The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1906-07-28


But lie 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 wavele.
like the clean white fang of wolf.
A spy had crawled out among the
lower bridge timbers, carrying with
him a bundle of devils powder. but
just before he fired it, a soldier saw
him by a 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 beam. The man who
caused it all was found tossed in the
fishing nets below the village" ,
Ho Toi shuddered once during this
recital. The thought of a 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 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 uppsr
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 o.
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
boat. Ho TOT 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
| tell them they will earn the reward.
and | 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 Toi hurried after the moving
train. Nimbly he swing himself upon
one of the last cars and lay at full
length on its top. Soon 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 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 1t.
There was not sound from the man
In the bow. Each stared silently al
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 Toi gathered himself together
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 VI
his legs-the boat writhed-struggled
free of them both-went dancing away
|
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
reon sincerely believed him to be
dead. And all the rest of the day he
Law 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 hin
and his sorrow out into the cold.