Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1908-06-05
TAUGHT BY
EXPERIENCE
BY ROE L. HENDRICK,


The Mosher cabin stands in a shell
tered notch between Horeb and Jeri
cho, an ancient structure of logs with
a slab lean-to Round it are dwarf
pines, the second growth OF the
slaughtered primeval forest, with here
and there a giant hardwood tree left
by the woodsman's AK. 1t Is a lonely
spot.-a dismal spot,-but it did not
seem so to young Tom Mosher, who
had known no other home.
On a clear, keen January morning
his father reused him at dawn.
ITS just the day to go to the set
Element after supplies" the old man
said. Swallow your flapjacks, and
get started, bub."
Tom ate a hasty breakfast, and hur-
ried into the tean-to. From a peg
overhead he took down "grandsir's'
sled, a homemade, red-painted affair,
short, squat and very strong. It's age
was attested both by the hand-forged
runners, still bearing marks of the
hammer and the legend deeply carved
ON its top:
HABAKKUK MOSHER
1920.
His Sled
Nov. Tom," said his father, as the
two bound on the rolls of peltries.
you go straight down the notch to
the freighters' road and stop at your
uncle's for dinner. You can get
back there for supper and home to-
morrow. There's a good crust, but
don't try short cuts"
and don't go Shedding down the
old wood road" his mother broke in.
Tom said nothing, for he had other
plans, and at sixteen youth is often
secretive. especially when bent on a
forbidden adventure. Why tramp If
teen miles. he argued to himself, when
by the ten+mile route he could coast
more than half the distance at the
speed Of an express-train? But he
was careful to conceal his plan from
his parents.
Eb and Mary. the younger children.
insisted upon going a piece" with
him. He could not well refuse with
out arousins suspicion. but a mile
down the notch he sent them back,
and the moment they were out OF
sight. turned sharply up the side of
Mount Horeb. heading for the old
wood road on the opposite slope. In
fancy he felt himself rushing down
the smooth, snow-covered declivity
that skirted the mountainside, the
sled carrying him almost into the
settlement" at Bent's Corners before
its momentum was checked by the
rising ground. True, there were two
sharp turns on the downward way,
but he had no doubt that he could
make them without difficulty.
Dodging stumps and thickets, the
boy climbed steadily upward. Two
days OF rain on the great depth of
snow. followed by the hardest frost Of
the winter. had resulted in a crust
almost as thick and strong as a sheet
of ice.
Eleven o'clock found him at the
deserted lumber-camp, whence he
hurried to the road that led, mere
pencilmark through the ragged will
derness, to the valley, three thousand
feet below.
Tom carefully placed himself across
the peltries on his sled, with his right
leg extended like a rudder behind,
and prepared for a six-mile coast. At
the last moment he had to confess
that the disused roadway looked very
narrow and steep. and the stumps and
trees On each side were menacing
dangers that might be hard to avoid.
But he reflected that there were at
least three short up grades to check
his speed, and that the route nowhere
ran straight down, but always skirtei
the slope, which It half-encircled.
In any event, it was too late to draw
back now. for he was off.
Steadily gathering speed. the old
sled slipped away, past many maple.
oak and hickory copse. with now and
then an open glimpse of the valley at
MS rlent.
A mile lay behind him, and his
speed slackened as he assembled "the
hump" There he saw the old log
chute running straight down to the
river; and then he was rushing away
faster than before on the long curve
leading to Fosters sheep pasture.
Torn drew in his breath. The turn
below was the real danger-point, for
to go straight ahead meant to hurtle
out into the open pasture, sloping
steeply at an angie of almost forty
degrees. with the limestone quarry at
It's foot. But so far there had been
little difficulty in steering, for tho
center Of the roadway was now
smooth hollow, as II transformed by
nature into a scientific speedway
Now he was two hundred rods from
the turn, and making tie first bend.
What was that ahead, directly in the