The daily Alaskan., 1905-08-09
A CHANCE OF
 PARTNE RS
IoriFInall

ENfE ulu MhIAAItA INAAlH n atas WY
 would have told them that within a
 very short time there would be trans
 position among them as flances they
 would not have believed it Neverthe-
 less such a change came to pass.
 John Baron was one of those phleg'
 matic. tacituru. undemonstrative fel-
 lows who usually choose their oppo-
 sites, and In Lillie Beck be found ex-
 actly the girl to attract him. Bartle
 Farr was a gay. dcyl may care young
 man, who found In Margnrst Ferris
 those steady qualities that a man of
 his character seemed Co need. Every
 body said that both couples would
 make an admirable match.
 It was tn the days when nltroglyc-
 erin was supplied from above Pitts
 burg on the Allegheny Co the oil fields
 In Pennsylvania, floated down in st.
 letto-llke boats some thirty feet long
 by four feet wide Each boat carried
 enough nltroglycerin to blow anything
 lt struck Co the clouds. 1t was run by
 two men, who had strict orders to lie
 up at nightfall. In daytime they could
 be seen far enough ahead to enable
 such craft as they came across Co get
 out of the way, and, since they did not
 run at night, tlcre was no necessity for accident
 The party tn the skin had pulled far up the river during the afternoon, ln- tending to drift down lcisurcly with the
 current In the twilight Bartle Farr
 who never took thought for the future
 Insisted on rowing up much farther than was intended. Margaret Ferris had eudcavorcd to check his enthusl- | asm, but on this occasion was unequal
 to the task. or rather. she permitted him Co have his way, only warning
 him that in case they were caught out
 on the river In the dark and anything | happened she would hold him respOnsi- | ble.
 Twilight was fading Into night and | they were still several miles above the ! city drifting down with the current. | Margaret proposed that the men i should take to the oars and was sec
 onded by Baron. Whercupon Farr de ! clared that they were having the best part of their excursion and as for him
 self he proposed to enjoy it. Baron | took a pair of oars and began to row. ] At this Farr made a curt remark about ] his tlmidity at being out after dark | without a protector. Baron made no
 reply, but kept on pulling.
 When thc night settled down upon | them FarT and Miss Ferris were In the bow. Farr with hls back between the two Cuuwalcs, Miss Ferris sitting on the foremost seat, facing him. Miss Beck was at the tiller, Baron on the | stroke" seat rowing. Suddenly some ! thing black on the river appeared | within a few yards Of them. and a voice shouted. "Get out Of the way for your Uvcs. and two splashes followed
 as Of pcrsons jumping into the water. In another moment John Baron rec
 oguiHed the dim outline Of a nltroglyc- erin boat coming straight for the skin. At the same moment Farr, who had risen to sec what was coming, rec ognizcd the danger. He plunged Into | the water and dived Co avert the com ing explosion. Baron. putting an his strength into one supreme effort, gave | two strokes with the port oar, and be | fore he could give third the nose Of | the nltroglycerin boat rubbed the stern | Of the skin. For few seconds the
 side of the explosive craft slid along
 the stern of the skin, then the danger
 had passed
 Baron took in the situation at once.
 The men on the boat had been running | her too late Into the night. and on com ing upon the skin, after shouting a
 warning had jumped overheard. The situation after the danger had passed was this: Farr was swimming for the skiff. Miss Beck was lying In a faint in
 the stern. Baron was resting on his
 oars while Miss Ferris was sitting quietly on the forward seat Her | cheeks famed at the cowardice of her
 lover. who had left her to die while he saved himself
 Baron knew that the nitroglycerin
 boat being without guidance would 60
 on down the river, liable at any mo ment to cause grent loss of life and
 property. He was a good swimmer and resolved Co catch lt Plunging into the water, he swam lustily. gaining on ] lt an the while till at last he caught it Pulling himself upon the deck, he seized a rope fixed to the bow. tied the line
 around his body, and, plunging again into the water. swan for the shore. In this he ran fearful risk. A rock l or root oi a tree if struck would blow
 up the boat and him with it Landing on point. he allowed the boat to swing : downstream with the current then fas l tened his rope Co a stump.
 The next morning John Baron's feat
 was known In Pittsburg and Allegheny, 1 and he became hero. As Tor the two men who deserted the boat neither ever ' showed his face In that region again l The day after the party reached home Miss Ferris wrote Farr a note breaking ] their engagement. Baron had noticed : his fance's collapse and that Mss Fer ris retained her equanlmlty. From that
 moment he showed the latter a prefer ence. which resulted In the breaking of ' hls engagement, and he afterwnrd be