fear, he ran over the ice after him calling out:
 Med Ned jump off You'll go over the Fallsp'
 But Ned's only answer was to take of his hat and swing it round his head with a shout:
 "Hurrah for the ice-ship What time we are having!'
 Under the dark arch of the railway bridge and out upon the other side the ice cake with it's foolish freight rushed rapidly, its pace increasing every minute. Soon it reached the broad expanse between the | railway and the road bridges, and Hal, who was doing his best to keep up, noted with increased alarm that it kept well out in the middle of the current that it was i'm possible for Ned to jump off, try as hard as he might. All at once, Ned apparently noticed this too, and began to show signs of alarm, running from side to side of the swsying ice-raft, and anxiously measuring the distance between it and the border-ice. Just beside the road bridge there was an | eddy where the water curled about the shore abutment. If the lce-calze only got l into that eddy it's passenger would be all | safe.
 Ned's danger had now become known, and the shore was lined with people watching his perilous voyage, and shouting to him all sorts of advice. One man, instead of vast ing time in giving advice, procured long rope, and going out to the extreme edge of l the stationary ice flung it towards Ned, who | grasped frantically at it, but it fell short, and the cake went on its way more rapidly than ever.
 The road bridge drew near, but the ice cake still kept well out in the center of the current, and there seemed small chance of Its getting into the eddy. Frantic with fear. 1 Ned Armstrong seized his hat and using it as paddle made desperate efforts to guide his clumsy craft towards this only haven of safety. But he might as well have tried to send 1t back against the resistless current. The ponderous ice-block utterly refused to be guided. It went steadfastly on it's way, dipping and raising as the hitherto smooth surface of the water broke up into turbu- lent whirls with the near approach of the A6llSY WuOSC SuASu TOdT AlredCy began to mako itself distinctly heard.
 In another minute the road-bridge would be reached, and realizing that it was the last chance, the man who had the rope ran with all his might towards the span under which the cake must pass, in order to try another fling. Had he only been Q few seconds sooner he might have sue ceeded. But he was just that much too late, and again the rope fell short, although Ned nearly tumbled off the ice ID his eager en- deavor to secure it. A shout of horror went up from the people who lined the river banks and crowded the bridge, gazing help lessly at the unhappy lad sweeping so swift ly on.
 Between the bridge and the falls there now only remained an open space, scarce more than a hundred yards in length, ir which the waters, as if rebelling against the leap before them, broke forth into angry foam-crested waves in whose mids the low-lying ice-raft was tossed and tum bled about so that the boy upon it had hard work to keep erect Halt paralyzed witf terror, he stood there in the sight of hun dreds of his fellow-creatures, not one O whom could interpose between him anC death-a sight to wiring the stoutest heart One instant more and he had taken tht awful plunge.
 But stay! shout goes up from the az onized spectators. Who is it that comes springing with tremendous strides acros the frail-looking structure which spans tn, r1ver at othe very edge of the falls-th ''stop-log bridge' they call it, because il summer time when the river is low it dam up the water so that the mill wheels may b. well supplied. In freshet time the furious swollen stream rises to a few feet from tn top, and it is along the narrow footway tha a man, who is at once recognized as "Bil Alec," the stalwart foreman of the mill, i now seen rushing along. The ice-cak dashes swiftly towards the "stop-log," bu Big Alec" IS quicker. He reaches tn spot right under which the cake must pas i'll it's headlong rush. he filings himself fac downward on the beams, he leans far ove the edge, his long, sinewy arms stretche to their utmost length. And straigh toward him comes the ice-cake He shout ! fercely. Ned, looking up, sees him. H : understands. He turns to face him, and . just as the shadow of the bridge falls upo
 the ice, he puts all his strength into on : wild leap towards the outstretched arms