Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1904-07-27
| BIG BEN BECKETT. HERO.
] Observation-Disclosures
By Elliott Flower.
By Elliott Flower.

ID IG BEN BECKETT stood in the
- crowd at Elk Rapids, looking out
over the frozen waters of Grand
Traverse bay. Far away, in the direc-
ton of the long, narrow peninsula
that splits the great bay into what
are known as the East and West bays,
was moving speck.
Big Ben Beckett and the other watch
ers knew that this speck was Pete
Kline and his homemade sled. They
also knew that Pete's chance of reach
ing home was so slight as to be hardly
worth considering. 1t was because of
this that they were lined up along
the shore.
Pete was almost the exact opposite
OF Big Ben in both spirit and physique
He was small, he lacked strength and
endurance, and he was as weak of
heart as Of body. If he saw his danger
t would be like him to sink YEARLY
Town and resign himself to his fate;
or he was weary and discouraged, and
he watchers knew it. And the danger
was great, as they also knew. 1T was
lime for the ice to break. Already
here was an inch or more of slush
Over much of it, and a strong, warm
wind had sprung up from the south.
A wiser man never would have at
tempted to cross to the peninsula
when Pete started, but Pete was not
gifted with a great amount of fore
tight. He had made the nine-mile trip
over when the conditions were GER
sainly bad enough, and he was on his
way back when the conditions were in
lnltely worse. The ice was only wait
ng for that warm, strong south wind.
He ought to turn back" comment
I'd one of the watchers.
He doesn't know enough" asserted
mother.
why doesn't he hurry" was the
question OF man who had been using
field-glass. He seems to be hardly
moving"
Such a trip on that ice would use
ip even a strong man." remarked Big
Ben by way of explanation. "He must
be close to his limit
Probably doesn't realize his dan
ger, anyway"
Probably not" admitted Big Ben.
The people of Elk Rapids did not
have high opinion of Pete He was
stolid manifestations but slow,
ind far from resourceful Even a man
no experience in that region should
have known enough to stay at Old Mis-
hon on the peninsula when the wind
began to rise. OF course, Pete wanted
get back to his wife and child, and,
sven If he appreciated the danger
Ehich the watchers believed doubtful
lis only chance for some time would
be to cross before the ice broke. But
rom every point of view, he would
be better off at Old Mission than he
would at the bottom of Grand Traverse
Day or floating out to Lake Michigan
Dn an ice foe. If he failed to con-
Iider that, 1T was his own fault; he
Ilone was responsible for his present
redicament, and
THE ice has broken on the other
hore!" cried the man with the field
glass.
There was no chance for him to turn
back now If the ice broke from the
.ast shore, as it had from the west, he
vas lost. And, whatever they might
think Of the ignorance or folly of a
nan who would do as he had done, he
VAS human being nevertheless, and
he was facing fearful DEATH Then
too, his wife was back a little from
the crowd of men, looking out over
The ice with bewildered, frightened
Eyes. while several other women tried
to assure her that he would reacf
land in safety. She knew that he wa.
In danger, but she did not know how
little Of hope there was. She did no
weep, but her piteous, pleading, ques
tioning eyes, as she turned them from
the figure far out on the ice to the fig
hres on the shore. were enough to in