The Forrest City times., 1895-02-22

upward to see how much progress he had made.
 A sight met his eyes that made him shiver with fright. The men had evil dently seen him. High up as they were-for he had accomplished nearly half the distance-he could distin- guish piece of timber in their hands He did not doubt their intention. With swing they threw it over the propped trunks, and he saw the fright ful object whizzing down the slope directly toward him.
 He scrambled frantically across the slide to escape it, but he feared he could not. Louder grew the buzzing, whirring noise. He dropped flat to the ground from very terror, and was covered with flying dirt and stones. With "zip!" the timber went by.
 The piece was so light that it had swerved sidewise. A few rods farther on it bounded to the side and lodged behind brush-heap. But the large timbers he knew would not do this. They would dash straight at the wall and fill the road with the wreck. Was 1t possible that his father had heard the noise and stopped? No; there was the team coming nearer and nearer the course the heavy timbers would take
 With renewed energy Tate plunged on. A flying stone had struck his cheek and wrung a cry from him, but he did not stop. He fell once, and a piece of wood cut an ugly gash across his temple. He knew the blood was triclling down his face, but he only leaped forward the harder, terrified by the thought of what might be follow. ing him. and the crime he might be toe late to prevent.
 Once he heard that whirling noise again, but suddenly it stopped. An other timber had swerved from the track. Now the toll road was almost at his feet. One, two, three more of these huge leaps, and the perilous de- scent which had in his imagination taken hours, but had really been made in few minutes, would be over
 The light wall built to keep back small stones and snow was before him. He could see the white canvas top of his fathers wagon, and the holding ears of the horses, only a few feet away. Then, behind him, came that terrible sound for which he had been listening.
 As he bounded to the top of the wall he glanced upward. The trap had been sprung. All across the slide the great timbers came racing down in mad fury, covering the broad track from side to side with cloud of flying earth and stones.
 There would be no swerving in these To be in the way of the monster logs, furious in their descent, meant certain death. The villains had timed their work we'll. In an instant Seth Brun- dage and his team would be directly in the path, and escape would be impos- sible. Tate could not cry out, but his nerves did not entirely desert him.
 It Is doubtful which showed most surprise as the wild-eyed figure leaped from the wall to the toll-road-the plod- ding horses or the driver, meditating beneath the canvas. Tate's clothes were in shreds, hts hat was gone, his face was smeared with blood and dirt
 With husky gurgle from his throat as he tried to yell "Back" he sprang at the leading horses heads and sav- agely jerked their bits, forcing the whole team backw ard down the quickly sloping road in a confusion that threat ened to turn the wagon off the bank
 It was not an instant too soon. Quick as had been his motions. they were barely outside the limits of the fatal course. Before the father could real ize what was happening the avalanche was upon them.
 With a laundering sound 1t crossed their path not twenty feet ahead. A rush-a cracking of stones, cloud of debris that covered them all-then the timbers plunged away down the de- clivity until they rested at last in the l stream.
 It was several minutes before father or son could speak or act. When they they were able to, Seth Brundage put his arms around the nervous and weep ing boy, and thanked him for his bra very with all the earnestness of a fathers heart.
 The wall was spread over the road and it took some time to clear away the obstructions. Hence it was after dark when the two reached the mines with the money safe in the fathers belt.
 The miscreants were hunted until they were found and brought to trial. One of them turned states evidence and was let go; the other was con- demned to a long term in prison.- Charles Moreau Harger, in Youths Companion.
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