The Western news., 1903-10-28

i rel returned win d sisnifi2ancc masri-
i fled thousanotoiG by her fears
! Il called him worthless and drunken >
she said. with dry eyes and pale, tren. D.
| ling lips, "and he is neither. Poor Ton.
| Though he does drink sometimes, it is
through encouragement and disappoint-
| ment at his hard lot, and he is alwav,
KIND to me. Oh, God, if could recall
my words! But is it too late? may
save him YETI"
Inc curtis Lumber company's mills
stood on the level bottom adjacent to the
river and about 100 yards from it. Half
mile above the mills the railrcsd
crossed the river over long iron brio sc.
ana lrom'a point just below the soutnt ra
END OF the bridge an artificial ditch Lse
been cut to .ioat the logs into the mill
at hlsh water. 1t was this bridge and
'ne altch that were responsible for the
trouble which now prevailed.
Au Sable river was roaring, boomirg.
yellow Hood. All day the sreat sawloss.
Drohen from their moorinss above, had
Deen rushing by in thousands, But row
immense pine trees, torn up by .hrtr
roots, were borne upon the bosom Of ta :
raging torrent. One of these morarcas
Oh the forest had caught between the two
,hlooie piers OF the bridge. and formed
ne nucleus OF rapidly growing mass Of
l1hper and debris, the long stems of the
Sreat pines writing and rolling together
IKE the hideous forms Of gigantic SER
pents. Not only was the bridge threat
ehed with momentary destruction. but
the dam thus formed caught the waters
up ana hurled them and their ponderous
armatore Gown the ditch and against the
mills below, with violence that must
soon accomplish their destruction
10 get at the pine trunk and cut it
would release the straining. tumblipe
mass, restore the raging waters to their |
nAto"2l channel, and save the bridge ard |
the mills. But woe to him who cut it,
When Tom Harding, ak in hard |
stepped upon the bridge ard started on |
his mission. not one of the erour who
slood looking on in breathIass silence /
out leit that ne was witnessing q tra-
gedy.
Inc man is committing sheer. down
rlsht suicide. said an old lumber,on,,
VINO mad spent his life ir the for-~t I,
on the river 1T ouehtnt 10 be al'c,vc,
But Tom had already reached ~ ,,,:.,-
ole ol the long structure. and WIS feeTi~
MS way down over the tumb7inu. Grind
Ing pile IS OILY lum herman car. Now
ne $1,000 with careful footing upor tho
h'1e pine stem, bending under the avf,7f
sfraln, 9rd row he Piled his Ak with toll
Ing Tlsor. making the chips iy at eaoh
powerful strOFe. To an eve not coo-,i-
z"nt OF MS terrible danger the st,5~fv
"mperman might have been followirg y
us daily vocation for anything in his
con or manner that denoted the con- ,
rary.
but the woman, wild-eyed and pant- !
h"' WITH hair disheveled ard hanging in
9s'-&H2 ed tresses down her hack who
u7E row foinod the group cn the bank.
'eS''xed MS danger. and piercing Shrek !
hl's~ &c With the roar of the waters.
on, Tom, dear Tom. come bacb 70 mo, 1
'orTlVa my cruel words, and come bec
Tor hahv'S sake and mina," ard sba
- niue. wet. ehivering thire up
= 'H.' Vie" or its parent out on the river !
re beard not her words, but he saw
Is child end every feeling vanished ha. I
ore the pafernal. He turned and Iool. cd
me lowering mass above him. and for I
r2o'reH* those on shore hono6 he rniaht
scaNP. But the next! A terrible grind I
II crash, as the great tree parted. an
Wfn' muffled roar, and for a single in Z
INH the lumberman's form stood poised
u the broFen tree. He kissed his hand 4
rec, and above the din came the words
It was for you Maggie; you and tho \
soy. and then he went down. and was
orne away by the rushing swirl of wa =
,rs
Half an hour later searchers found =
mp. unconscious body suspended totbe
ranches of a tree where it had been left =
the now receding waters. It was at
'st thou"ht that the man was dead hrt =
oser exc amlnation revealed the ia ct that
breathed. and liberal draught from a =
mperman's flask forced down his
roat partly restored him to conscious =
'ss That night Tom Harding was car 4
ed home to his wife, terribly manned =
"a bruised. it is true, but still alive Z
nder her tender and happy ministra- =
ms ne tnallv recovered. and from his 3
rrlbie experience he cleaned a lesson 4
st will last him all his life. To-day not
happier trio lives than Tom and Mar 4
ret and their baby-Farm and Fire
de- !