Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-03-14
Eve,,;,,g Story
TIM FARRELL's FEAR.

Il
TIM FARRELL's FEAR.
BY MICHAEL J. PORTER.
copyright, 1911, by Associated Liter
airy Press.)
Tim Farrell was MORALLY, shudder-
ingly afraid of snakes. And now, when
Sam LIE Blanc suddenly thrust a
wretched little half-frozen reptile at
him. he retreated so abjectly that he
nearly fell OF the dixie. He could not
help the instructive recoil, and his face
darkened angrily when the other young
Ipeople shouted with laughter The
birdlike notes Of Toinette Marcelle
rang out clearest Of all.
YAH" tainted the 'grinning Sam;
'afraid Of !. little snake: He's a
coward"
aCall me a coward again, and I'll
punch your jaw" retorted T1m,' adj
vancing with doubled fist.
! Al fight is q treat in Prairieton, and
\ the group Of men about the two stall
4 wart youths pushed closer. The half
dozen girls drew aside, fearfully. But
before q blow could be struck the su.
! perintendent Of the farms appeared,
coming up the side of the dixie in long
strides. LIE Blanc quietly dropped the
snake which he had been. flourishing
The superintendent gave no hint
THAT he had understood the militant
scene.
"This way, you chaps" he said,
/ ~, 70 a
hind the barns. Let's get busy and
patch 1t up"
He led the way along the dixie On
the left the yellow, swollen food q
the river Tapped within few inches
of the top. On the right big puddles
were beginning to form among the
| patches of snow in the beet fields 1t
was yet early March, though rain had
fallen steadily for two weeks. The
great sugar beet plain was in immedi-
ate danger of being inundated.
There was a discipline almost mill
tary on Prairieton farms. 1t was Sun
day, and the men had worked night
and day for more than week in an
endeavor to keep out the encroaching
water; yet there was no tagging and
| no complaint. Even Farrell and LIE
Blanc worked side by side without
open signs of enmity, staggering up
the muddy dixie under unwieldy bags OF
sand. The others, including the super
intendent, glanced curiously at them
! now and then. !.
For they knew that while the bud
| ding quarrel between the, two young
men was apparently over, a scant
eight inches Of frozen snake, Toinette
Marcelle was really at the bottom
Of it-gay little Toinette, whose lips
| were red and whose eyes were brown.
During the past summer as she
weeded and hoed in the rich black
soil of the fields, Farrell was always
on one side, Sam LIE Blanc on the
other. The rivalry had intensified
during the merrymakings of the slack
time. the winter. The other young men
had withdrawn from the lists which
contained two such sturdy and master
full knights.
The farms are In gigantic basin.
Five miles above, three rivers unite.
| During the spring rains of other
years. before reclamation, the overflow
had covered thousands Of acres to a 2
depth of ten feet Since the bikes had
been built. the flod had been kept In
the channel. But they had never been
subjected to such strain as this.
The patching was done; the men
Strengthened their backs. !.
II don't like the looks OF that
said the superintendent grimly, wav-
ing his arm to the east, where the
ice and driftwood whirled past at
racing speed "This thaw is month
too early; there's mountain OF snow
still to the south Of us. II it rains TO-
night" He paused, then continued !:
Farrell go over to the settlement and
see that every family is ready to con-
gregate on the high ground at mo.
ment's notice. Kelly, LIE Blanc and
Smith get the boats out and fit them
with oars. There should be lantern
in each boat. too.
1.-THE rest of you better snatch bite
to eat. guess we're up against 1t. Two
revolver shots will be the signal that
| the dixie is going" He mounted his
horse and splashed off upstream to
dangerous bend where most OF the
men were at work.
| The young people descended the
dixie, each girl with her cavalier. Tim
Farrell extended his hand to Toinette
and regretted it. She glanced sig
nificantly at the numbed snake lying
where lie Blanc had dropped 1t, and
turned away. A moment later. Sam.
flushed with qualification, had claspei
the warm. slender fingers and was aid
ling her down the slope. Tim, sore
hearted, went silently on his errand.
The clouds that had broken away
somewhat during the day thickened
again. With the approach Of night
the dreaded patter of rain on the root
began The water crept up inside the
dixie. The pools swelled and joined.
BY 10 o'clock the fields and even the
streets of the little settlement were
covered. The dixie, however, still held.
At II the superintendent and the
men splashed back from up the river.
The supply of sandbags was exhaust
ed and the dixie was wearing away
ra pidly at, the bend 1t could not
| Last more than one hour They were