The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-06-23

| W get out from under her D1rden
She threshed the water In giant
| strokes, swayed her body, and sank
her TANKS until she nearly stood or
end in her frantic endeavor to rid
herself OF her rider.
Even her calf was forgotten in the
struggle. Polly saw the little crea.
ture slip to the rear, but was too busy
maintaining her seat to pay it further
attention. However. both hands
clinched in the long name of the COW S
shoulder sufficed to maintain her hold.
After time the moose, apparently
forgetting her calf, began a straight
away race for the nearest point of
the mainland.
Had not the water been so cold
Polly would now have looked for
ward confidently to rescue from the
boat, or to being lowed safely ashore
by the moose
But the lake had still the chill OF
winter in its depths, and Polly felt
her fingers stiffening in the grip. The
wind strlck her body now with con-
siderable force; she shivered, and
felt that she could not keep her hold
many minutes.
Yet she thought of the calf, and
looked back to see what had become
of it. The little thing was still
swimming strongly in the wake Of
the COW. Polly envied these wild
creatures their strength and endur-
ance and their lack Of encumbering
dress
Minute after minute passed Pol
ly'S teeth chartered, and she felt
the deadly grip of cold creeping
through her body. Slowly the shore
line drew nearer. Polly made a men
tai calculation-the moose was swim
ming perhaps at the rate of three
miles an hour. and she knew the
lake and its distances. She reckoned
that she had yet twenty-five or thirty
to endure. And she felt
she could not do it-that her hands
must soon lose their hold.
She looked back, to see the sailboat |
just pulling out from the island. She |
saw the wind catch its single sail, |
and then the boat disappeared, run
ming swiftly behind the timber-line.
Now Polly shut her eyes and chung, |
exerting all her will-power to over
come the cold. For minute after
minute she chung with closed eyes, |
ceiling the numbing cold creep to her |
very heart.
She was indeed beginning to grow
ethargic, and must very sann have
ost her hold, when she was brought
o open her eyes upon life by sud-
If the water.
Then she was shaken from her
,erch, as a hen shakes dust from its
Gathers, and snorting defiance, the
Id moose. with the calf at her heels,
dashed away, taking the line of a
unken reef. CT which Polly had often
leard, but had never located in her
coating excursions.
Shaking like a leaf and chilled to
he bone, Polly found herself stand
uS huGe-ueep upon SId'ci Ddf anu
nth the light waves rolling waist
Ugh about her She had just enough
trength and presence of mind left
. know that she must exert herself
D the utmost to keep Off the cold.
o she stood threshing her arms
bout her waist, with eyes and mouth
lightly closed, for many minutes
niger.
Then she was awakened by a joyous
bout, and again looked upon the
'orld, this time to see the sailboat
Guiding down toward her.
Five minutes later Polly was hauled
board the dory, and bundled into all
lie wraps which the girls had taken
le precaution to fetch along. Ly-
lg on the bottom of the boat, in
le warm sunshine, life came back .
} her, and when at last the dory ,
lst anchor at MorrelPs landing, she ,
as quite herself again.
1t is needless to add that during
lie exercises of that afternoon the {
ees which the school board had pro- Q
ded were impressively planted by t
e first graduating class of Chebaug-
Companion. +