Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-18

81 amt a-going to be killed." said the boy,
resolutely. I'm going to hold you to your
bargain
Would you let him try?" ask ed the boss,
turning to the men 'Do you think he'd stand
any show"
"Well," answered one of them, pausng in
his efforts to demolish an immense piece of
boiled pork, 81 don't ralely. 'spose he'd stand
as good show of gettin' killed as a man
boys1l go through most anything. When l
vas a youngster | rid a single log through
the rips at Island Falls when the water kivered
the log clear to my knees, though shouldn't
darse do it now"
And 50 Mr.. Hall yielded to the boys deter
mination to undertake the job.
He sent number of men down the stream
to do what they could in case the venture
some lad should fail to regain the shore and
be carried down with the logs, and Nick
Arnold, grasping an ak, stepped bravey out
to the front Of the drive, to win the promised
hundred dollars-an almost fabulous sum in
his eyes.
Once he seemed to falter, and Mr.. Hall
called to him to return, but the roar of the
water drowned all other sounds, as he moved
forward and stepped down upon the huge
log, ,jammed squarely across the falls, it hav-
ing been uncovered by the men In their efforts
to break the jam.
Nick stood upon the submerged log, which
was bending with an immense weight bearing
against it, and looked down the long stretch
of rushing water, gave one glance toward the
wooded shore, from which the men were anx-
iousIy watching him, and swung the ak
quickly over his head.
Those on the bank saw the bright ak gilt.
ter in the April sunshine; saw the long, light
hair Of the boy dancing in the wind as he
bent forward to give force to his blows. Then
report like cannon doomed above the rush
OF the water, and the logs grated and crushed
together, as they started suddenly forward.
"There she hauls!" shouted one of the
men.
But where was Nick? The sudden crash of
the breaking log, and the instantaneous move
ment of the jam, had startled the expectant
men to such degree that they had failed to
notice the movements of the boy.
"He's gone, sure" muttered one of the
men, his bronze face blanched to a grimy
white. "We'd orter knowed better n let
him try it,"
But the logs were moving splendidly. They
rolled over and over each other, as they hur-
ried by. Now and then one of them would
be forced up among the huge rocks that lined
the shores, only to. be snapped asunder like
pipestems, as the irresistible mass swept by.
Would they find the mangled remains of little
Nick Arnold? or would he be ground to atoms
in this terrible mill?
MIR. Hall walked down along the "tote-path,"
beside the stream. The jam was broken, but
men drowned, but this death could be laid
directly to himself. Slowly he made his way
along the rough path, clambering over wind
falls, and brooding upon the brave boys death
and the mothers sorrow, when she learned
the sad news. After awhile, he reached the
foot of the rapids, and saw a group of men
on the shore, and among them a little, drench-
ed form that caused his heart to bound, and
his pulse to beat with gadness. 1t was Nick
Arnold, safe and sound, with the exception of
few slight bruises.
"We seed him clingin' to log, and pulled
him ashore afore the thickest of 'em got here"
said one of the men.
And Nick explained how the log had given
away much sooner than he expected, throwing
him into the water, with no other chance but
to swim down the stream, though the foam
completely covered him good portion of the
time.
When near the foot of the rapids, he had
seized a log, which served to rest him some
what, and the watchers below had succeeded
in rescuing him, though not moment too
soon, as the stream was almost Immediately
filled with the whirling tree-trunks.
'But earned my hundred dollars" said
Nick, proudly
And he GOT the money