The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-07-14
Observation-Disclosures
: n rBfD wHIsTAw.
tcopynsht IN, BY American Press Asso.
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rive lieten TO it--as we must ID order
70 preserve that peace OF n1iHd without
which lifes3s rot worth fving--k We
listen 10 its whisperings, We reoblfsed,
at times. to do very revolving things
and to leavs undons many pleasant
ones.
On this occaeion felt bound to leave
untasted the pleasure Of sneaking home,
dry and safe, and to undertake the r.
voting duty Of riskins my life in order
to save this little wretch, now yelling
for help, from the watery grave that
yawned for him. It was very t1hpleas-
ant. and I hated doing 1t. therefore, sar-
cxstic reader. do not imagine that In
describing my action, a. ! must now
do, / desire to pass as In the slightest
degree heroic. do not. Ihave confess
ed that ] would rather have gone home.
What did was Obliged to DO, wbeth-@
er I liked it or no, and 1t was certainly
"no"
The little student had, found, run
straight into hole in the ice. There
were plenty OF such holes. Tor the bosom
Of the river had not frozen over, be 1t
remembered. The ice had hoated down
stream from Lake Ladoga and, becom-
ing choked in the bends and bridges OF
the river, had packed and remained
fxed. This IL how the Neva becomes
closed every year, for II the river had to
wait for the frost TO cover 1t from bank
to bank before retiring from ken Tor It's
winters rest, 80 strong 10 the eurrens u
who write, being rowing man, know
that current full well) that many weeks
and perhaps months would elapse be-
fore the Ice roof. creeping from bank to
bank toward the center OF the stream,
could meet In the middle and span the
whole rushing river. But the pack Ice
has to At in as best it can; the round
pieces have to accommodate themselves
into square holes, and the square ones
into circular spaces; hence, there are
many gaps for the first few days, and
into one OF these my little student had
run. 1t was fortunate indeed for MN
that he was not instantly sucked under
the ice and helplessly drowned. Many
poor wretches have come to no less sad
an end by attempting to cross the Neva
too early in autumn or too late IN
spring. They have splashed suddenly
into water. There has been, 1t may be,
one shrill cry for help, and they have
disappeared, no more to be seen or heard
Of in this world.
But my little rascal, when l rushed
up, was clinging like grim death TO the
edge Of the ice, bis nails dug into the
snow, his stomach and chest tightly
pressed against the rough ice margin,
and his legs no doubt already drawn by
the current well beneath the slippery
surface which would afford his feet no
hold or resistance. Obviously be must
let go in minute or two. The current
was Juggling at him 'for all it was
worth" and as pulling force it was
worth good deal.
"Helpl Hold me, for Gods sakel !
can't hang on another second" he
gasped.
ran round to his end of the hole,
which was about eight feet long by four
or five wide. There secured the best
foothold could get, and then, bending,
seized my man by the collar Of his
shirt, digging my fingers well down
under his chin. When felt I had him
tight, I babe him try to struggle out.
II can't, I cantp' he gurgled. sup.
pose I was half strangling HIM