The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-03-06

| good family, unexceptionable In char.
acter and knew of no earthly reason
why any girl, having her affections en-.
listed in the right direction, should not
| accept him on presentation. 1t was
only that my own affections were not
so enlisted that did not accept him un.
conditionatly. As it was, l declined
tie proffered alliance, but In q manner
that gave him 4 wide margin for future
pursuit, Of which he assured me he
| should certainly avail himself.
Mr.. Darwin was of our party and al
though unaccompanied by any lady,
he was very entertaining. attentive and
| serviceable to all; and before the day
was half over every one of us of the
feminine persuasion voted Denton Dar-
win an absolute necessity in all future
picnic, boating or woodlawn excur-
sionS.
by the merest accident, about an
hour previous to the time fixed for our
return home, five of us-Charles Mon
tain, Denton Darwin, Philip FallOnsby,
Mary Watson and myself-met near
where our little feet lay moored to the
river bank; and at some ones sugges-
ton it was resolved that in one of the
boats we should make an excursion
around the foot of the island, and, pull
ing up in the eddy on the opposite shore
join the remainder of our party, who
had improvised AN extempore bush
concert near the bank on that side.
Entering a light skiff, the smallest
Of the fleet, we set out on our minia-
lure voyage, and with Fallonsby, who
was an expert waterman, at the oars,
we went gliding down the swift current
as gracefully and feet as the startled
swan.
1--WE were in mid-channel, and almost
down 10 the foot of the island, when
our Oarsman by a sudden oyerstrain Of
his left-hand car in bringing the bow
OF the boat round toward the island,
snapped the treacherous blade short
off in the row-lock. The mishap sent
FallOnsby sprawling backwards into
the bottom of the boat, and in his tum-
bic he lost overheard the remaining
oar, which in moment drifted beyond
our reach, and there we were, helpless,
drifting at the mercy of the current
each moment becoming more power
ful-right down toward the Fairfield
dam, over which the river dashed in n
foalning cataract, and where escape
from destruction would be a miracle.
For the space Oft might have been
thirty seconds, all remained quiet and
breathleSs with establishment, and ter
ror. The silence was as profound as
that of the tomb. and the frail skiff was
whirled with fearful velocity toward
the yelling dam. Then boisterous
exclamation of joy broke from Mon
tain:
'Fallonsby, there is chance for us.
Down yonder where you see that rock
just above water, the depth is not more
than four feet all the way across the
river. BY stripping off coats and vests,
and holding firmly to each other, we
can gain the shore by wading.'
And would you abandon these help
less girls to destruction without an eff
fort to save them z Indignantly asked
Darwin.
MISREPRESENTATION Is the first law of
nature replied Mountain, dashing his
coat, hat, and vest into the bottom of
the skiff.
1--WE can only save ourselves cried
lallonsby. And down went his coat
and panama, along with Montain's.
go. then, cowardly wretches that
You arer exclaimed Darwin, contemp-
tuously. 1t is some relief to know that
cur last breath will not be drawn from
an atmosphere tainted by the presence
Of such poltroons.'
The boat had reached the upper
edge Of the belt of shallow water, and
without reply to Darwin's taunt, Mon
tain and Fallonsby simultaneously
leaped overheard, and grasping each
other iiercely, began fighting their way
laboliously towards the shore. But an
escape by fording was a far more diff
cult feat to accomplish than they had
imagined; and by the. time they had
reached the rock alluded to by Mon
tain, and which lay at about one-thir,l
the distance from where they leaped
from the boat TO the shore, they We're
both so entirely exhausted that it was
with considerable difficulty they man.
aged to drag themselves out of the
water upon the fat surface, affording
scarcely sufficient room for two per-
sons, and In no place a foot above the
water.
'In the meantime Darwin had not
cffortless resigned himself and us 70
impending fare. You would think that
under the circumstances there was
nothing that human agency could
achieve to avert our doom. 1t was thus
that Mary and l argued at the time;
but Darwin thought our lives worth
desperate effort, and he made it.
"A moment after Mountain and Fal-
lonsby left us he was overheard also.
striving like a very Hercules for our
salvation. First he endeavored TO sus-
tain the boat against the current by
setting his shoulder against the down
stream side, and seeking to force it
gradually endwise towards the rock.
against the upper side of which, if he
could but gain 1t, he quietly informed
US he could securely lodge the skiff
until some one of the other boats could
come 10 our rescue. Finding himself
baffied in this attempt by the force of
tho o,rrcr,f no deyterousjv whiriad the.