The Forrest City times., 1902-02-07

SI aS>. uft to warm themS selves dur ing the bitter winter. and reeds to ihatch their cots; all these were the relefits the marshmen received from the lands. And all these would be lost hy draining and inclosure.
 What wonder they were furious. Yet what could they do?
 For many months hundreds of men Lad been at work. The Sutter. through which hitherto the salt tides had made 'heir way up into the marshes. had been confined within its banks by huge dykes. Drains and floodgate> had been constructed The marshes were dry 'Hg rapidly. and all was ready for par ceilng out the land with fences and turning it over to the blow and har- TOW.
 Osd Pritehett. Selina's father. was "He of the best known "slodgerS." All hts life he had she1 and trapped over he marshes. and his daughter inher- ted his intense love for these vast ex- tanses of breezy flats.
 selma Was an exceptionally hand seme girl, and naturally had many ad- M1rers. But Joe Reaye and Naue Mer- Itt were generally allowed to be the oHi} two who had any chance.
 Aane Merritt. ii might have been sup posed. would have been more likely to yin her. He was the son of small farmer in the neighborhood. and his expectations were far better than heaTe's, who was but marsh hman like selina's father. although better edu- cated than the majority of his class.
 But. a> We have seen. there was no ooabt in the world which Selina pre- ferred. This Merritt knew. aNd had >v orn to get even with Reaye.
 Black night in mid December. The soft marsh lands. soft in deep, sticky mud and the Sutter swollen with heavy rams. brimming 10 the top of the new entertainments. and striving with fury against it's unaccustomed bonds. IL had been wet autumn, which had eliminated in a three days downpour, giving the river and the great new drains much ado to carry Gown into the sea the overflow from the higher grounds inland. Thi, night strong northeaster had arisen and torn away the canopy of cloud, flowing he win ter stars to sparkle in he black waters beneath.
 On the embankment, just where the Sutter curves into West Marsh. stood mana tall. powerful figure He car ried q wide-bladed pickaX and heavy Nhosel.
 Laying these down. ne Wal Iked to the top of he dyke and few yards along it. testing the ground with his iron he'd heel. The water was within six inches of the top of the bank. and the current, usually SO slack and lazy, swinging a,ong with terrific force and power.
 "This'H dc" he muttered to himself. l He returned to where his tools lay, picked them up. and began a savage onslaught on the soaking soil. Begin ming about four feet below the top of the dyke, at point just beyond the elbow of the curve. he soon had cut a gaping hole in the wide, new rampant. The whole force of the current here imp!inged on the dyke and he reck- oned that. once gapped the river would do the rest, and burs ting through. 1 speedily tear a huge rent and spread once more across the marshes. Twenty minutes passed. He was more than half way through. and the I river still rising.
 Suddenly he stopped, pickaX in hand and listened hard Bah. it was but the wind crying through the upper air. He went on digging. his mattock thud- ! ding into the soaking soil. The sound l again-men's voices. Yes. and ap- preaching from the west down along the yke. But nothing was visible. i They won't see me. whoever they 1 be- he said to himself. The curve e l the bank hides me. so I'll see them first" And again he hacked at the rapidly thinning bank.
 The voices ceased, but instead there came a sound of hurrying feet. Joe worked with desperate energy. Fig ures came in sight running towards | him.
 "Her4 he s." shouted some one. Joe ] Merits voice. but never an inch did he budge. The marshman's blood was up. Thud, thud, the water was begin ming to trickle through.
 They were upon him, three deputy sheriffs and Merritt. Merritt a little in advance of the others.
 "Ah. you sneaking spy" roarcd the big marshman, as the other. with stick upraised, rushed upon him.
 With a fiail-,ike sweep of his mat tock he dashed him aside. stick and all. sending him rolling over and over down the steep dyke side.
 The sheriff, men were upon him, but he sprang aside. One slipped and fell, but as he fell seized Reave'> leg and pulled him down; the others closed, and in a struggling mass all four went rolling where Merritt had already fallen.
 Boom. and a black mass of icy wa fer Spouted from behind them in a