Oregon union. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1897-1899, 1897-12-31
This is Fact.

only son, tears would fill her eyes and
sad troubled look come over her face
| yet Norman, or Norm as we called him
was one OF the best young men in th
city. He was handsome. brave, generous
and truthful. Norm's word was as goot
as bond, and there was not man
woman, or child of his acquaintance
who did not love him. His mother al
most worshiped him, and the cause of he
unhappiness was that on several occa
sions Norm had gone on spree with the
boys and came home the worse for liquor.
After each of these sprees she would beg
him with tears streaming down her beau
tiful face (for she was beautifully to prom
| Use her that he would never drink again
Norm would kiss away her tears, ane
promise that he would never get drunk
again; but that was all. I am sure the
dear old lady never spent happy mo-
ment in those days when the boy was
out of her sight. At the time write of
Norm was engaged as agent for COM
pany at a place called Watertown, q
sage station and telegraph Office, on the
lake shore just eight miles from the city
where his mother lived. One Sunday
in March he skated from this place home.
| He had to skate around an arm of the
lake to canal, and five miles up the
canal to the city, altogether about fifteen
miles. 1t was soft spring day and was
thawing, so that every one expected the
ice to break up soon, which was an
event in that town. When Norm got
ready to 60 back in the evening his moth
er tried vainly to pursuade him to
take sleigh and drive home; but he
silenced her fears somehow as it was a
bright moonlight night, and Norm was a
famous skater. After he had gone few
minuets, she got up from her chair,
walked once or twice across the room,
and then apparently by the effort of some
other will than her own, she went into
her bed room, put on her bonnet and
shawl, went to the kitchen for her over
shoes, locked up the house, and was out
on the street before she knew for what
purpose, as she firmly declared. At the
gate her thoughts began to take form.
She knew her boy was in danger, and
something must be done. Jack was
Norm's best friend to him she went with
her fears, and they were soon in cutter
behind fast horse on the way to Water
town, for Norm had started and Jack had
seen him off nearly half hour before.
In less than another hour they were at
the station where Norm ought to have
been, but he was not there, and the men
who were there jumped up excitedly
saying the ice had broken for miles along
the lake shore, and they did not think it
possible for him to land, if he was on the
lake. Jack suggested to the pale, brave
little woman, that he would probably
turn back; but he had no faith in it, for
he knew Norm well, and Norm knew the
ice well enough to know, that if it had
broken in front of him, it was also brok-
en- behind him. The men at the station
also knew and they said nothing, but got
lanterns, and we all started for the lake
one mile away. When we got there big
cakes of floating ice were bobbing up and
down everywhere, and out in the moon
light about thousand yards from shore
was the solitary figure of our skater who
saw nothing around him but death. He
had screamed himself hoarse, but he
might scream forever and not be heard,
for there was no one living within miles
of the barren spot. Frank Tuford, big
brave Scothman, made a trumpet of his
hands, and hailed him, and we could just
hear his feeble answer. Then Tufford
halloed his instructions. "Skate north
mile to where the river runs into the
lake, and wait a safe distance from the
edge We will bring boat" We saw
Norm start and the men started on a
run for the boat, leaving Jack and Norm's
mother. Up to this time the poor little
woman had not uttered word, but the
agony on her face was indiscripable.
She wanted to follow the men; but Jack
knew that was impossible, SO he led her
around by the road. When they reach
ed the river the boat had already put off
They could distinctly see it lodging
around, with two men standing up with
long pike poles pushing aside the heavy
cakes of ice; but they could not see
Norm, and Jacks heart went down for he
knew she too, was looking for her boy.
At last Jack looked again at the boat
which appeared to be coming nearer, and
counted four men in it, then he knew
Norm was safe, and he threw his arms
around the little woman and said,
''Norm's in the boat Mrs. Allen" and
then she tainted. When the boat landed
Jack was busy chafng her hands and her
temples, and holding her head on his
knee to keep it out of the snow. Norm
rushed up to them and throwing himself
down beside her said wildly, .Mother!
Mother! Mother! my God Jack, is she
dead" One of the men went for the
cutter, and by the time it returned she
had regained consciousness, when look
ing into the face of her weeping son she
said, so Norman, thank God" and these
were the first words she uttered from the
time she heard the ice was broken.
When we got to the station, and the fire,
Mrs. Allen looked ten years older than
she had been three hours before. One
of the men brought whiskey and she
as she looked at her boy, who |
was standing beside her, with his hand |