Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-09-04


last he grew so uncomfortable that he
was forced to disburden his mind Of
some portion of its load.
"Uncle Ike, he said, 81 feel like
something bad was going to happen to
me to-day" "
'Whatfer you say dat, Marse Rob,
honey asked the old man, anxiously.
81 druther be gwine down to de plan
tatlon wld note In my pocket fur n
whlppIn dan fur you to git hurted
longerme. Whatfer you say dat, chile?"
'Oh, l don't KNOW" replied Rob,
captlously. 'Only it seems to me
were gong to have bad luck. Fish
won bite, or something of the sort. "
Don't you be skeered o dat,
honey. L knows dem trouts. n got
de right sort o bait an dis yer goad to
tickle dey noses. Yer ma sholy hab
her mess o fish, Marse Rob. D."
They had now entered the lake
bottom, and had to pick their way
to avoid the swinging grape-vines,
rotten trees, stumps, cypress knees
and mud holes through which wound
the narrow track they were follow
ing.
If Rob had been alone he would
have been lost in five minutes, for the
path was crossed aud recrossed and
intertwined with half hundred others
made by hogs, deer or cattle, and n1l
looking exactly alike; but the old
negro went on without hesitation, and
at last they emerged from the dense
jungle on the border OF the lake.
The water shoals so much in ap-
preaching the shore that it is difficult
to fish from the bank. Uncle Ike was
provided for this emergency; he kept
canoe hidden among the bushes at
the water edge; but 1t was rickety,
primitive affair to trust ones life to.
NOW, Marse Rob, said Ike, as he
held the boat steady, you sot right
down dar, n don't yer bulge 'cep'n to
frow yer line. Ef yer gifts to wobblin'
bout n inmpin up n down lax boys
mos y does, DIS plroSue gwine upset,
sho, n den whar1l MS be?'
RoD promised to sit still, and old
Ike seized his paddle and sent the
little boat swiftly toward the centre of
the lake.
lney hshea mere tor while with
good success, but there was no shade
near them, and the heat, pouring
down from the sky and reflected from
the water, becap'9 lntolerable to Rob,
whose Skis blistered in the fervid rays
which seemed only to warm his com
panlon pleasantly.
uncle Ike, he SAID, presently, "do
let paddle III the shade of that tree ).
l can stand this sun. The fish will
bite Just as well there.
Ike cast dubious glance toward the
tree mentloned-a submerged monarch
OF the forest whose top had yielded to
the slow decay OF centuries and dropped
on plecemeal, but which still stretched
broad green arms over the water.
Il dunno, Marse Rob; dey mought,
dey moughtnt. t. Hush'sh! got a
p1te
Another moment or two passed.
lhen hob hunS his hshing-pole to the
nottom OF the Don't ana Petnlantiy eX-
clalmeo'
m gong 10 get out OF this sun,
oncIe Ike won I be roasted alive y
Des ez you say, young marse, re-
pIled the old man submisslvely, as he
began SLOWLY winding up his line,
Perhaps hob's troubled conscience
made MN lil-natrred, and the heat GER
tainiy mad a tendency to make him so.
imPatientiy he snatched the paddle,
ana with lew sharp, quick strokes
Drought the plro3ue under the shadow
OF the tree.
uncle Ike looked mp IN time to see,
pnt moi toward the danger A swift,
strong EDDY swept round the trunk,
ana IN an lnstant'the current sucked
the boat INTO Its vortex.
At the ola man sery OF alarm, Rob
not knowing what Sr where the dan
ger was, spranS impilsively to his feet.
AT the same lnstant'the other end of
the canoe struck against the tree. Over
the frail craft went, ,and left both its
occupants fiounderiug in the water.
Scarcely had they touched the sur-
face when there was ripple to the
right OF them, ripple to the left,
swirl and splash in the near distance