The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1899-07-11

I
70 drew IL up out of the water and !,
.,aged TO hide the unwieldy bulk in )
,e bushes. He looked at the stretched
uffalo skin with affection, thinking
hat a good turn it was doing him. All
az he Law concealed in the vicinity,
- = mou{hful of food entering his lips.
18th the gathering darkness he was
CON aaoat. bound for 'down-river' and
he old Missouri home.
He could scarcely tell the number OF
ls,.. after awhile; he did not care to
Keep account. All he desired was 10
sscape those who were doubtless pur-
suing him. Wandering Indians gave
him food when he dare seek 1t. be
held his breath when he passed the
forts and settlements on the river
banks in the night. He even 1aneieu
that the beatings Of his heart couio
be heard on the shore
"If Elyiry knowed how IT war. ne
said to himself, 'she might be a-prayin
for me, as she uster.'
The thought gave him renewed cour-
age. lie bent to the paddle with
giants strength, and the bull-bcat went
along faster than the current, yet couiu
not keep pace with his impotence.
At length he began TO chuckle grim
w 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
hsur- lessened the danger. They
'.o T - - for him 50 far down
the river, surely-they would think ne
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 a new express
sion of hopefulness and the remainder
of the night his paddles dipped IN
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 padsles
moment as 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
q rosy glow, while the distant hills
and rolling prairies assumed new and
delicate tints of beautiful summer life.
SIT ein't the wurst sort o. world, after
all-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-river boat, doubtless-bore down
against him, and he was obliged to
push it away with his paddle.
"Eow they must IA growed," he re-
peated to himself, cheerily. 1t seemed
as though he had been away a century.
His head dropped as a succession of
homely incidents passed through his
quickened brain.
A village, with its white-spired
E. church, rose from the nearer bank.
The boat. carried around an abrupt
bend and suddenly detected from its
course by the strong eddy, headed d.
e. 10 - y, he
ager, yielding for one instant to sud
den sense of security and repose, sat
with dropping face and made no re-
sistance.
There wassa sudden shock. The lit
tie boat bumped against snag; and
some one cried out from the guards
q 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 detach-
, ment of United states troops met his
, bewildered 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 heaven!" he ex-
, claimed to the sergeant by his side
| Then, in a stentorian voice, he com
manded:
, "Pull in shore. il you value your lifee
But the man in the boat paid no at
r tention. He began to push out with
. rapid, energetic strokes. How clumsy
!, the craft seemed TO him then-hov
slowly the distance widened between
him and the dreaded foe,
Cold beads of perspirstion glistene6
, on his face. The morning sunshine
r flooding the river with golden beams
: showed clearly his tense. agonized ex
preston with startling visidness-
3 5. you could only reach the Other
: side! Then Elviry and the children
"Halt. you fool!"
: Zaclx Brayton pulled away with tn,
E unreasoning, desperate energy of de
e spair.
There was hur%;ed order, the TRAMP
; of feet on deck, followed by a fer,
: flash and the sharp crack of musketry