The Grenada gazette., 1888-04-21
A NARROW ESCAPE.
My Thrilling Adventure with q
Dangerous Maniac.

1t was not moonlight, but some OF
the effects of light and shadow upon
the river were very like those which
may be seen when the moon is full and
low in the heavens. The Ohio was
the color Of dull steel for the most
part. and the little specks Of darker
gray upon its breast were slabs OF
ice slowly sailing with the current.
Tha shadow Of the low hills fringed
with trees. between whose trunks and
laced boughs the last faint flood Of
daylight streamad from the west, fell
hard and black upon the farther shore
of the river OAIy the reflections of
the trees upon the hill-tops made the
nearest limit of the shadow little
blurred.
Up the river you could see the
orange glow of the Gas hambeaux and
the ruddier blaze of the forges begin
ming to paint the sky. Down the
river a great mist, sad -colored, like
Quaker's coat, swallowed up the river
and made its margins faint and
wavr. There was hardly = dash of
cheerfulness in the whole landscape.
The few houses in sight had their eyes
shut; through their windows came no
welcome streams of yellow light
It was all sad and gray. and very
still. The crunching of small ice foes
with their stationary fellows caught in
the shadows and held tight by the
shore ice was the only Y sound.
As stood watching the evening
wrap the valley and blot out all that
was good 10 look at in the view over
land and water, and after had made
about seven hundred and seventy
seven comparative calculations on the
time of day and the time according to
the Fort Wayne railroads cdict, and
being tolerabIy nervous and irritable
rs | was, ! was surprised TO hear Il
voice of unusual depth and hollownesS
cxcIaim, almosl III my ear: ''Why, the
man crazy,
Quite an astonishing occurrence if
you will be plraScd TO remember that
wa anding on a decidedly lonely
way station between his city and
ScWirkIny.
turned around and found myself
cr to face with a thick. sturdy fel
low, whose scruJby," black beard at
once Impressed me a. the most re-
markabIe par Of hi, make up H" had
pair of bright, restless eyes and
wore his hal So far tilted back OIL his
head hat | could make out lie hal
square forehead and plenty Of dark,
curry hair.
Were you speaking to me'' said |.
"Yr>. - he answered, "look a that
boat onl there; if he's aiming ut cut
ting a new channel for himself he's
all rIgn,; but that mau'il br aground
j. couple of shakes Of lamb tail. "
And then noticed for the first time
that a tow-Joat had just rounded the
bend, the outline Of which was now
nearly los in the darkness. and was
coming down cioooly hugging the
south shore. She had 4 tow evidently
for the red and green lights Hickered
far ahead Of her bows; nav, locking
more steadily you could see man s
form picked boldly out in silhouette
against the boats furnace. H. was
standing. it appeared, in the air one
hundred feet ahead Of the boat; but
Of course he really stood upon the gum
vale Of one Of the barges- Still the
black profile of the boatman wo5 un-
pleasantly spectral
Iobserved that it was getting very
dark. Before, had merely hoped in
q mild sort of way that the train
which was to take me to town would not
be abnormalIy late. Now | suddenly
made up my mind that had to be AT
the office as quickly as possibly. A. |
sad before, the darkness was getting
palrabIc, the landscape spectral, and
the strange man with the short scrub
bv beard and the bright, ever-moyiDg
eyor was talking on at prodiGIous
rata about the crazincSs of the pilot on
that tow
10 put it mildly, l was slightly
ecared.
! moved away from the sturdy
stsanger not quickly but BY degrees.
He was snIl talking, and Tn sorry 10
say that his languaga was not choicc.
Il was forciblo and fry, aid if that
pilot in his little castle on the hurri-
cane deck. which looked so warm and
luxurious, could have heard what this
odd creature was saying aboTt his
famiIy and his way Of bringing up be