Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1908-12-09

like a citadel OF bone and Drawn,
biceps as hard as steel wire cable and
fist like cobblestone, Red Ed"
Elan of the Saginaw valley was such
a man as might, in another century,
have carried a spear with Menelaus
before Troy, or welded mace with
the lion-hearted Richard in Palestine.
If fate had placed Red Eds leaf
of life on her calendar some hundreds
of years earlier, his deeds might have
furnished worthy themes for the pens
OF Homer or Virgil or Walter Scott,
instead of merely providing copy for
the weekly papers of Gratiot County,
Michigan.
As it was, Red Ed welded nothing
more warlike than pike-pole and a
peavey with other lumbermen among
the Michigan pines, and his fame, al
though spread from Saginaw Bay to
the head waters of the Tittabawassee
and the Pine, never went beyond the
confines o. those river valleys.
What Elan had been Or where he
came from, were queries which his
companions in the woods and on the
river never put When the big man,
with his heavy shock of dull red hair,
first appeared on the spring drive
down the Pine, they recognized in
him an expert in his craft, accepted
that fact as sufficient introduction,
and dubbed him RED Ed" by COM
mon consent. Later they learned
some other facts concerning him. very
hard. uncompromising facts, taught
mainly by weight OF hand.
Red Ed was not talker. He was
far more ready with blow than
word, and by that his reputation was
built. There were dark hints and
rumors, too, and these, added to the
more substantial reasons, helped to
make the man universally feared. In
the spring OF 1885, when Margaret
Spaulding first became teacher in the
little country school on the river road
west OF Alma, Red Ed had been log
ging on the Pine for Ave years, and
had become known as a veritabie
scourge OF the whole section.
Margaret had heard OF the rough
ness of the loggers along the river.
She had seen many of the men them
selves on the streets in Saginaw. She
had even known something Of the
wild reck:essness Of their 6oings
when of duty at the towns along the
course of the drive, and she had
heard of Red Ec.
That she should ever come into d.
rect contact with this bad man Of
the lumber country she never imag-
ined possible.
Now, Margaret's attitude toward
the so-cal!ed danger was quite iusti-
aed by Ordinary circumstances, for it
Was not an ordinary Circumstance
that brcuga: Red Ed into Ter vicini-
ty; it was a snow-storm in May.
1t showed hard and grew very cold
one afternoon when Red Ed was on
the river, opposite the schoolccsse.
The change in the weather came as
surprise, and the man was out OF
matches with which to light nfz riiver-
side campfire.
Unfortunately, he was not out of
whisiy, which ne had obtained IN the
last Gown ne had passed. So he
drank, and then started through tie
woods in search OF farmhouse
where he might obtain matches. AS
it cnanced, he arrived at the road di-
rectly opposite the schoolhouse just
as Margaret was disnissing from the
door a -half-dozen boys whom she had
.ept after school for coming to blows
over the last possible SNOWFALL fight
of the szssor. At another time ne
would have found the schoolhouse
empty.
Teacher, look there! That's Red
Ed" exclaimed one OF the older boys
the momeIt the man entered the
road. The little fellow had seen the
river-man in town, and recognized
him instantly.
The remar-i was danger-signal to
the others, and they scurr:ed back
into the hoolroom with a prompt
ness which showed how we'll every
one knew the evil reputation OF the
owner OF that name.
Margaret herself needed no expia-
nation OF their terro:. Fer heart
gave a great bound o. sudden appra-
hensiop, and the momensary glance
she gave the big man in the road did
not serve to reassure her. She did
not dare to look second time, but
closed the Goor as quietly as she
could, and silently pushed home a
heavy bolt. Then she waited, striv-
ing to quiet fear which she told her.
self was foolish. The man might not
be Red Sd. Even It he were, he
could have no motive for coming to
) the schoolhouss.
But Red Ed did not 90 away. He
came up the path to the schoolhouse
steps and UP the steps,, The girl in
side with the children heard him COM
ing. All the stories OF terrible deeds
reputed to have been committed by
him rushed into her mind, and wild
terror seized her.
She did not scream, but acted
quickly. She ran 20 window al the
back OF the schoolhouse, softly raised
it, and beclonins the bo.s to her,
began to help them up and ous. One
boy had crossed the sill and second
was being aided to mount, when the
man outside tried and then ratified
the door.
Margaret was ready TO faint with