The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1899-08-01

morrow that was not TO come, TO re
sumo their labors.
Ben wondered if the machines
knew that they were Getting old.
/ Steam engines, like men. require con
slant work to keep them young and
! strong and healthy.
Ben could not decide which portion
OF the immense buildings was the
least dresry; but aftc. he had looked
through them all he concluded that
he would rather sleep on the table in
the office than on the floor Of the en-
CINE room where bugs and lizards
might crawl over him.
He WAS brushing Oft the table when
he thought he heard cal. 'Ha!loo-
oo-oo!' Ben stepped outsi ,a and
! listened.
'Halloo-oo, 90, O Ben, Halloo-
oo.oo,' called one of the rescue party.
/ "Halloo,' Ben answered as loudly
as he could
What was that? Was that not an
answer?' The party stopped to listen.
"iialloo-oo.oo there" they re
poated.
'iialloo!'' came the answer.
/ That was no echow said Grand
father Bailey. cit came from the
old smelter."
Ben drew near as possible to the
edge of the stream. "Halloo"" he
shouted again.
He is there, sure enough; but how
are we ever to get him across?"
The stream Is rising" said an
other, and it's fifty miles around. 60
ii was, indeed, serious problem.
In California bridges are inlrequent,
save in the most densely populated
/ districts. During the summer the
/ streams are quite or nearly dry; dur
ing the winter they are fordablc be
! tween storms. But Ben could not he
left until the water subsidized without
/ food or clothing. Grandfather Bailey
/ took from his saddle coil of small
( rope. lying a stone 10 one end of
1t. he whlrled it around his head until
/ the momentum was sufficient. and
then allowed it to sing through the
AIR toward the opposite bank. The
/ throw was a good one. Ben easily
/ secured the one end the other was
made fast to tree.
Meanwhile great fire had been built
/ by the roscuers. Medicines were pre-
pared as if for sick person. md
blankets spread and warmed.
/ Tie the rope about you securelyn'
commanded Grandfather Bailey.
Ben tied the rope around his waist
and knotted it half dozen times.
I Nov" said the old gentleman.
don't be afraid Jump boldly into
the water. Well have Won across in
iia,y"
The water swirled and boiled and
4."!Ied the walls of its narrow bed
most iiercely as it rushed toward the
! sea. 1t looked cold and black and
deep, and the heart Of the boy failed
him
Don't think a 1t: It's only for a
moment"
ii may be that the strain of the pre-.
cedlnS hours had been too much for
Ben. He had proved himself brave
enough, suspended from the cable. and
IN his perilous descent to the smelter:
/ but now that lie was not alone. and
there was no danger. he could not do
the thing, He had lost his nerve.
His grandfather oxpostulated with
INN, but to no purpose; and when he
saw that the boy could not bring him
sell to risk the venture, he held con
. suitatiou among his men. Something
had To he done.
Two minutes later Ben felt the rope
grow taut; he felt himself betng drawn
lrresistibly toward the rising torrent,
brace himself as he lnight. The next
instant he was in midstream, fighting
madly to keep his head above water.
, lie knew nothing more until he found
/, himself before the campfire, wrapped
IN warm blanket That was how
Grandfather Bailey did things.
The following day Ben. from his
sick-bcd, told the whole story to- lis
/ grandfather who looked very serious
indeed when he heard it
Ben, he said. as he took tho
ievered hand in his, II think it has
! been lesson for YOU
Ben took the lesson TO heart lie
became one of the most fearless and
successful engineers in the service of
. the government with record for diff.
iicult undertakings of which any man
might be Justly proud. but to this dav
lac never passes underneath that old
| wire cable without thinking of the les
son he learned one autumn afternoon.
/ when the Coyote was running high
aud the sap was in the mauzanita. 49,
| Youths Companion