El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-07-16
AN ICE WRATH.
By JOHN BOYD CLARKE.

bly, in a booming spring flood when
he timber drives were sweeping down,
LARGELY recognized the stream under
Is present peaceful guise. For miles
he NAite ice stretched away from the
pulp mill landing, unbroken save near
the west shore, where the Upper creek
tumbled it's rude current into the
broader waterway.
The river was half a 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
mat ever swooped down the valley.
mo matter how low the temperature
ell, this chaSm in the ice was but
lightly skinned over, and the lumber
men passing up and down the river
With their sledges or heavy iceboats
lwayS gave it a wide berth.
FRANKLIN had the Ice Wrath built
hnder his personal superintendent. AS
sooh 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 were little better
HARDWOOD sledges with heavy sails af-
iXed- Upon them the settlers from up
he valley transported their cord wood
% the railway at the landing. The Ice
Wrath was built after the most ap-
proved ice yacht plans.
Franklyn's duties as paymaster and
genefal overseer of his fathers lumber
camps took him 80 miles up the river
two or three times a week The upper
camp was beyond Bannock's and back
some distance from the river Frank
(lyn always left his boat at Bannock's
little landing and usually took dinner
at Bannock'S house. Abe Bannock
was rather a hard citizen, even for the
backwoods of Maine. and the men who
freHRented the place were, many OF
them. worse than the proprietor. Abe
sold liquor to the surrounding lumber
crews and was more than suspected Of
aiding in smuggling enterprises.
FRANKLIN 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 have
countenanced any scheme of outright
robbery. Besides, FRANKLIN had gain
ed a friend at court in the person of
|Abe's wife. a coarse, masculine wom-
Ian, who could use gun or paddle ca
noe 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 a
woman for all that, and Franklyn's
|gallantry and his infectious good ma
ture won her at his first visit
kAother member of the tavern keep
|er's family upon whom the civil engi
neer had made a good impression was
Rose, the daughter of AbeS half broth
er. She had been left to her uncle'S
care when her father died, less than
year before. When FRANKLIN had sur
veyed his fathers purchases, 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 confided to the young man that
her husband had declared that what
was good enough for him was good
enough for Bills gal, if she was
brought up on milk and waterr'
When there was much company, Rose
had to assist at waiting on the guests,
ants their coarse jests and attempts at
gallantry evidently frightened her. She
was very pretty, with pink and white
III attinesS. and she looked like fragile
dol beside her aunt or among the rude
fellows who congregated at the tavern.
HID form was small. but pleasing; her
brown hair clustered about her white
brow, upon which the blue veins show
ed plainly, and her blue eyes were as
clear and pure as childs.. But Frank
lyn could not help wondering, with
something like shudder, 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
fuf home training and some education.
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 satisfaction in
keeping Rose in her unsavory sur
rOundings.
"She's a-wantin ter go Bangor way
an teach skule,'' said the tavern keep
er. But she's with too much ter me
here. The boys like ter see her round,
an.an-it draws trade"
But FRANKLIN learned quite by acct
dent that Abe Bannock had something