The log cabin Democrat., 1906-07-26


 submitted one of the group, who had more than once listened to Yeng Soi's recital of this great happening.
 Yeng Soi grumbled a bit to himself But he could not resist the temptation to talk, and began
 Tt was night and raining. The rlver came booming along, asking for corpses, the water snarling up at the supports of the bridge, each wavelet Ike the clean white fang of a wolf. A spy had crawled out among the lower bridge timbers, carrying with hlm a bundle of devils powder, but just before he fired it, a soldier saw hlm 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 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 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 l laughed. Ho Toi could not relish that laugh. The mind of him was troubled. The man knew him now for a meddle. some fellow.
 l Yet he knew the man for a spy! But lie 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 a boat. Ho Toi listened to the faint
  | 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 are soldiers at both ends of the bridge-if tell them they will earn the reward, and l will go back to the sheds with those dirty pigs. No-I must do some thing"
 A puffing 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. Nmbly 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 a few shadowy timbers, beneath which an inky cur rent surged 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 a fat toad he pumped down in the stern. The boat danced a trife, as if surprised, the water plashing be- meath it.
 There was not a 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 a 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 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 officer 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, half 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 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 l 1.;.~, bp oncnpd