River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-11-24

what a good turn it was doing him. All
day he lay concealed in the vicinity,
not mouthful of food entering his lips.
With the gathering darkness he was
soon afoat, bound for "down-riyer' and
the old Missouri home.
lie could scarcely tell the number OF
days after awhile; he did not care to
keep account. All he desired was to
escape those who were doubtless pur
suing him. Wandering Indians gave
him food when he dare seek it, lie
held his breath when he passed the
forts and settlements on the river
banks in the night. He even fancied
that the beatings of his heart could
be heard on the shore.
"lf Elviry knowed how II war" he
said to himself, "she might be a-prayin
for me, as she lister"
The thought gave him renewed eour-
age. He bent to the paddle with a
giants strength, and the bull boat went
along faster than the current. yet could
not keep pace with his Impotence
At length he began to chuckle grim
IL with satisfaction. Hour by hour he
felt that he was nearing home. In
dian wigwams no longer dotted the
plains. Dark objects doomed up on the
hills, which he knew TO be school
houses or churches. Steamboats, passed
more frequently, and he was obliged
to use great caution in avoiding them.
although few ever remained out IN the
river at night Still he chuckled. for
every hour lessened the danger. They
would never look for him so far down
the river, surely-they would think he
had fed toward the interior.
Tomorrow night" he assured him
self. "I'll leave the river and tramp
for it,"
His face frightened; the sky, the
river, the plain took up new express
sion of hopefulness and the remainder
OF the night his paddles dipped un-
ceasingly
"P'r'haps she amt quite so bad off
as the doctor thinks, arter all. an
kin take care of her now; an I'd just
work for her" He dropped the paddles
a moment al pleased smile crept over
his bronzed face.
"Ah! the children has growed like
sixty, Of course"
The heavens seemed TO don an an
swering smile, the east bursting into
rosy glow, while the distant hills
and rolling prairies assumed new and
delicate tints of beautiful summer life
1T amt the wurst sort O. world, after
nll-it can't be so bad az all that he
went on, disconnectedly.
| Yet all around him the river rushed
in discolored, rapid food The June
rise" was sweeping down from the
northern mountains; the unsightly
/ sandbars lay concealed beneath the
/ dashing waves; logs. trees, debris of
! various kinds, went whirling past
/ Once the carcass of buffalo-shot
needlessly by some passenger on an
up-riyer boat, doubtless-bo down
against him, and he was obliged to
push it away with his paddle,
How they must IA growed!" he re-
peated to himself, cheerily. II seemed
as though he had been away n century
4 His head dropped as a succession of
! homely incidents passed through his
| quickened brain.
4 A village, with it's white-spired
1 church, rose from the nearer bank.
/ The boat, carried around an abrupt
/ bend and suddenly detected from its
course by the strong eddy. headed di
/ rectIy for that shore. The wary yoy-
ager. yielding for one instant TO sud
den sense of security and repose, sat
with dropping face and made no re-
sistance.
There was a sudden shock The lit
J tie boat bumped against a snag; and
some one cried out from the guards
1 of a steamboat at that moment pre-
! pairing to push out into the stream.
/ The startled soldier lifted his head.
and sat as though petrified. A dctach-
ment of United States troops met his
bewiIdered gaze.
Suddenly he seized the paddle with
frantic haste. Would Elviry ever know
how he had tried?
An officer was standing on the lower
deck.
"A deserter, by beaven!" he ex.
claimed to the sergeant by his side.
/ Then, in stentorian voice he com
manded;
Pull in shore, if you value your life!"
But the man in the boat paid no at
tention. He began to push out with
rapid, energetic strokes. How clumsy
the craft seemed to him then-how
slowly the distance widened between
him and the dreaded foe!
Cold beads of respiration glistened
on his face The morning sunshine,
flooding the river with golden beams.
showed clearly his tense. agonized ex-
preston with startling vividness.
If you could only reach the other
side! Then Elviry and the children
Halt, you fool"
Jack Brayton pulled away with the
unreasoning desperate energy of de-
1 spair.
There was hurried order, the tramp
of feet on deck. followed by a fiery
flash and the sharp crack of muskctry.
The deserter rose to his fun height in
the topping canoe. His hands cutched
the air. and then his stalwart form sank
into the rushing turbid waves of the
Missouri.
Only the little boat. aimess and un-
guided. drifted on toward down river"
and Elviry.-N. Y. News,
A CLEVER RUSSIAN COUNT.