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

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 I'M
conditionally. As it was, | declined
the proffered alliance, but in 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 Oar
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 Farlonsby,
Mary Watson and myself-met near
where our little feet lay moored to the
river bank; and at some ones sugges-
ticn 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 cXtempore bush
concert near the bank on that side.
Entering a light skiff, the smallest
Of the feet. we set out on our minia-
| ture voyage and with Fallonsby, VINO
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 to the foot of the island, when
our oarsman, by a sudden overstrain OF
his left-hand oar 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 tutn-
BILE he lost overheard the remaining
car. which in a moment drifted beyond
our reach, and there we We're, helpless,
drifting at the mercy of the current =
each moment becoming mere power
ful-right down toward the Fairfield
dam, over which the river dashed in
foaming cataract, and where escape
from destruction would be 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 a:
| that of the tomb. and the frail skiH was
. whirled with fearful velocity toward
the yelling dam. Then boisteIou'
: exclamation of joy broke from Mon
r tain:
S Fallonsby, there is chance for US
e Down yonder where you seesthat roci
| Just above water, the depth is not NOR
than four feet all the way across tn
r river. BY stripping off coats and vests
h and holding firmly to each other, w
n can gain the shore by wading.
j ".And would you abandon these hell
y less girls to destruction without an Ell
o fort to save themF Indignantly aske
5 Darwin.
preservation is the first law Q
Il nature replied Mountain, dashing hi
e coat, hat, and vest into the bottom Q
g the skiff.
% 1--we can only save ourselves erie
Is Fallonsby. And down went his COS
IL and panama, along with. Montain's.
% go. then, cowardly wretches ths
J. YOU ares exclaimed Darwin, content
tuously. 1T is some relief to know th'
a our last breath will not be drawn fro
r. an atmosphere tainted by the present
Of such poltroons.'
IN ..The boat had reached the upp
es edge of the belt of shallow water, al
,u without reply to Darwin's taunt, Mo
Of taln and Fallonsby simultaneous
yo leaped overheard, and grasping ea'
r. other tiercely. began fighting their W.
NV laboriously towards the shore. But
an escape by fording was a far more Dill
liz cult feat to accomplish than they HI
, | imagined; and by the time they h
reached the rock alluded to by Nc
ire tain. and which lay at about one-thi
ser the distance from where they leap
mr. from the boat to the shore, they we
Ter both SO entirely exhausted that it "
! n with considerable difficulty they m;
HE aged to drag themselves out OF I
viii water upon the fiat surface, affordl
AN scarcely sufficient room for two
, a sons, and in no place a foot above
cal water.
"In the meantime Darwin had
viz effortless resigned himself and us
Of impending fate. You would think {
I'M under the circumstances there v
nothing that human agency co
ms, achieve to avert our doom. 1t was Z
lng that Mary and l argued at the til
had but Darwin thought our lives wort
of desperate effort, and he made it.
and "a moment after Mountain and
am. lonsby left us he was overheard
ing striving like a very Hercules for
tent salvation. First he endeayored TO !
tain the boat against the current
Oar setting his shoulder against the do
aoe stream side, and seeking to force
and gradually endwise towards the ~
do, against the upper side of which, il
,ved could but gain 1t, he quietly inforl
g;v. 9s he could securely lodge the
"a q until some one of the other boats c.
fa,. come to our rescue. Finding him
,ugn banned III 'uis a.'einp' " ~. -.
, M the current, he dexterously whirled