Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-05-10

river. IA chain, quick"
Inc men followed, strung high with
excitement Hamilton, the Journalist,
paused long enough to glance up
stream. Then he. too, ran after them,
screaming that the river above was full
OF logs. BY that they all knew that
ln1un Charley's mission had failed and
that something under 100000 feet Of
logs were racing down the river like SO
many gathering rams.
AT the boom the great Jam was al
ready a-tremble with eagerness to
spring. Indeed miracle alone seemed
to hold the timbers in their place.
Its death, certain death, to go out
on that BOOM" muttered Billy Mason.
Tim Shearer stepped forward coolly,
ready as always to assume the perilous
duty. He was thrust back by Thorpe.
who seized the chain, cold-shut and
hammer which Scotty Parsons brought
and ran lightly out over the booms.
shouting:
Back! Back! Don't follow me, on
your lives! Keep 'em back, Tim!'
The swift water boiled from under
the booms. Bang! smash! bang! crash
ed the logs mile up stream, but plain
ly audible above the waters and the
wind. Thorpe knelt, dropped the cold
shut through on either side Of the
weakened link and prepared to close it
with his hammer. He intended further
to strengthen the connection with the
other chain. 4
"Lemme hold her for you. You can't
close her alone" said an unexpected
voice next his elbow.
Thorpe looked up in surprise and an
ger. Over him leaned Big Junko. The
men had been unable to prevent his
following. Animated by the blind de-
votion of the animal for its master and
further stung to action by that mas
ter's doubt Of his fidelity, the giant had
followed to assist as he might.
you fool" cried Thorpe, exasperat-
ed, then held the hammer to him.
'Strike while keep the chain under
neath!" he commanded
Big Junko leaned forward to obey,
kicking strongly his calks into the
barked surface Of the boom log. The
spikes, worn blunt by the river work
already accomplished, failed to grip.
Big Junko slipped. caught himself by
an effort, oyerbalanced in the other d.
rection, and fell into the stream. The
current at once swept him away, but
fortunately in such. direction that he
was enabled to catch the slanting end
Of dead head" log whose lower end
was damned in the crib. The dead
head was slippery, the current strong.
Big Junko had no crevice by which to
assure his hold. In another moment he
would be torn away.
Let go and swimv' shouted Thorpe.
81 can't swim,' replied Junko in so
low voice as to be scarcely audible.
For moment Thorpe stared at him.
'sTell Carrie" said Big Junko.
Then there beneath the swirling gray
sky under the frowning jam, in the
midst Of flood waters. Thorpe had his
second great moment of decision. He
did not pause to weigh reasons or
chances, to discuss with himself expe-
diency or the moralities of failure. His
actions were foreordained, mechanical.
All at once the great forces which the
winter had been bringing to power
crystallized into something bigger than
himself or his ideas. The trail lay be-
fore him; there was no choice.
Now clearly, with no shadow Of
doubt he took the other view: There
could be nothing better than love. Men,
their works, their deeds, were little
things. Success was little thing, the
opinion OF men little thing. Instantly
he felt the truth of it.
And here was love in danger. That
1t held its moments habitation in clay
of the coarser mold had nothing to do
with the great elemental truth of it.
For the first time in his life Thorpe
felt the full crushing power of an alb
straction. Without thought, instinc-
lively, he threw before the necessity Of
the moment all that was lesser. TWAS
the triumph of what was real in the
man over that which environment,
alienation, difficulties, had raised up
within him.
At Big Junko's words Thorpe raised
his hammer and with one mighty blow
severed the chains which bound the
ends of the booms across the opening.
The free end Of one of the poles i'm
mediately swung down with the cur
rent in the direction of Big Junko.
Thorpe, like cat ran to the end of
rne boom, seized the giant by the col
lar and dragged him through the wa
ter to safety
Run" he shouted. "Run for your
life.
The two started desperately back,
skirting the edge of the logs which now
the very seconds alone seemed to hold
back. They We're drenched and blind
ed with spray, deafened with the crash
of timbers settling to the leap. The
men on shore could no longer see them
for the smother The great crush Of
logs had actually begun Its first majes-
tic sliding motion when at last they
emerged to safety.
At first few of the loose timbers
found the opening, slipping quietly
through with the current; then more.
Finally the front of the jam dove for
Nror /