Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-05-23
by r. II. LLOYD.


They were blamed idiots, both OF
'em. But I'm not holdin' that up
against any man when there's girl
in the case. Nell was all right, too,
mind yer, as girls go-red hair, full
form, fire an all that sort OF thing
but she couldn't play soft. Had to
be things doin' when she handled
the bow-with her novel-readin' no
tions of heroes and trusty swords and
ridin' into deaths ways before you
could kiss the tip of her finger. oh,
shucks! ] hate bein' harsh on the
child, but good men are too blamed
hard to lay your hands on these days,
to want to see them go under before
their appointed time, all along OF a
within and a little lace. All right,
I'm gettin' there. The drive had
come down pretty slick that spring,
no serious accidents or nothing, and
we were just holdln' the logs above
the last dam till we had got enough
water to float them out onto the
home stretch. The boys lied around
in the shade of the cook-house and
chewed their pipes and cursed a
little and waited-thinkin' on the
settlement only thirty mile away and
payday Just round the bend. The
second day we heard the squeakin'
of wheels and Nell appeared on the
scene, havin' buggied out to wish us
luck and with greetings from the
home folk-thats what she said.
I'm guessin' different, and seed later
/ guessed right.
We all jumped to our feet, bein'
mighty starved for the sight Of a
pretty face, but Angus Carmichael
was Johnny-on-the-Spot all right and
had the honor of liftin' her out and
receivin' a smile that would aye
softened a pike-pole. We were all
right envious of Angus, but big Jim
Connors was the only one weak
enough to show it. They'd been run
min neck and neck for favors all that
winter and weren't too friendly about
1t either. The other boys had long
since dropped out and were just
waitin' around to hold the coats and
pick up the pieces. Jim butted In
between Angus and the smile and
grabbed her hand so she WINGED.
Right glad ter see yer again,
Nell" says he. Amt yer goin' ter
let me have the pleasure of drivin'
yer back ter the settlement this af-
ternoon? Yer said could sometime
and I'm not needed here jest now,
you know"
Nell looked up at him out of the
points of her eyes: Maybe, Jim,
we'll see."
Angus was lookin sort of pale In
promised me, Jim, but of course she
knows what she wants, and I'll STEP
aside IL she says the word"
Connors swung round quick
blazin' mad. go to blazes, you! and
mind yer own business!" His fists
were stuck out in Carmlchael's face
and we looked for things happenin
right there. Nell did too, guess
for the look of scorn on her face
when Angus jest gave gasp and
stepped back wasn't pretty to see.
Pm thinkin' yer didn't hear
straight, Mister Carmichael, she
said softly. II wouldn't be feelin
safe with a coward at the reins!"
mo, I'm not coward, Nell, and
yer know it. II Jim wasn't a heap
e;ahk haitian 1,oon xu;tb bis asfs tbo
l be he wouldn't be so free with his
speech. Now ask him if he feels like
runnin' the dam with me or no and
we'll see whose scared"
We held our breath when we
heard that, for though Connors was
about the best man ON a log in the
province, not barrin' Carmichae
either, the devil himself couldn't dc
the trick and live. Nell knowed II
as we'll as we did, but by JimminJ
she jest stood there with the hot sur
fiamin' on her red hair and little
smile on her face that said plain a.
day: '"Will yer let him dare yer
Jim?"
4SI SOulu lCdl IDC u
the dam comm up under yer yer!
feet, though it was really round the
bend below, and it didn't sound pretty
ter Jim's ears as we could see. HI
pulled the battered felt off his heaC
and mopped his forehead with rec
bandanna, but guess none of us fel
much sympathy for him, seem al
he'd got himself into the hole.
Hes gone clean crazy, Nell" HI
gasped, but what you say goes
only l guess one of the other boy
will be takin' yer home this evenin'.
Don't worry about me. reckon
I kin get back all right" Nell starts
for the dam below and We tails on
behind, some of us tryin' ter persuade
the fools to quit it, and some pumpin
into them just how it oughter b,
done. And so we comes out on tn,
scene of operations.
There was a twenty-eight foot heat
of water behind the dam. Thel
there was sluice sixty foot loni
and ten wide where the water raj
smooth and swift as creased light
ming, till it shot out on the aprol
and was carried some eighty feet far
Their over ledge of rocks. Near tn
lower end of the apron the waite
was that shallow that though a small
log would shoot out straight and drol
into the pool below almost horizontal
the big sticks would drag and ii
and go over head first and not rise t
the surface for a couple of hundre
feet below.
The pool was as ugly a bit of wa
ter as I've ever seen. Boilin' an
eddyin', and chock full of undertow
that would drag a human body dow
among the Jagged rocks on the bot
tom and sweep it back under tn
apron and spit 1t out hundreds O
feet below in a condition that weren'
pretty to see.
AS Angus had given the dare, h
had to go first, and the rest of Il