The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-03-20


On the kitchen table over to Mr..
Rast's right away. l told her yestel
day morning that I would send it owe
by you" Mrs. Walker said to he
twelve-year-old son, one pleasan
spring forenoon.
May stop and play?" the bo
asked
Why, yes, for an hour the moth
er answered.
The Walkers lived on the soutf
side of the North Fork of the Umpous
River, mile from the Rasts. who
lived half mile up the river on the
other side of the stream The Ump.
qua flows through the little com.
munity of Winchester, in Western
oregon, large mountain stream
famed throughout that region for the
salmon and trout fishing of it's eddies
and rapids.
So wide is the stream that the only
means OF crossing is by boat or a rail-
foad or wagon bridge three or four
hundred yards below the Rast house.
Hardly hundred yards below the
bridge is the power station for the
electric light and water works. which
supplies Roseburg, town of four
thousand inhabitants, five miles dis
tant. The power is generated by mo-
TORS, the water for which is held back
BY tweive-foot dam. On the power
station end of the dam a big crib
stands to protect the motors and
other machinery.
AS Johnnie walked by on his err
rand, he looked with longing eyes to
this crib, which was an esDeciaIlv
good place for fishing. No one was
there.
Mrs. Rast was glad to get the
squash, but her son Charlie had gone
up the river with his father. John
at frst was disappointed, but he
tnought he could spend the hour fish
ing just as well, and so said he did
not care much.
wait minute, john" Mrs. Rast
exclaimed, as he turned to 20 back
Your sister Annie wanted something.
Wait until get it.
She brought back a small. dark
red box for the sister and a piece of !,
pie for the lad.
Now, don't lose that" she said !
You carry this in your hand al, the |
way. Your sister wants it more than
anything in the world" !
Z All right, ma am" Johnnie an
swered. dutifully. /
Now, don't you lose that. If YOU
DO, your sister will be the maddest
glrl you ever saw" she repeated. as
the boy passed through the gate,
Johnny looked at the red box care
tuliy. On the back was a tumble of
names, suggesting some kind of medi-
sine, as nearly as he could tell.
Must be for sisters throat he
thought.
From the bridge, with the three
spans OF nearly hundred feet each.
ana one approach equally long. the
river looked most enticing. The por-
lion above the dam was CLASSY. the
bottom revealing every pebble and
'tone. except in the deeper parts. Be
low the dam the stream ran like
milI-race as far as the lad could see,
Beyond the railroad bridge, down to
me bend under a frowning noun
ain.
MY, but thought I saw a salmon
lump just below the DAM" he unused
o himself. Then he hurried on.
When he came to the power house
he hesitated, then determined to go
'ut on the crib to see who was fish
ng. No one was there. He looked
Ound. A piece of fishline was tied
% an iron bolt. He stuck the red box
nth Its precious contents into his left
rocket.
The boy bad only two, and both
vere In the front of his trousers.
'pening upward, not like the usual
Tide pockets. The right one lad a
ole in It, and the left had been sewed !
lp 50 near to the mouth that the I
'0x. when he stuck it in, barely
Tipped down half it's length. When I
e had pushed it little farther down,
e pulled the fishline up. Z
It was OF unusual quality, there
eing on the end an undated double
ut No. S hook. On the other side OF
he crib. where the water came out I
rom the motors. was the best achub