River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-02-19
TWO RESCUES
By EVAN MACPHERSON.
lush! Hold on there, partner!'
Jack Norton. with hands buried

lush! Hold on there, partner!"
Jack Norton, with hands buried
in the pockets of a heavy winter over
coat, came striding over the hardened
snow, down the slope OF a dark and
deserted side street that led to the
East river. lie had just caught sight
Of another man passing through the
yellow patch Of light that marked
squalid rumshop in a basement, and
some instinct prompted him to hail
as partner" this man whom he then
saw for the first time.
The strange man checked an impulse
to look back, but only went on all the
more doggedIy. Norton also quick
ened his pace. After a few more
strides he could see, in the faint light
which the snow reflected from the last
lonesome gas lamp on the block, that
there was no need of swiftness to catch
mp with this man; the street ended
right there in a sort of platform with
IN iron railing at it's edge, and imme-
diately below this railing was the East
river, where cakes of ice swirled out of
the darkness into stray beams Of light.
and on into darkness again. The stran-
ger-a strongly built man in thick
ajacket-stood there, grasping the
head of an iron rail in either hand,
staring out beyond.
"It's no good, old man." said Nor
ton, crunching over the fresh snow on
the platform to reach the stranger,
mo good. 1 thought of doing it my
self. If you'll hold on minute I'll tell
you why"
The man in the Pea jacket turned and
glared at this intruder with the tall
hat and the air of another class.
''Who in thunder are you?" And then,
as if a new thought had suddenly oc-
Cured to him, he leaned forward and
peered into NortOn's face.
That's all right" said Norton,
standing up to the scrutiny as if he had
quite expected it. I'm not off my head
not altogether. l only want to
keep you from a mistake I nearly
made myself. A few minutes ago [
started to come down here and-well,
disappear in that darkness out there.
See those chunks of ice racing each
other? IF you and I jumped this rail
ing now, we'd be racing like that next
moment, and with no more idea of
where we were racing TO. It's all
like that, the other world is. Chap
named Hamlet settled it all long ago"
'WelI. say, if you amt crazy you've
got more gall than anybody's got a
right to and keep their senses. What
YOU got to do with my affairs?"
Norton laughed aloud. Your af-
fairs! Don't you see we're i'm the same
boat, you and /? You just listen to
me-'
''Na, ] won't just listen to YOU" the
other man growled. And if you know
what's good for you, you'll get away
out of here"
This threat to man who had all but
resolved on suicide struck Norton so
suddenly and sharply as comical that
he broke into Il roar of laughter, awall-
ening the echoes Of the winter night.
His mirth instantly reused the resent
ment of the man in the eGiacket, who,
backing away from the railing, struck
violently at him right and left.
BY instinct and long habit Norton
put up his hands. He was the taller
man of the two, active and more skill
full in self-defense than the other; but
a long winter overcOat is an awkward
garment for boxing in, and the gloves
proper for a gentleman's afternoon
calls are not at all the priZe-ring type.
Handicapped like this. he was less diff
ficuIt for the smaller man. whose
furious drives and swings fell short
of his face, but reached his chest and
ribs.
The two clinched and stamped up
and down in the dry snow, their steps
so muffied as to be sOundless, even in
the stiffness of that deserted nook
They fell. grapplin~ fiercely. and the
street lamp blinlled down at them,
like a solitary and impartial witness
for both sides, while river steamer
went putting and grooming past, as if
intent only upon its own struggle with
the tide and the floating ice Over and
over they rolled together, the man in
the peaiacket fiercely struggling to
wreak his evaporation on Norton's
face whenever chance offered. 1t was
bizarre struggle. what with its COM
zeal aspects, and what with the threat
of tragedy that increased every mo-
ment. as Norton realized his oppo-
nent's terrible earnestness. At last it
seemed that the greater suppleness
and length of limb had triumphed:
Norton was on top, the other mans
arms securely held down in the snow
But then arose the difficult question
how to dispose of this man safely and
vet humanely. If positions had been
reversed, Norton would have been in
perilous case; 4 devil was glaring out
of the two eyes that met his, reckless
demon of hate against the whole
world. Norton, on the contrary, had
NO general grievance; in particular he
had no quarrel. against the stranger
whom he held pinioned in the snow.
Only one person had been in his
thoughts as he came dc@yn that lonely
eide streets and ner he would not nave
harmed for all that life could affosd!
1t had seemed. though, that death
could be for him happy escape from