The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-31
THE MAN.WHO SAW SPRING
Copyright.

Lucas cast off her cables at the Fort
 Union landing. swung out into the 1 Missouri, and under high pressure went l grunting and snoring southward. Old river men about the fort watched her trailing cloud of smoke until she had dis- appeared. then shook their heads and nut tered dark prophecy. For, although she was the lightest and fastest boat Tn the
 upper waters at that time for which req son she was chosen to carry very im- portant message from the fort to st' Louis), yet no boat is so swift as the prairie winter-and the winter was com l ing early this year. The old men read warnings upon the face of the heavens and sniffed treachery in the damp south wind. They recalled other Octobers when l the winter had swooped down suddenly 1 they spoke of blizzards; they recalled the names of companions who had perished' they talked of hunger.
 But the Lucas, laden heavily with an ever-decreasng cargo of firewood ana grooming through all her strained ma chinery. raced into the south.
 She had made only a hundred miles when a bolt head in the boilers gave way 1 under the abnormal pressure of steam, and it became necessary to lay Up for repairs.
 Jim Hanway, the head engineer, worked upon the boilers with q nervous haste that attracted the attention of the cap tain
 Take your time Jim said the captain; there's no hurry
 No hurry?" Hanway grinned with twitching lips at the captain Take q look at the sky, will you? If we don't all turn up in some coyotes belly before spring you can thank me and this en- ginel"
 The captain endeavored to laugh pleas antly. but succeeded only in producing dry cackle. Certainly something had come over Hanway The tall. gaunt. good natured engineer was no longer good natured. There was q drawn, set look in his face. and the whole engine room seemed filled with some strange disquiet- ing Influence, some subtle emanaton from overwrought nerves.
 The captain went up on deck. "Jim's got case of cold feet,"ehe said to the pilot; nerves all frayed out to ragged edge. Talks about us all turning up Tn some coyotes belly before spring! What do you think of that for Hanway?
 "rhe way he's been giving her the whip so far he'll be blowing us to kingdom come more likely said the pilot. "l yelled down the tube for less speed a dozen times, and he went right on slap ping the speed to her Want to look after him a bit. captain,'
 Meanwhile Hanway worked neryousy at the boilers. He reinforced them with other bolts and belted them with iron hoops, all the while muttering to himself. A deck hand, totterng under log of wood, ventured to joke with the engineer. Hanway turned upon him and snarled with savage lifting of the upper lip, "If you roosters don't get this engine room full of wood before we start" he said, "I'll brain the last one of you3' ! The rooster deposited his load and withdrew at a trot
 On the morning of the second day of the delay the Lucas again started south. Han way bawled up the tube to the pilot at the wheel: Don't go yelling any more instructions down here to me! This boat is going somewhere,'' -
 He turned to his engine, now throbbng nightly like an overtaxed heart. Don give up, old grl,'' he muttered. Don't give up again, I know it's a killing pace, but hold together somehow In the late evening the Lucas ran foul of snag and came off with a shattered paddle wheel. This required two days for repairing. during which time it began to snow with great, wet, lazily tumbng flakes. that fell melting upon the deck like soft kisses of betrayal. Hanway grew more and more nervous as he helped at i the repairing of the paddles.
 Are you sick, Jim?' asked the captain kindly; for Hanway fumbled the tools with shaking hands and dropped them often.
 'No not sick. cap" answered Hanway with strange tremor in his voice. But 1t seems like can feel something coming ,--something-I don't know what-some thing big and black and terrible moving down upon us. 1 know it's foolish"
 ,"Oh this is just little furry" said the captain soothingly. ''Too early for real winter. Jim. Better go to bed a while and let the second engineer run her to- night. You're worn out"
 When the damage had been repaired, the Lucas again started south with the second engineer at the throttle. The Lu- cas was now running night and day for something of the dread of Hanway had come upon the captain.
 In the middle of the night Hanway awoke with a start from a heavy sleep. He arose at once and went on deck for he had not undressed. The snow had ceased falling and a northwest wind with a kneen knife edge smote Linn ir the face He listened for a moment to the chug chug of the revolving paddle wheels, the sigh of the waters about her sides, and the asthmatic snore of the exhaust Sud QtDly lie IllOuSHl He caught lHt llulNlllS sound of small ice particles. He rushed to the thermometer and. striking match. gazed for a moment horror-strlcken upon the mercury. It registered 31 degrees
 The match flared and went out. Han way shivered in the sudden darkness as though he had just gazed upon the face of a corpse. He glanced at the pilot house and saw the pilot swinging free arm about him to warm his numbed fingers.
 Hanway ran down the aft stairs and burst into the engine room. He rushed past the second engineer and glanced at the steam gauge. It registered ten pounds less than he himself had been carrying.
 Get to bed!' he hissed to the engineer
 "I don't go off till morning, Jim," re- piled the other kindly.
 You go off now-dye hear?"
 Hanway grasped the second engineer by the shoulders, and. with the aid of a viz orous foot hurled him bodily through the door. which he bolted. Then he strode over to the lounging fremen and lifted each to his feet with a violent kick.
 "I want steam. he growled What d'you think you're tending-a tea kettle?'
 The firenen fell to work sulenly, and soon the Lucas felt the feverish will of her new master throbbing through her every fiber. Hanway stood before the steam gauge with his gaze fixed upon the rising indicator. She NOW carried 50 pounds. With the reinforced boilers he hgured that she could carry 55; after that she would probably blow up
 F1rty-one-fifty-one and a half--ffty- two-ffty y-three-ifty- -four-fifty- four and a half
 Hanway. with his glosed hand on the lever of the safety valve, muttered to his engine "One quarter more old girl! Hang on! You can't go back on me nowi