Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1906-08-09
Pooh---"'' groWled Ho Toi. Have.
you not had the stomach ache twice? ~,

pains as this bridge has suffered \:
s5coolly put in YengI Sol. st would re-
:qulre a new man to wreck the bridge,
and such men are scarce. The man
j who
Well, we'll, let US hear it again. !
submitted one OF the group, who had
more than once listened to Yeng Sois
recital of this great happening.
Yeng Sol grumbled a bit to himself.
But he could not resist the temptation
/ to talk, and began:
$A 1T was night and raining. The
river came booming along, asking for
corpses, the water snarling up at the
supports OF the; bridge, each wavele.
like the clean White fang Of wosf
a spy had crawled out among the
lower bridge timbers, carrying with
him a bundle of devils powder, but
just before he fred it, a soldier sa v
him by wink OF the lightning. There
| was a shot Then the most terrific
noises were born. The gods themselves
could not make greater thunder even
when drunk. Next morning the bridge
| locked like a camel whose back has
| been broken by beam. The man who
caused it all was found tossed in the
| fishing nets below the village"
! I1oj 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 NEEDLE
some fellow. -,
Yet he knew the man for spy! But
ne 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
mornlng-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. b.
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
a 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 hint is all arranged. There are
| soldiers at both ends of the bridget
l tell them they will earn the reward
| and I will go back to the sheds with
those dirty pigs. Mol must do some
| thing"
A putting noise caused him to cease
| planning and glance about in nervous
alarm. A line OF empty cars was NOV
| ing over the railroad toward the
| bridge.e ,..- .....-.
Ho TOT hurried after the moving
| train. Nimbly he swung himself upon
| one of the last cars and lay at full
| length on its 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 trestle There was moth
| ing now to be seen but a few shadOWy
timbers, beneath which an inky cur
rent surged with a low incessant Sob
bling. -- f.
Ho TOT had begun to curse himself
for frozen fool, when a faint swish,
ing sound came to his ears A lons
shadow drifted swiftly outsof the black
and Struggled in under the bridge. He
could hear the soft rubbing of boat
! Like fat toad he pumped down III
| the stern. The boat danced a trif1e
as If surprised, the water FLASHING be.
| meath it. : -. ~. /: =
There was not sound from the man
in the bow. Each stared silently at
| the black shape of the other; each
waited for a vicious shot from the low
girdle of the bridge 1t did not come
A moment later they had slipped away
on the river marsh. III. .. -E& ~.
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 a drunken thing. Ho TOTS
head went wholly under. He made a
furious effort, choking-he drew 4up
his legs the boat writhed- struggled
free of them both-went dancing away.
A Russian officer who liked fish.aor
his breakfast sent his orderly with
the rivermen to- their nets .
"Ah-haa! A mani" cried one of the
fishers, pointing to a bending pole.
They dragged into the boat an un-
couth, half-droWned object It was
seen that the mans. hand clutched an.
other clammy burden caught in the
sagging net. .az t$. 5..is.
With some difficulty they released
the second mass from the mans i'm
bedded fingers. When brought to shore
and toasted back to living. he was
asked Of this. # III Il, Fl ri
my brother he could not swim.