The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-13
AN ICE WRATH.
BY JOHN BOYD CLARK.


| FRANKLIN, who had seen the rived on
! ly in booming spring flood when the
| timber drives were sweeping down,
scarcely recognized the stream under
its present peaceful guise. For miles
! the white ice stretched away from the
pulp mill landing, unbroken save near
the west shore, where the Upper Creek
tumbled its rude current into the broad
| er waterway.
| The river was half mile wide, and
although the swift current of the creek
kept the ice open quite half its width,
| there was sufficient room for an ice
yacht to work by in the stiffest breeze
| that ever Swooped down the valley. NO
matter how low the temperature fell.
| this chasm in the ice was but lightly
skinned over and the lumbermen pass
/ ing up and down the river with their
! sledges or heavy iceboats always gave
| it wide berth.
| Franklin had the Ice Wrath built
under his personal supervision. AS soon
as he arrived at the landing and saw
the state of the river he had set about
the construction of the craft. For three
months the ice would probably afford
the easiest route UP and down the river
/ and the possibilities of a swift iceboat
appealed to the young civil engineer at
! once.
The other iceboats We're little better
than wood sledges with heavy SAILS al
fixed. Upon them the settlers from up
the valley transported their cord-Wood
] to the railway at the landing. The Ice
| Wrath was built after the most ap-
proved ice yacht plans.
! Franklyns duties as paymaster and
| general overseer of his fathers lumber
| camps took him thirty miles UP the
! river two or three times a week. The
upper camp was beyond Bannocks ana
, back some distance from the river;
! FRANKLIN always left his boat at Ban
nock's little landing and usually took
dinner at Bannock's house. Abe Ban
mock was rather a hard citizen. even
| for the backWoods of Maine, and the
men who frequented the place We're
many of them, worse than the proprle-
| tor Abe sold liquor to the surrounding
lumber crews, and was more than
suspected of aiding in smuggling enter
| priSeS.
Franklyn was never molested how
ever. He. only had the money for one
crew when he reached Abe's and, as
reckless as the old fellow was known
to be. it is doubtful if he would nave
countenanced any scheme of outright
robbery. Besides, Franklyn had gained
a. friend at court in the person of Abe's
wife, a coarse, masculine woman, VINO
could use a gun or paddle q canoe, or
WELD an ax-yes, or drink as much
| liquor and hold up her end of a battle
| with the best man who ever came TO
Bannock's. But she was woman Tor
all that, and Franklyn's gallantry and
infectious good nature won her at MS
! first visit.
Another member of the tavern-keep-
er's family upon whom the civil engi-
neer had made a good impression was
Rose. the daughter of Abe'S half broth
er. She had been left to her uncle
care when her father died less than a
wear before When FRANKLIN had sur
! veyed his fathers purchases, Rose nad
not been at the tavern, but from Mrs.
Abe he gained all the facts in the
case. :.
The woman seemed to dimly realize
that the place was not fit for the girl,
hut she confided to the young man
that her husband had declared tnat
"What was good enough for him was
good enough for Bills gal-ef she was
brought up on milk and water"
/ When there was much company Rose
had to assist at waiting on the guests
and their coarse jests and attempts
at gallantry evidently frightened her.
She was very pretty, with pink and
white prettiness, and she looked like
a. fragile doll beside her aunt or among
the rude fellows who congregated at
the tavern Her form was small but
pleasing; her brown hair clustered
about her white brow, upon which the
blue veins showed plainly, and her blue
eyes were as clear and pure as a
child's. But FRANKLIN could not help
wondering, with something like shud-
der. if her eyes would have the same
innocence for very long.
First out of pity the young fellow
became friendly with old Abe's niece.
He saw at once that she was glad to
talk with him because he belonged to
that outside world of which she, once,
had been a part. He found her very
intelligent, showing the marks of care
full home training, and some educa-
ton. The more FRANKLIN saw Of her
the more deeply he felt the misfortune
of her position.
He sounded Abe once regarding her,
but very carefully, and learned that
the old man had never liked her
father, and seemed to take satisfac-
surroundings.
She's a-wantin ter go Bangor way
an teach skule," said the tavern
keeper But she's with too much ter
me here. The boys like to see her
'round-an'-an it draws trade
But FRANKLIN learned quite by &C
cdent that Abe Bannock had some
thing else in his mind. There was a
fellow, Hi Conley, who came frequent
ly to the tavern, and Mrs. Abe one
day let drop something which assured
the engineer that Abe intended Rose
for him. The latter was supposed to
be a guide in the season; but his fire.
quent trips to and from the line
pointed to his connection with the
Gree traders" Franklin felt a sudden
tide of passion rise within him as he
/ e, If 81 tl,4 frir,I
this scoundrel.
DO you mean to say Abe will make
her marry him?" he demanded of the
old woman.
"Ho! she might do worse returned
the tavern-keeper's wife, bridling up a
little. .'She amt no better blood in
her veins than my Abe has. 1 reckon
she'll git used to it. She'll like Hi well
enough after she's fast tied to him
Gals is allus ornery at first
But Franklyn couldn't believe that
He tried to tell himself it was none OF
his business; nevertheless he could not
drive all thought of the girl from his
mind, and he often wondered if there
was no escape for Rose, or if he was
doing right in idly seeing her sacrificed
. to her uncles spite
1t was long before he dared breach
the subject to Rose herself He soor
began to see, however that the cir
was losing her bloom and that the pref
ty, appealing blue eyes were CROWNS
dark-ringed and sunken. Then it wa:
quite impossible for the engineer tt
keep still any longer. One day as Rose
waited upon him at table Che had arriv.
ed late), he blurted out:
Rose, what is the matter witt
you?"
She started nervously, as though shs
i feared he was finding fault with hel
, service, and the sudden, terrified lool
/ in her eyes brought a lump into Frank
lyn's throat.
Come / want to be your friend" h,
said rs there ANYTHING 7 cau do fn-