Mower County transcript., 1904-07-06

not tell, and with the rush they knew
very we'll that themselves, the tug and
the disabled pile driver would be swept
| from existence. The worst of it was
| that the blackness shrouded their ex-
! perience into uselessness. They were
| utterly unable to tell by the ordinary
visual symptoms how near the Jam
might be to collapse. .@,.s
However, they persisted, as the old
| time river man always does, so that
| when dawn appeared the barrier was
| continuous and assured. Although the
pressure Of the river had already forced
the logs against the defenses, the latter
I held the strain we'll.
The storm had settled into it's gait.
Overhead the sky was filled with gray,
beneath which darker scuds flew across
the zenith before bowling southwest
wind Out in the clear river one could
hardly stand upright against the gusts.
In the fan of many directions furious
squalls swept over the open water be-
low the booms, and an eager boiling
Thorpe now gave orders that the tug
and driver should take shelter. A few
moments later he. expressed himself as
satisfied. The dripping crew, their
harsh faces gray in the half light.
picked their way to the shore.
In the darkness Of that long nights
work no man knew his neighbor. Men
from the river, men from the mill, men
from the yard, all worked side by side
Thus no one noticed especially a tall,
slender, but we'll knit individual dress
ed in faded mackinaw and limp
slouch hat which he wore pulled over
his eyes. This young fellow occupied
himself with the chains. Against the
racing current the crew held the ends
Of the heavy booms while he fastened
them together. He worked we'll, but
seemed slow. Three times Shearer hus-
tied him on after the others had finish
ed, examining closely the work that
had been done. On the third occa-
sion he shrugged his shoulder some
what impatiently.
The men struggled to shore. the
young fellow just described bringing
up the rear. He walked as though
tired out, hanging his head and drag
ging his feet. When, however, the
boarding house door had closed on
the last of those who preceded him and
the town lay deserted in the dawn he
suddenly became transformed. Cast
ing keen glance right and left to be
sure of his opportunity he turned and
hurried recklessly back over the logs
to the center booms. There he knelt
and busted himself with the chains.
In his zigzag progression over the
jam he so blended with the morning
shadows as to seem one of them, and
he would have escaped quite unnoticed
had not sudden shifting of the logs
under his feet compelled him to rise for
a moment to his full height. So Wal
lace Carpenter, passing from his bed
room along the porch to the dining
room, became aware of the man on the
logs.
His first thought was that something
demanding instant attention had hap
pened to the boom. He therefore ran
at once to the mans assistance, ready
to help him personally or to call other
aid as the exigency demanded. Owing
to the precarious nature of the passage
he could not see beyond his feet until
very close to the workman. Then he
looked up to find the man, squatted on
the boom, contemplating him sardonic-
ally.
"Dyerr he exclaimed.
'Right, my son." said the other
coolly.
"What are you doing?"
IF you want to know, I am filing
this chain"
Wallace made one step forward and
SO became aware that at last firearms
were taking part in this desperate
game.
"You stand stillv' commanded Dyer
from behind the revolver. 'It's unfor-
!! tunate for you that you happened