Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-01-18

make himself at nome. Next morning
there was Scotty out in front of his
cabin. his thumbs in his vest holes,
looking up.
WHATS the matter. Scotty? says l.
"welI, wisht you'd tell me what
in the name of God went through that
roof p says he.
81 swaIlered laugh crossways and
put on serious face. Must have been
rock says /.
Rock nothfn'.' says he. If it had
been rock 'twould have stayed in the
cabin, wouldn't 1t? Well. there amt
the first blasted thing of any shape nor
description In there but the hole. You
can go in and look for yourself
.Tt cost Scotty one case Of rye to
make us forget those circumstances"
81 should have thought the man
would be killed. striking on the roof
that way" said Miss Matte.
"Oh, no. Roof was made of quaking
asp sapiings, just about strong enough
to break his fall. Scotty was the
sleeper, though! 1t wasn't hardly nat
ural the way that man could pound his
ear through thick and thin. He had
quite surprising time of it once. He'd
| been prospecting round the Ruby re-
| fractory ore district and he came out
at Hank Cutters sawmill just at sun
down. Hanks place was full of gold
| rushers, so Old Scotty thought he'd
sleep outdoors in peace and quiet. He
| discovered some big boxes that Hank
| was making for ore bins for the new
| mill, and as the ground was kind of
damp from a thunder shower they had
that day he spreads his blanket inside
the box and goes to sleep. Ore bins
have to be smooth and dust tight, so
1t wasn't bad shanty.
| "Well, there came a jar and walked
him up. The box was rolling a little
and going along. going along forty
| mile an hour. Scotty lit a match and
found he was In a kind of big tunnel,
but the wall was flying by so fast he
couldn't make out just what kind OF
a tunnel it was. Now. he'd gone te
sleep in peace and quiet on side hill,
and to wake up and find himself boa,
riding in a tunnel was enough to sur.
prise anybody. First he pinched him
self to see if It was Hanks pie or a
cold fact: found 1t was Il fact: then he
lit another match and leaned over and
/ looked at the black water underneath
| but this made the box tip so it scarf
him. and he settled down in the bot
tom again. He didn't try to think
What was the use? No man Twins
could have figured things out with the
few facts Scotty had before him. AZ
of sudden the box made a rush ant
shot out into the air. and Scotty fel
they We're falling. God sakesr b,
says to himself. What's next, | won
deri' Then they hit the water below
with kerfiap that nearly telescopet
Scotty and sent the spray flying. Aft
er that they went along smooth again
Well says Scotty. L don't know
| where 1 am, nor who am. nor what
happened. nor who's it, nor nothin.
about this game. So far l amt beef
hurt, though. and l might just as wei
lie down and get little more rest
1T was broad daylight when b.
woke up again, and a man was look
| IhIo luC IVA. Dd1uHtI. II
says. I hope you've had a pleasan
journey. Do you always travel thi
wayT
"Seotty raised up and found hi
craft was aground, high and dry-n
water within n hundred feet of II
On one side was quite a little town.
Say says he. could 1 trouble yo
to tell me where I am, friendT
You're at Piacerville,' answers tn
ether
'Placervillev yells Scotty. And
went to sleep at Cutters mill. sixty
five miles from here! What are 20
giving us. man?
I'm putting it to you straight say
the stranger. Take a look aroun
you
"Seotty looked, and there was a
kinds Of wreckage, from dead bee
critter to wheelbarrow.
"'What in nations all this?' says h
'Washout,' says the man. 'Clout
burst up on the divide-worst we'v
ever had-your box is about hig
water mark-you see there was waite
{ enough for awhile-I reckon your
! about the only thing that came throug
E alive
e "'Well, wouldn't that knock you
t says Scotty.
( while the rest of the folk at til
}. mill was taking to the high ground ft
G their lives, with the water roaring an
:. tearing through the gulch Scotty ha