Canyon City news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1903-1908, 1905-02-17

9HE Nv nat nappeneu! burst on
Wallace in II volley.
ITS Dycrv gasped the young man.
II found him on the boom. He held
me up with gun while he filed the
boom chains between the center piers
They're just ready to go. | got away
by diving. Hurry and put in new
chain. You haven't got much tmel"
Hes u goncr now interjected Sol
ly grimly. "Charlcy is on his trail
and he is hit"
Thorpe's intelligence lcaped promptly
TO the practical question.
"Injun Charley - whcrc'd he come
from? sent him up to Satller ,v
Smiths. It's twenty miles. even
through the woods"
As though by way of colossal answer
the whole surface of the jam moved
inward and upward thrusting the logs
bristlng against the horizon.
"Sle's going to breakw shouted
Thorpe. starting on run toward the
river. a chain, quick"
The 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
Injun Charley's mission had failed and
that something under 10000, 600 feet OF
logs were racing down the river like so
many battering rams.
la hppp1 tlp tono ol-
ready a-tremble with eagerness to
spring Indeed miracle alone seemed
to hold the timbers in tlieir place.
ITS DEATH certain death. to 90 out
on that BOOM" muttcred Billy Mason.
Tim Shearer stepped forward coolly.
ready as always to assume the perilous
duty. II" was thrust back by Thorpe,
who seized the chain, cold shut and
hammer which ScOtty Parsons brought
and ran lightly ont over the booms,
shouting:
Back Back Don't follow mo, OH
your lives. Keep 'eTn back, Timr'
The swift water boiicd from under
the booms. Bang! smash! bang! crash
cd the logs mile up stream. but plain
" 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.
"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-
voton of the animal for its master and
further stung to action by that mas
ters doubt of his fidelity. the giant had
followed TO assist rs he might.
you fool cried Thorpe. ezaspcrat-
ed. then held the hammer to him.
"Strike while keep the chain under
neathl" he commanded.
Big Junko leaned forward to obey,
kicking strongly his calks into the
barked surface of the boom log. The
spikes. wCrn blunt by the river work
already accomplished, failed to grip
Big Junko slipped, caught himself by
an effort. overbalanced in the other di'
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 iammed 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 swim!" shouted Thorpe
II can't SWIM" replied Junko in so
low a voice as to be scarcely audible.
For moment Thorpe stared at him.
TELL 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 greaNforces which the
, winter shad been bringing to power
Nrvstallized into something bigger than
emself or his ideas. The trail lay be-
ayc him: there was no choice.
Vow clearly. with no shadow of
prbt he took the other view: There
grQd be nothing better than love, Men,
Arr works, their deeds, were little