Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-07-18

bide, sir, we'll make you comfort
able
No, no. said I. I mist get to
my own bed
If you'll not go round by the
shore, SIR said the man, leave me
pilot you across
Stay with your lad said I some
what testify. I'll cross by the ice
"Twill be the longest way home
the night said he.
'When man is sleepy and worn
out he can be strangely perverse. l
would have my own way; and, to my
cost, 1 was permitted to take it..
Tommy's father led me down to the
landing stage, put gaff in my hand,
and warned me to be careful-warned
me particularly not to take step
without sounding the ice ahead with
my gait; and he brought the little
lesson to an end with a wistful,
'Wisht you wouldn't risk it.
''The tone of his voice, the earnest
ness and warm feeling with which he
spoke, gave me pause. I hesitated;
but the light in my surgery window,
shining so near at hand, gave me Wis
ion of clean and comfortable rest, and
put the momentary indecision away
from me.
+" Tt is a quarter of a mile to my
surgery by the ice,' said, and it is
four miles round the harbor by the
road. I'm going by the shortest way
You'll find it the longest, sir,
said he.
81 repeated my directions as to the
treatment of Tommy, then gave the
man good night and stepped out on
the ice, gait in hand. The three hours
following were charged with more
terror and despair than, doubtless,
any year of my life to come shall
know. I am not morbidly afraid Of
death. 1t was not that-not the sim
pie, natural fear of death that made
me suffer. It was the manner of it's
coming-in the night, with the harbor
folk, all ignorant of my extremity,
peacefully sleeping around me-the
slow, cruel approach of it, closing in
upon every hand, lying all about me,
| and hidden from me by the night"
The doctor paused. He looked over
the quiet water of the harbor.
eyes," he said, repeating the short,
| nervous laugh, cit was narrow
| escape. The sun of the afternoon
| it had shone hot and bright-had
| weakened the ice, and a strong, gusty
wind, such a wind as breaks up the ice
every spring. was blowing down the
harbor to the sea. It had overcast
the sky with thick clouds. The night
| was dark. Nothing more of the OPP
posite shore than the vaguest outline
of the hills-a blacker shadow in a
black slzy-was to be seen.
'Rut I had the lamp in the surgery
window to guide me, and I pushed out
from the shore, resolute and hopeful.
[ made constant use of my gait to
sound the ice. Without it l should
have been lost before had gone
90 yards. From time to time, in
| rotten places, it broke through the
ice with but slight pressure; then I
had to turn to right or left, as seemed
best, keeping to the general direction
| as well as I could all the while.
GAS I proceeded, treading lightly
and cautiously, was dismayed to find
| that the condition of the ice was
worse than the worst I had feared.
'Ah,' thought I, with a wistful
glance toward the light in the win
| dow, I'll be glad enough to get
| there
There were lakes of open water in
| my path; there were flooded patches,
sheets of thin, rubbery ice, stretches
OF rotten 'slob.' I was not even sure
that a solid path to my surgery
wound through these dangers; and if
path there were, it was puzzling
maze, strewn with pitfalls, with death
| waiting upon misstep.
Had it been broad day, nv situa-
ton would have been serious enough.
In the night, with the treacherous
| places all covered up and hidden, it
| was desperate. I determined to re-
| turn; but I was quite as unfamiliar
with the lay of the ice behind as with
| the path ahead. A moment of thought
| persuaded me that the best plan was
| the boldest-to push on for the light
III Cllc W1uuOW. i SIOulu nave, at
| least, a star to guide me.
| I have not far to CO. thought.
I must proceed with confidence and
| common sense sort Of caution. Above
| all, must not lose my nerve
''It was easy to make the resolve;
it was hard to carry it out. When [
was searching for solid ice and nv
| gait splashed water, when the ice Of
fered no more resistance to nv
| gait than a similar mass of sea-foam.
when my foothold bent and cracked
| beneath me, when, upon either side,
| lay open water, and narrowing, I'M
certain path lay ahead, my nerve was
| sorely tried.
| cat times, overcome by the peril I
could not see, I stopped dead and
| trembled. I feared TO strike my gait,
feared to set my foot down, feared to
! quit the square foot of solid ice upon
which [ stood. Had it not been for
| the high wind-high and fast rising
! to gale-T ShOuld have sat down and