Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-10-07
A NIGHT OF HORROR.
A Terrible Ride Towards Eternity
 on a Log.

10th of January, 1s-.
 A heavy snow was lying upon the ground; the mercury had risen many de- gress since noon; the humidity of the atmosphere and hazy sky indicated a storm of some kind, whether of snow or rain 1t was hard to determine.
 After our evening repast, my little family, consisting of four, including two children, had drawn around our genial hearth, when my ever thoughtful wife remarked:
 Have you been to see Mir. Jones about the school matter?'
 "I have not" replied, ''and shall have to attend to the matter tonight, as the school board meets tomorrow, and if don't confer with him before that time it will be doubtful about our get ting the school-house at the bend of the river"
 was one of the school directors, and had the interest of my children at stake. Jones was another member of the board, and the only one who was likely to turn the scales in my favor.
 Putting on my overcoat, and telling my family that would not be gone long, started out. Before passing the dooryard gate heard the earnest voice of my wife calling after me: "You will go by the way of the bridge, my dear, won't you?" she said pleading1y.
 Ut is too far to go by the way of the bridge tonight" replied: "I have crossed on the sycamore log many times in the night, and know every inch of it. Besides, the snow makes 1t plenty light enough to see plainly If the moon is ob- scured by clouds"
 But, dear," she pleaded, 1T shall worry about you; and, to please me, do go by the bridge tonight"
 "Ol you little plague" laughingly replied; you are always borrowing trouble about something. Think no more about it and will show you in an hour or two that the sycamore pass is safe."
 I started of whistling lively tune, but did not whistle as happily as have done in my life; for somehow the in- junction of my good wife, and the image of her sweet, pleading face. kept coming up before me; besides, I had called her q plague, and accused her of always bor- rowing trouble, which, although pleas Antly spoken, was unjust, for she ever used better judgment than myself, and had needed her entreaties, on the oc- casion in point, it would have been bet ter for me, as the sequel will show.
 The intuition of woman is remarka- ble, and true, warm-hearted bosom companion is a safe guide at all times
 and especially so in moral sense
 Some call her sagacity a weakness, but the man who braves 1t when 1t is incite6
 by love Is emphatioally foolhardy. But to my story.
 I reached the crossing and found the river @ good deal swollen, but the water not yet up to the log.
 The river at this point, which is tho narrowest for miles either way, wal } about sixty feet wide. A large syoamor, log had fallen across, reaching iron
 bank to bank, but long years before thu
 time of which write the top and. root
 had fallen into decay, and only tn,
 trunk remained, which formed a goot 3 foot bridge.
 3 passed over with a more carefu E step than ever before, for must admi e feeling little akin to superstition a had taken hold of me, but when safe ol . the other side sensation of relief came ' and laughed at my silly notions.
 The visit at Jones' was protraote
 much longer than I expected, and whe
 I started back the rain was falling f. - great drops, and the snow was nearl 6 all melted away. It was raining to 8 hard to think of going around by tn n bridge, which was fully half a mil t away, so, buttoning-up my greatcoat, . went directly to the point where a crossed few hours before. e The water was higher than had eve
 seen it, the log was nearly submerged and had to wade to reach 1t as tn ' rushing waters had broken their boundi U When I mounted the foot bridge 1t al n peared to give under my feet, but thini y ,s ing that impossible pushed along | a. reach the other bank.
 When about midway the old sycamor
 to my horror began to sway arodnd, an in e moment shot like an arrow dow fl, the stream.
 a- could not keep my footing, au of dropping down sat 'Astride the Aoatin