The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1910-04-21
BETWEEN WIND AND WATER
BY FRANK LILLE Pollock


tention to spare upon the landmarks
and he found himself rounding the
next to the last curve before he ex-
pected 1t. Here he was brought IN
Sharply. The river bent away to the
south. and the Icicle was shot direct
~ into the eye of the wind as she
swung round the elbow. The iib
mapped wildly: the boat quickly lost
way, stopped. and began to slide
l hopelessly to leeward.
1t was apparent that the wind had
shifted considerably even since he
mad set out. But Incherly was not
more than mile farther. Leonard
mad skates in box at the stern. and
ne knew that ne could borrow a large
nano-sled to bring back the sacks to
tnls point. So he ran the now useless
ice-boat up on the land, put on the
skates and struck off.
The gale was like a wall. = was
all but impossible to make headway
against 1t. and the violent exertion
seemed 10 rend the heart inside the
Doy ribs. Still he struggled on with
snort, scraping strokes. breathless
and bent almost double. till at a
slight bend in the river he saw the
lights OF the village in the early dusk
only half a mile ahead.
Here he stopped to rest. He could
see the dam Just above the village: he
could hear the rush of the water over
1t, and near by he perceived a dozen
DARK nGaces moving against the snow
1neSp
mere was sudden bright flash, and
moment later 4 stunning report
came down the wind.
For an instant he was startled and
then recognized what it must mean
Ihey were breaking up the ice above
the dam with dynamite. as was often
uone wneH the spring thaws threat
enea TO be sudden and sharp, lest the
pressure Of tho water and packed ice
should carry away the wooden gates
Inc lncherly dam was old and weak
| eneo. and as the water had been un-
! usually high when 1t froze, the own
ers Of the mill were more than usually
! anxious.
| again the black figures were busted
| about the dam. Presently there was
second flash and report, and three
seconds later the gathering twilight
| was illumined by the blaze CT a ter
| rlnc explosion. One end of the dam
seemed to collapse. letting through
an avalanche of dark water, and as
| IL poured over the river-bed a thun-
! dering "boom!" came, blown down
the wind like a solid missile.
1t transpired afterward that the
| ooX OF dynamite cartridges had been
iett caTelessly upon the embankment
near the dam, and they had been ex-
| ploded either by the concussion or
by the falling of 4 lump of ice. No
one was hurt; but the already
strained dam was shaken beyond its
strength. and at the first yielding the
whole structure dissolved and the
great pond began to pour through the
crevasse, filling the bed of the river.
breaking up the ice, and far over
flowing the banks.
Leonard scrambled to reach the
shore. The Icicle would be lost. but
there was 10 help. Then suddenly
the appalling fact flashed upon him
would iRfailibly carry away their own
dam at Grafton!
1t was new dam and had cost
more than they could well snare
Where the money would come from
to build another he did not know.
and the mill. besides. would be para
iyzed for months in the busiest sea-
son. Eut If 1t were only possible to
reach the place in time to open the
gates. there was a chance that the
force OF the flood would be carried
on harmlessly. There was. perhapg
a possibility. Leonard had not VET
reached the shore, and he wheeled
about almost instinctively ard darted
downstream with the wind at his
back
The sale seemed to moderate SUD
denly. Almost without an effort he
was driven ahead at a speed that took
away his breath. He saw the Icicle
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