The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1894-02-23
ssas here, he said. Arm fyOing to try'
There's my card gndr-J z. = -

Il. There's my card and''-' -
Walk? Waal. now
But jack wes gone,
The rain had slackened to a cold stead,
drlzslo, and Us he Wake down Tho traci
Jack could bear the Geek rushina ant
rearing along far bs9yond its banks
booming and eddyinl uearlya mile wide
The water near the edge was compar
asively calm, but ont in the channel thu
current, marked by driftwuod, was dash
ing and foaming furiously.
/ The trestle work OF the bridge was GU,
Of sight,
Jack stopped. K was growing dark.
Thsoagh a rift in the clouds the sun had
set red, and the reflection made the creek
mote sarrible, Here and there tall syc.
lmore tremhled in the water, white il
ierapidly deepening dusk,
tlf course to attempt to cross was fol
". Suppose tho Philos did lose--swhaj
lhenG What did It really matter? Then
Ne seemed to hear the shouts OF the vic,
orioas Linos-Guthridge's triumphant
'heer--and to see his own society sitting
crushed and silent,
Lie would try it.
He looked back for a moment at thf
station and the light dying in the west
behind ii, Then he tightened his grasr
on bis cane, the pride Of his Juniors
heart, and stepping upon the stringerf
at the side Of the track lie began.
Tile water was an inch, then ankle
deep and iey cold. He could scarcely
see the ties, but he felt with his cane
along The edga nf tbe beam.
Z Farther ont the track sloped and the
/ water deepened. Jack could not see the
stringer. hlt he felt for each step care
fully. II was growing so dark lie could
net sea the farther shore, lie did not
dare look np or down the creek, and the
whirlef the water ri.Aae him dizzy.
Suddenly the water became knee deep
with the sagging Of the old bridge, and
he entered the channel The current
nearly swept him of his feet. He stood
still, heartily repantilg the foolhardy
undertaking, To return was impossible
Two steps more. The roar Of the
black water grew deafening; took pos
session Of him, Jack looked up stream.
A huge dim mass was floating swiftly
down the creek 1t WIS a section Of n
covered bridge It swayed toward one
shore, then toward the other, with hor-
rihle drunken reel. The boy reeled, too,
stumbled, and the cane was swept be-
yond his reach instantly. lie fell on his
hands and knees, and there clung to the
beam, tine water surging to his neck,
He got his head again presently. He
caught glimpse Of q few lights here
and there in the town. The roar of the
river dashing on into the night drowned
his voice, He closed his eyes and wait
ed. The floating section of the bridge
seemed hours coming He thought Of
the warm dining room at homo and his
mothers face above the teacups. He
could see the debating hall through
luminous mist He wondered If Hal
stead would speak in his place.
He was growing numb with the chill
Of the water. The river seemed towhirl
and rock aheut him. Then there was q
noise like thunder. The bridge had
struck the trestle. A wave swept over
him. The trestle trembled, swayed, the
bridge foated broadside, then struck
again. The trestle tottered, wayered,
then the bridge settled against it and
was stationary, and as Jack mechanical
ly crawled on again he knew that the
trestle would hold.
Meantime in tho debating hall the de-
bate on Resolved, That strikes are jus.
had begun Guthridga had
mounted the rostrum amid the cheers Of
his society, while the Philos were giving
Gardner advice enough to have driven
10 men mad,
Guthridge had demolished one by one
the hopesof tho opposition. Every Philo
was silent. Gardiner went hot, then
cold, by turns. It was in vain for him
to answer Guthridge.
The brilliant speech drew to close.
Strike till the last armed foe ex-
pires, I" shouted Guthridge, waving his
arms madly. G'strike for your affairs
and your fires. Strike for the green
graves Of your siresp There are
strikes" "
He broke off silently. Every Philo
was on his feet cheering like mad. -Four
times the college yell rang out like a
Four times, and then the
crowd parted There in their midst.
painting with the quick run from the
bridge, his eyes ablaze with excitement
md his figure disguised in suit Of Hal
'tead's old clothes, stood Jack.
Of course the Philes won, and eyery-
body remembers howa all the class cheered
when the class historian on class day, a
ortnight later, told what Jack dared
md did for the glory Of the PhilosI,--
2uth Prescott in Washington News.