The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-09-01

low clump of trees on the bank listen ng and looking up and down the riv- er. A boat was passing. and be felt it necessary to wait for it to go by. He lost five minutes, but it seemed half an hour. Then taking off his dress and shoes and bonnet he put the dress and the shoes in the bonnet and tied the strings around his neck. resting the bundle on his back. Going down to the margin, and again listening a moment to make sure he was not ob- served, he waded out as far as he could touch bottom, and then began to swim.
 As it was midsummer he had ex- pected to find the water warm. His expectations were realized to a req sonable degree. and he felt that he could remain in it a long while with out being chilled. His plan was to drift down a considerable distance. He might be expected to swim across as rapidly as he could. and the cur rent in this case would land him per- haps a mile below the town. Those who would follow him with dogs would doubtless track him to the riv- CT margin. then take the dogs across and endeavor to pick up the scent some distance below on the other side. Mark had weighed all these circum- stances. and determined to drift down as far as possible, land at the mouth it and swim or walk up it in the wa ter, thus rendering it difficult for the dogs to track him.
 He swan slowly till he reached the middle of the river; then, floating with scarcely any motion of his hands and feet. he permitted himself to drift down with the current. A favorite way with him, when boy. of resting in the water, had been to float on his back. Unmindful of the wetting he would give the clothes tied around his neck. he turned over and drifted with his arms spread beside him, his eyes turned directly to the sky.
 In the position on his back he could only look upward at the stars. There was the great dome above him span gled with myriads of bright points and spanned by the milky way" He had always been fond of the stars, and in order to divert his mind picked ou. some of his favorites and traced a few constellations with which he was familiar. In this way he diverted his mind until his nerves became quite steady.
 His observations were suddenly checked by a sound. It was very faint, but enough to freeze the mar row in his bones. It was the distant bark of dog. He listened and pres ently could hear more. Evidently there was a pack. They drew nearer. Then they ceased for awhile. Per haps they had come to the place where he had walked on the fence. Then the barks began again. growing only slightly louder as they came. for Mark was floating rapidly from the point where he had entered the river.
 He involuntarily turned over on his chest and struck out Iustily. The cur rent was swift; swimming would not add to his safety-it would only tax his strength and render him more liable to recapture on the other shore. But swim he must With the terrible sound of those dogs in his ears he could Sot lie idly, on the water and leave the current to bear him onward.
 Soon there came another cessation of sound from. the dogs far above on the shore. and Mark judged that they had lost the scent at the place where he had entered the water.
 Then he began to think of Souri and Jakey. What had they done to Souri when they had discovered her trick2 Would they punish her? Would they treat the boy harshly? He was com- forted with the thought that there would be nothing gained by this-it would not bring the prisoner back but be muttered a prayer for the girl who had placed herself behind those prison bars. who had incurred the rage of his jailers to save him.
 He heard no more of the dogs and 1oated on. swimming and resting al- ternate". The high bluffs of Mocca- sin pOiLI were before him on bis right. kn owl on their summit. watching the rising moon. occasionally gave a dis mai boot. the intervals being supplied by the melancholy whippoorwill. The current bore him on around the point, carrying him in near the shore where he had passed the picket with the sleeping Jakey in his arms q few nights before. So close was he that he could see man walking back and forth on the very beat of the one he had passed. As he drifted away he saw the relief approach and the picket changed
 He was borne directly under Look put mountain. and on down for a mile to point where the river makes an- other bend. Here the bank was low, and as Mark was getting chilled he swam to the southern bank for rest. He laid himself down for a few mo- ments on the dry ground, and then getting up walked back and forth rap- Idly. swinging his arms at the same time to restore circulation and fit him to endure longer stay in the water. He looked about for some piece of wood on which he might float farther. There were logs of various sizes scat tered around. but most of them were rotten. He was so much at home in the water that he was not disappoint- ed on failing to find one suitable to bis purpose.