St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-09-26

like great animal getting ready to
spring, and then with a dull, sodden
noise, it plunged down the roltway and
shot past us with terrific velocity.
1t passed 80 close to US that it swept a
breath of cool air across our faces. L
could have touched it with my out
stretched hand.
"Ohw Lyddy breathlessly cried. Then
she dragged me to my feet, and we
stepped back into the path which was
now strewn with fragments of bark from
the log. We looked back and saw that
it had broken through the ice close to
the river bank, and that it rose and fell
in the swift-inoving current underneath.
I thought the danger was over. We
were about half way up the slope, and
Lyddy hurried me directly toward the
pile of logs, for there was no other way,
owing, as have stated, to the slippery
ness of the crust at the sides.
CHANGING at the pile of lumber, | no.
ticed that Il stake at its base was bent
forward almost horizontally. This stake
had been driven there to partially sup
port the logs at the bottom of the pile.
As | looked | saw the stake move!
That was not all. We heard another
"thump" as a second log rolled from its
position on the pile.
looked at Lyddy, who had suddenly
halted and was holding me back. In her
face read what was about to happen,
and the cause
The snow and ice melting away at the
base of the pile had caused it to settle,
and as the logs were haped higher and
higher during the winter, the movement,
ever so slight, of the foundation, had
disturbed the equilibrium of the entire
mass.
A comprehension OF the dreadful
danger aud its cause came to me in flash
of consciousness.
If left to myself, I would probably
have tried to scramble to the side of the
rollway. I would have failed and rolled
down to the river.
As it was, l trusted wholly to my COM
panion. She was so clever at continuing
other things, that / felt that she would
think of some way out of our present
difticultys>
She had, up to this moment, chung to
the rope by which she was drawing up
the sled. Now she let go, and the sled
glided backward down the slope. At the
same time, she turned to me and said:
"Come, quick! Don't fall--but you
must rum"
I obeyed, digging my small heels into
the softening crust, and clinging to
Lyddy's hand, without thought that [
was burden to her. do not think she
thought of it. She wanted to save me
from being crushed under .the logs,
which she knew were coming down, and
she had conceived of plan for doing it
if she could only get me over the ground
quickly enough.
Our haste was accelerated by another
omiuous ''thump" from the pile of logs.
We had just reached the place where, a
few moments before, we had slumped
through the snow betwixt the timbers.
Before I had time to think what she
meant to do, she thrust me forward and
I fell into the cavity. She sprang in
after me.
ellie down, close as you CAMP she
breathlessly cried.
obeyed, and felt the ice-cold water
with which the snow was soaked strike
through my clothing and tricille down
nv neck. | did not like to lie down fat
in the cold slush, but Liddy forced me
into it and held me there. She crouched
over me, her face partly upturned, and
her long, coarse hair trailing across my
face.
None too soon. The log came thun-
dering down. and caught glimpse of
it as it bounced over us. The moment
it had passed attempted to rise.
"Not yet, DEAR" said my companion;
and she pressed down more closely.
''The log has gone over l returned.
"Yes, but the others are coming-all
of them, I think. Then we will have to
look out. So lie close as you can, dear,
for there isn't quite room enough for me"
Her voice shook. She tried to work
herself down by my side, under the tim
bers. But the space was too narrow,
and her weight pressed so heavily upon
me that cried out.
oil can hardly breathe" I gasped.
And, reaching up her hand, she grasped
the timber, and SO partially supported
llor weight, so that she would not press
upon me so heavily.
There was then a brief period of sus
pense, which must have been much
harder for Lyddy, who realized our peril,
to bear, than it was for me.
We heard thamp, thump, sounding
dull and distant. Then a moment of
silence, during which we could hear each
other breathing. Then heavy rumble,
another pause, followed by thunderous
sound that shook the ground under us.
The logs were coming down, hundreds
of them, bounding impetuously over
each other, gaining momentum at every
leap-a resistless, noisy stampede, like
herd of frightened buffalo, running
down declivity, the foremost pushed
and hurried by those behind, whom they
seemed to be striving to outstrip, in
mad race for the river
Of course the interval was very brief
one, but seemed, in our suspense, to be
long. Then dark shadow passed over
US like monstrous bird, as the noise
became deafening.
My companion pressed closer to me,
and I knew that she drew a quick,
hard breath. After that she lay on me
more heavily, and tremor, that |
thought was caused by fear, shook her
form. I was soon to learn that there
was another cause.
The avalanche of logs did not all