Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-01-23
A Break in The LsVss.

quite awake.
Lights fitted back and forth i'm the
yard below, lanterns waved and flick
cred high up on the embankment at
the rivers edge. and beneath the clang
of the bell came the confused shouts
OF many voices. anu i'm all and through
all the Ominous roar of rushing water.
AS JEFF slipped into his clothes he
heard the lap of the water when 1t
reached the house, and by and by saw
the light stream through the window
below. cleaning far out across the
flooded fields.
"Are you awake. Jeff?" asked his
mother coming in softly. shading the
candle with her hand. "Ah, you know
then? The break was just in front
there, by the big cottonwood tree"
"By the big cottonwood?" Jeff re-
peated, breathlessly. MY God, moth
er, not there. not there!"
"What In it, lad?" she asked, gently
putting the candle on the table ana
taking his hand in hers What Is it,
JEFF, dear?" she repeated, when he did
not answer.
"Oh, mother" he cried, tearing his
hand from hers and covering his face
How can l tell you, even you? Do
you remember last Wednesday-my
birthday, you know" he went on,
speaking rapidly and clutching his
mothers hand again, helplessly. "As
started off to go hunting that morn
ing, riding down the river road there
just below the cutoff / met Colonel
Sheatham. lie stopped and came
back with me to show me weak place
I'm the levee just there by the old cot
tonwood in front, and he said / must
be sure to tell father. and, oh, mother
what shall l do? l forgot, forgot
"Oh, my poor, thoughtless ladr' said
his mother soothingly.
you'll tell father for me, won't you,
mother?" the boy cried.
Il think I'd better not, dear" an
swered his mother but there were
tears in her eyes. "This is your first
great trial, and you must face it like
a man"
There were tears in the boys eyes,
too. "ru do it, mother, so help me-"
he said, firmly, and turned at once to
leave the room.
Mother he cried, suddenly, coming
back and fiinging his arms around her.
God help you, my child" she said,
kissing him, and he was gone.
jeff scarce recognized his father in
the bowed and broken man whom he
found in the chamber below. Every
LAP of the water without was like Il
sword thrust into the boys heart, but
he made his confession quite bravely
His father listened, seeming scarce to
understand, but when it was over he
said in voice Jeff never had heard
before:
"You forgot. and l may be a ruined
man. You had better go now, think,
until i, too, forget
The words, the tone smote the boy
like blow, stunning him. He set his
lips firmly together and left the room
go, until /, too, forget" He heard
his fathers words over and over again
In the sound Of his own football on the
bare floor. The hall door stood open,
and the swinging lamp within sent
It's CLEAN far out over the waste Of
water. Above the submerged steps a
little row Of boats rose and fell on the
tapping waves, tethered to the posts
Of the veranda. jeff soon found his
own little green skiff moored among
the rest, and it needed but a moment
to reach his hat and coat from the
spreading antlers behind the door.
He heard the sound of his mothers
football in the hall as the oars cut the
water, but above that, above the beat
ing of his heart and the rush of the
waves he heard his fathers words,
and moment later his skiff skinned
out of the lanterns CLEAN and the
darkness swallowed him UP.
At Saunders big Texas ranch, in
the early morn of scorching October
day, all was hustle and stir and COM
motion. On all the parching prairies
not blade of grass was left for the
hungry herd; tanks were empty,
streams were dry, and the men were
making ready to drive the cattle out
of the land of drought to the flush of
waters and green pastures of the In
dian Territory.
In the dusty yard, around the cabin
spurs ratified, saddles creaked, ponies
neighed, men shouted and hallooed,
and beyond, in the great corrals, the
cattle bleated and beloved with their
thousands of thirsty threats.
You'll have to go an hep Mason git
up bunch Of cattle in the north pas
ture, Little Partner" said Saunders
to a boy who stood near the cabin
door fastening his spur strap, with
his arm through his pony bride.
"All right, SIR" said the boy, spring
ing into the saddle.
"Tell Mason to fetch thousan' an
fifty-two head, an meet us at the river
to-morrer night, or-bust. We want.
er start fur the Nation In the mornin'
A thousand an fifty-two head, don't
fprgit."
II shall not forget" said the boy
firmly, but a shadow crossed over his
face as he spoke-a shadow that did
not leaveit as he galloped Off over tne
prairie.
The sun streamed down, blisterinp
his back through his flannel shirt, and
the fiery aIkali dust burned into every
pore OF his body. Heat and dust were
everywhere, with now and then the
CLEAN of white. shaly river-bed, dry
and glistening like a silver thread
winding across the brown Drairies