The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-12
AN ICE WRATH.
, ,Iidwinter Romance on a Frozen
River,
JoHN BOYDE CLARKE.

,,.o,aful guise. For miles the Wnlte ice
.-rsrcbed away from the pulp mill land
I,- unbroken save near the west short,
,.5sre the Upper creek tumbled its rude
current into the broader waterway.
The river was half mile wide, and al
enough the swift current of the creek kept
,1e fee open quite half its width, there was
snficient room for an ice yacht to work
nv in the stiffest breeze that ever swooped
down the valley. No matter how low the
tfmperature fell, this chasm in the ice was
I'M, lishtly skinned over, and the lum-
termen passing up and down the river
with their sledges or heavy ice boats al
WAYS gave 1t a wide berth.
Franklyn had the Ice Wrath built I'M
der his personal superintendent. AS soon
as he arrived at the landing and saw the
stale 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
tbe possibilities of a swift ice boat appeal
ed to the young civil engineer at once.
The other ice boats were little better
than wood sledges with heavy sails affixed.
Upon them the settlers from up the val
lev transported their cordwood to the rail-
way at the ldAluAilS. AiO 1Nc W attn wa
built after the most approved 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 Bannock's and back
some distance from the river; Franklyn
always left his boat at Bannock's little
landing and usually took dinner at Ban
IL III.
A hard citizen, even for the backwoods of
Maine, and the men who frequented the
place were, many of them, worse than the
proprietor. Abe sold liquor to the sur
rounding lumber crews and was more than
suspected of aiding in smuggling enter
prises.
Franklyn was never molested, however
He only had the money fol-. one crew when
he reached Abe's and, as reckless, as the
old fellow was known to be, it is doubtful
if he would have countenanced any scheme
of outright robbery Besides, FRANKLIN
had gained a friend at court in the per
son of Abe's wife, coarse, masculine
woman, who could use a gun, or paddle
canoe, or WELD an aXe-yes, or drink
as much liquor and hold up her end of
battle with the best man who ever came
10 Bannock's. But she was a woman for
all that, and Franklyn's gallantry and
ls9 INFECTIOUS SOph lAuAQlS WIN Ltl at HIS
first visit
Another member of the tavern keeper's
family upon whom the civil engineer had
made a good impression was Rose, the
daughter of Abe's half brother. She had
been left to her uncle's care when her
father died less than year before. When
Franklyn had surveyed his fathers pur-
chases, Rose had 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, but she
conhded TO the young man that her hus-
band had declared that What was good
enough for him was good enough for Bits
gal-ef she was brought up on milk and
waterr
When there was much company Rose
mad to assist at waiting on the guests,
and their coarse jests and attempts at
galantry evidently frightened her. She
was very pretty, with a pink and white
pIeluness, and she looked like a fragile
ooH beside her aunt or among the rude
IeiioWs VINO congregated at the tavern.
Her form was small but pleasing; her
Drown hair clustered about her write
OroW upon which the blue veins showed
plainly and her blue eyes were as clear
ana pure as a child's. But Franklin
coud not help wondering, with something
IiAe a shuddeT, if her eyes would have
uIe same innocence for very long
rHst OUT OF pity the young fellow be-
Cdihe friendly with old Abe's niece. He
saw at once that she was glad to talk with
MIN because he belonged TO that outside
wo'ia Oh which she, once, had been a part
ne FOUND her very intelligent showing
'he marks of careful home training and
some education. The more FRANKLIN saw
Oh her the more deeply he felt the misfor-
tune of her position.
lie sounded Abe once regarding her. but
very carefully and learned that the old
man mad never liked her father and seem
60 TO take satisfaction in keeping Rose
IN her unsavory surroundings.
She's a-wantln' ter go Bangor way an
each skule," said the rn-keeper. "But
shes wuth too much ter me here. The
boys like to see her 'round-an'-an' it
draws trade"
But Fraklyn learned quite. by accident
mat Abe Bannock had something else in
MS mind There was a fellow, Hi Conley,
VINO came frequently to the tavern, and
mrs Abe one day let drop something
winch assured the engineer that Abe in
tended Rose for him The latter was sup
posed to be guide in the season; but his
Hequent trips 10 and from ~'the line"
pointed to his connection with the free
traders" Franklyn felt sudden tide of
the poor girl sacrificed to this scoundrel.
DO you mean to say Abe will make her
marry him?' he demanded of the old wo-
man.
'Ho! she might do worse" returned the
tdvern-keepers wife, bridling up little.
She amt no better blood in her veins
than my Abe has. reckon she'll git used
TO it. She'll like Hi well enough after
she.s fast tied to him. Gals is allus emery
at first"
But FRANKLIN couldn't believe that. He
uled to tell himself it was none of his
business; nevertheless he could not drive
al thought of the girl from his mind ani
ne often wondered if there was no escape
lot Hose, or If he was doing right in idly
seeing her sacrificed 20 her uncles spite.
IN was long before he dared breach the
SUBJECT to Rose himself. He soon began
10 see, however, that the girl was losing
nef bloom and that the pretty, appealing
oiue eyes were growing dark-ringed and
sunken. Then it was quite impossible for
Ine engineer TO keep still any longer One
udy as Rose waited upon him at table
we mad arrived late), he blurted out: