Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-08-06


 river came booming along. asking for corpses. the water snarling up at the supports of the bridge, each wavelet like the clean white fang of a wolf A spy had crawled out among tho lower bridge timbers. carrying with him bundle of devils powder. but just before he fired 1t. a soldier saw him by wink of the lightning. There was shot, Then the most terrific noises were born. The gods themselves could not make greater thunder even when drunk Next morning the bridge looked like camel whose back has been broken by a beam. The man who caused 1t all was found tossed in the fishing nets below the village"
 Ho Toi shuddered once during this recital. The thought of man cling ing to fishing nets all night, only to find death in the dawn, chilled him. At that point the man he watched had laughed. Ho Toi could not relish that laugh. The mind of him was troubled. The man knew him now for a meddle. some fellow.
 Yet he knew the man for spy! But he must have proof facts. For the deliverance of one accursed spy would the Russians grant him liberty, so that he might journey to the upper hills.
 During the early hours of the third morning-the changing of the guard. when sentries are most drowsy-the man sought to run the outpost. It was during one of the sleepless vigils of Ho Toi
 The air was bitterly cold. The man slipped out at the shed door. Hoi Toi eagerly followed the man.
 He had gone toward the river. Ho Toi saw him searching the bank for something. After awhile he came upon 2 boat. Ho Toi listened to the faint dipping of the oars as the boat brushed away into the dark.
 He will drift down upon the bridge" muttered Ho Toi. musing in his cunning way. That boat was left for limit is all arranged. There arc soldiers at both ends of the bridge-if I tell them they will earn the reward, and I will go back to the sheds with those dirty pigs. No-I must do some- thing"
 A pufilng noise caused him to cease planning and glance about in nervous alarm. A line of empty cars wss nov ing over the railroad toward the bridge.
 Ho Toi hurried after the moving train. Nimbly he swung himself upon one of the last cars and lay at full length on it's top. Soon a low rum bling told him they had passed the bridges end and were crossing the river. Waiting until some distance from shore. he slipped down to the beams of the trcstle. There was noth- ing now to be seen but few shadowy timbers. beneath which an inky cur rent surgsd with low incessant sob ping.
 Ho Toi had begun to curse himself for . frozen fool. when faint swish ing sound came to his ears. A long shadow drifted swiftly out of the black and snuggled in under the bridge. He could hear the soft rubbing of a boat
 Like fat toad he pumped down in the stern. The boat danced trile. e if surprised. the water plashing be- meath 1t.
 There was not sound from the man in the bow. Each stared silently at the black shape of the other; each waited for vicious shot from the low girdle of the bridge. It did not come. A moment later they had slipped away on the river marsh.
 Ho Toi gathered himself together he saw the mans shape waver-and with . low cursing they grappled in the center of the swaying boat. The man flung To Hoi backward and fell upon him. The boat tipped and stag gered as drunken thing. Ho Toi's head went wholly under. He made a furious effort. choking-he drew up his legs-the boat writhed-struggled free of them both-went dancing away.
 A Russian ofiicer who liked fish for his breakfast sent his orderly with the rivermen to their nets.
 "Ah-haa! A man!" cried one of the fishers. pointing to bending pole. They dragged into the boat an un- couth, hslf-drowned object. It was seen that the mans hand clutched an. other clammy burden caught in the sagging net
 With some difficulty they released the second mass from the mans im- bedded fingers. When brought to shore and toasted back to living. he was asked of this.
 My brother-he could not-swim. His head was heavy-I could not hold him up" he gasped.
 Twice during the inquiry he fainted from exhaustion. At one time the sur seon sincerely believed him to be dead. And all the rest of the day he lay huddled In a corner. weeping bit- terly for the brother he had been un- able to save. After a long time this became monotonous. and the soldiers. teasing their questions. kicked him and his sorrow out into the cold.