Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-07-17

crowd rallied anu trled 70 rusn IN,
but we're beaten back, grasping and
drenched.
Finding it impossible to face the
Jet which Life, laughing all the while,
so dexteriously turned upon them,
they changed their tactics, and going
around upon the bluff side. made an
effort to ngdown the flag by stoning
the mill, but the distance was too
great to accomplish their purpose.
They then threatened to burn the
mill; and TO prevent this msliciousness,
Life knocked the stats out of the ven-
tilator, and then wet the roof
thoroughly, and also the yard and the
lumber piles. When turned upward,
the let would rise nearly a hundred
feet into the air. The blusterers man
ifestly did not care to make further
earnest of their threats, and, as night
came on, took themselves off. Life
had kept his flag up Hydropathic
treatment in this case had certainly
been successful, and was a complete
water cure.
Strange to say, this droll encounter,
instead of lntensifying the enmity
which Life had incurred in the Little
vallee region, seemed rather to dissi-
pate it; for after nights sleep and the
frst feeling of anger at their wetting
had passed away, most of the men
were inclined to treat the matter as
joke-except, perhaps McGufin. A.
any rate, Life had no further trouble
during the year he worked 1t the mill.
In fact, he remained with Macdonald
for more than a year, and might have
been there to this day but for a Curl
Gus incident.
This incident did not occur at the
sawmill on the st. Lawrence, howev-
er, but at the sawmill on the Penob-
scot. Over year had passed, and not
a word had been received from Life
by his parents. Sawyers are q wan
dering class of men. Now, it CHANGED
that one OF the dilatory mill men who
had left Macdonald's mill found his
way to a job in the Whitcomb mill on
the Penobscot
He did not remain long with the
old man, however. who, like his son
Life, did not approve of mill men
smoking amidst the highly combusti-
BILE contents of lumberyard.
After the man had been told that
he was no longer wanted he relieved
his anger slightly by saying to the
proprietor: Il never saw but one
meaner man than you, and that was
young Teller Of your name
The old gentleman in a moment was
by the sawyer's side, and had him by
the collar. The fellow cringed, feel
ing sure that he was about to suffer
for the right of free speech; but Dex.
ter Whitcomb only looked him earn
estly in the face and asked:
What was that young feller's 10th
er name?
Why, they called him Life, 1 be-
lieve,' stammered the man; Life or
Lite, though mos likely that wasn't
his real name"
when and where was it?'
''Twar at Sandy Macdonald's mill.
eight miles from Little Vallee; and
the time was as much as a year ago
last June, replied the mill man.
A week later Life was surprised at
riceiveing letter from Mr.. Macdon-
aid. He recognized at once the hand
writing and laughed. 1t was not a
long letter. This was the whole of It,:
Come along home, Life. What possessed
Won to 90 milling way down there among the
'blue-nosesr Half of everything here's yourn,
and you know it. What do you want TO go
| roamin' round like a Tom-cat for! Yer
marm's beginnin' to get worried about ye.'
That was all, save that it was signed
Dexter Whitcomb' very plainly. No,
there was line at the bottom OF the
page: If ye haint got money to get
home on, say so right off, and I'll send
ye some.
Life read the letter and laughed
again. 'Mr. Macdonald, I shall be
obliged to leave you
'Oh, NOT exclaimed the other.
You know ! cannot spare you. Why,
we are maklng6fty thousand OF boards
a day now
But my folks have sent for me,
replied Life. i wouldn't go for any
other reason
| Macdonald was an impetuous man,
and expressed his disappointment in
altogether too vigorous words. he
liked Life, and naturally disliked ex-
ceedingly to lose him.
Nevertheless, Life set off at the end
of week. But he went around by
way of Quebec, Montreal and New
York, resolved to finish his pro-
gramme of tour. Reaching home
just at nightfall at the end of the
third week, he walked IN quietly, and
set down his old valice, and took his
seat at the supper table where his
father and mother were sitting, quite
as if he had only come in from the
mill.
wal, Life, cried his father, ano
this was the only greeting the old