Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1906-07-26

feng Sol grumDled DIT 10 nlmSeiI.
But he could not resist the temptation
to talk, and began:
1T was night and raining. The
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 wolf.
A spy had crawled out among the
lower bridge timbers, carrying with
him bundle of DEVILS powder. but
just before he fired 1t. 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 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"
Ho TOT 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 IroEbled.
The man knew him now for NEEDLE,
| 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. 1t 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
| TOT saw him searching the bank for
something. After awhile he came upon
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 TOT, musing in
his cunning way. THAT boat was left
for hint is all arranged. There are
soldiers at both ends of the BRIDGET
| 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.
Ho TOT hurried after the moving
train. Nimbly he swing 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 few shadowy
timbers, beneath which an inky cur
rent surged with low incessant sob
| bling.
Ho TOT had begun to curse himself
| for a frozen fool, when a 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 boat.
Like fat toad he pumped down in
the stern. The boat danced a trifie,
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 vicious shot from the low
girdle of the bridge. 1t did not come.
A moment later they had slipped away
on the river marsh.
Ho TOT 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 up
his legs-the boat writhed-struggle
free of them both-went dancing away.
A Russian officer who liked fish for
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 I'M
couth, half-drowned object. 1t 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 i'm
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 tainted
from exhaustion. At one time the sur
geon sincerely believed him to be
dead. And all the rest of the day he
lay huddled in corner, weeping Bit
terly for the brother he had been un-
able to save. After long time this
became monotonous, and the soldiers,
ceasing their questions, kicked him
and his sorrow out into the cold.
Three nights later, according to the
story of Yeng Sol, who is very holy
man, the gods again became drunk.
| and after much believing, left the
| bridge a second time as camel whose
back has been broken by beam.
The upper hills are yet waiting for