The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1901-07-27

n IA ~ IS 800
with guns, no fish poles were present
but each lad carried a newly sharpenee
Ratchet, that glittered in the sunlight
Mines sharp as meat ak. =
Mines as sharp as a butcher knife.
And mines like a razor said the
third boy, as he cleft a tWo-ineh eldel
with one clever stroke.
M Close by the river side, near Spool
Hole, they found the tree they hat
agreed upon. 1t was foot through
smooth, clear Of branches for at leas'
ten feet from the base. Just the kind
Of a willow to fashion into whistles
The tree would suffice for many
"tooters." It, however suficed fol
just one; an affair that went on recort
as the greatest thing in the way OF
willow whistles. The three SHARP
hatchets soon laid it low. The trunl
was quickly severed close to the first
branches. There it was, as clean as
piece of willow as any you ever saw
Then the lads began to pound the bark
with the faces of their hatchets. That
was an operation that required great
care, for they did not want to bruise
the bark; they only wanted to loosen
it from the sappy wood. There was
much rolling and turning Of the log
before that was accomplished. After
satisfying themselves that the bark
was in shape to peel off, the boy with
the razor-like Ratchet was intrusted
with the delicate task of splitting the
bark in straight line from end to enc
of the log.
tits all right he said, dropping his
Ratchet and pulling the bark back from
the cut. In few moments the bark
was pulled from the trunk without
break or flaw. They shouldered the
she'll and went away, leaving the de-
nuded willow glistening in its sap and
nakedness by the side of the river. II
was a little bit of a tug, going up the
steep side of the hill, but as they had
secured the shell they were not Wor-s
ried about little extra eXertion.S
When they reached the top Of the hill
they laid the willow shell carefully
upon the grass and sat down to rest.
They felt that half of the work was
over-but it was not.
e
was fashioned for the whistle and a
mouth-end put in place. Then place
where the wind was strongest had to
be found, and next it took some little
time to fasten the whistle with ropes
to the trees SO that no strong gale
might tear it away. Then they waited
a good wind-but none came. Forty
boys couldn't have raised enough wind
to blow even the most tiny ''toot." TWO
days and nights the giant whistle was
up there on the hilltop before it be-
gan to speak. d Upon the third night
the wind came up the valley, bent the
tree-tops and moaned. When the wind
began to blow the good people of Point
Creek began to arise from their beds. d
Such sound had never been heard by
even the oldest inhabitant. A shrek.
to split ones ears, followed by heavy I
bass that almost made the windows B
tremble. Then all would be quiet for
an instant, and when a gale came tear
ing along a roar as of a dozen trains
of cars would boom forth. Some said 5
the last day was at hand. Others said
there would be a war and not few
wondered what it all meant and were
not able to solve it. But these young
sters, in separate beds laughed, stuffed .
sheets into their mouths and felt that
they were having gay lark. A good,
stiff blast came; the giant Numbered
once more and it never even made
tiny toot'' again. The wind kept
blowing during the night, but the big .
whistle was dumb. The boys wonder
ed Why-and they found out when they
went next morning to the public
square, where a crowd Of merchants,
clerks, office boys and others stood
gathered about the broken and twisted l.
remains email rs of the giant whistle that had
been blown from it's fastenings as it
gave =2 forth its last Stoot. III. S, Keller
In Chicago Record Herald t