The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1908-09-01

rel returned Win 51Bnlncdnce maBnl-
fled thousandfold by her fears.
Il called him worthless and drunken, Z"
she said, with dry eyes and pale, tremb-
ling lips, and he is neither Poor Tom!
Though he does drink sometimes, II is
through discouragement and disappoint-
ment at his hard lot. and he is always
kind to me. oh, God, IL could recall
my words! But is 1t too late? / may
save him YETI"
The Curtis Lumber company's mills
stood on the level bottom adjacent to the
river and about 100 yards from it. Half
a mile above the mills the railroad
crossed the river over long iron bridge.
| and from point just below the southern
end OF the bridge an artificial ditch had
been cut to float the logs into the mill
at high water. 1t was this bridge and
the ditch that were responsible for the
trouble which now prevailed.
Au Sable river was roaring, booming.
yellow flood. All day the great sawlogs,
broken from their moorings above. had
been rushing by In thousands. But now
immense pine trees, torn up by their
roots, were borne upon the bosom OF the
raging torrent. One OF these monarchs
OF the forest had caught between the two
middle piers OF the bridge, and formed
the nucleus of rapidly growing mass of
timber and debris. the long stems OF the
great pines writing and rolling together
like the hideous forms Of gigantic SER
penis. Not only was the bridge threat
ened with momentary destruction. but
the dam thus formed caught the waters
up and hurled them and their ponderous
armature down the ditch and against the
mills below, with violence that must
soon accomplish their destruction.
To get at the pine trunk and cut It
would release the strainlng, tumbllng
mass, restore the raging waters to their
natural channel, and save the bridge and
the mills But woe to him who cut 1t!
When Tom Harding, ak in hand.
stepped upon the bridge and started on
his mission. not one OF the group who
stood looking on In breathless silence
but felt that he was witnessing ira
gedy
The man Is committing sheer. down
right suicide" said an old lumberman
who had spent his life in the forest and
on the river 1T oughtnt to be allowed "
But Tom had already reached the mid
die OF the long structure, and was feeling
his way down over the tumblng, grind
Ing pile as only lumberman can. Now
he stood with careful footing upon the
huge pine stem. bending under the awful
strain. and now he piled his ak with tell
ing vigor. making the chips fly at each
powerful stroke To an eye not cogni-
zant OF his terrible danger the sturdy
lumberman might have been following
his daily vocation for anything in his
look or manner that denoted the con-
trary
But the woman. wlld-eyed and pant
ing, with flair disheveled and hanging In
rain-soaked tresses down her back. who
Just now Joined the group on the bank.
realized his danger. and piercing shrek
mingled with the roar of the waters.
"Oh. Tom. dear Tom, come back to me,
Forgive my cruel words. and come back
for baby's sake and mlne!" and she
held the little. wet, shiverIng thing I'm
in full view OF Its parent out on the river.
He heard not her words, but he saw
his child, and every feeling vanished be-
fore the paternal He turned and looked
at the towering mass above him, and for
a moment those on shore hoped he might
escape But the next! A terrible grind
ing crash. as the great tree parted. an
awful, muilied roar. and for a single IN
slant the lumberman's form stood poised
on the broken tree. He kissed his hand
once, and above the din came the words
1T was for you Maggie you and the
baby" and then he went down. and was
borne away by the rushing swirl of wa
ters.
Half an hour later searchers found A
limp. unconscious body suspended to the
branches of tree where it had been left
by the now recedng waters. 1t was al
first thought that the man was dead. but
closer examination revealed the fact that
he breathed, and liberal draught from A
lumbermnn's flask forced down his
throat partly restored him to conscious
ness. That night Tom Harding was car
rled home to his wife. terribly manned
and bruised. It Is true but still alive
Under her tender and happy ministra.
lions he finally recovered. and from his
terrible experience he cleaned a lesson
that will last him all his life. To-day not
a happier trio lives than Tom and Mar
garet and their baby.-Farm and Fire
sfda