Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1911-12-14

lid from the camp-oven to see how the
bread was getting along, when she heard
rapid steps outside. Her husband thrust
his head in at the door and ierked out the
words. "Where's the BARN ?"
"Why-he's in the big tub"
She saw him stagger back and turn Z
ghastly face TO the river. Letting the
heavy lid fall unheeded TO the floor, she
rushed out in sudden alarm and glanced
down where the big tub had been two
hours before. Now water covered the
spot. Following her husbands frenzied
look, she saw the big tub near where the
currents joined and swept together to
make the terrible stream of the large river.
Even as she looked, the tub was drawn
smoothly into the main current and van
iShed round the point.
Archie, coming to his senses, rushed
away on a race as grim and heart-racking
as ever father ran. II was three miles to
Butchers Point, and fortunately there
were no rapids on the way. And there
was boat there if he could only get to
it first. But oh, how the current ran
This was no carefully calculated distance
race, but mans blind and frantic rush
over rock and stone, up hill and down,
with muttered prayers to the God of his
fathers to have pity on his bsirn.
The tub rounded another bend. Archie
topped the rise, and saw it lettering, loaf
fng in an eddy. AS he looked, fair,
curlY-haired little head appeared over
the edge of the tub. He shouted, "Pm
coming, Duncan bairnieI Your fathers
comingW But before he had covered
the distance, the current clutched the tub
again. 1t was straight away now for
Butchers.
He nearly tore his heart out over those
two miles. But when he toiled up the
ascent out of Coleman's Creek on to the
flat at Butchers, there was the big tub
slowly swinging in the eddy at the mouth
of Conroy'S Gully-on the other side OF
the river. Two men were standing on
the bank over there, watching the flood.
He shouted and gesticulated until he made
them understand that he wanted the tub
One of them tried TO reach it with long
pole as it swung round, but missed it.
Evidently the man did not think it worth
while to take any chances with that death
dealing river for mere tub. DC, if the
baby would only stand up now! But the
little fellow was crouchiug, terrified, at
the bottom of his strange craft.
Archie was joined by the ferry-man.
Together they ran to the ferry-boat, a
stout whale-boat built for heavy currents
and rough water. They spenta few fran
tic minutes in an effort to disconnect the
boat from IFS well-spliced wire travelling
cable, but in vain. The tub swung out
again, and with a baffled groan, Archie
sped away after it. He was in despair.
The gorge grew wilder, the riverrougher,
the trail more difficult. His mind traced
the river miles ahead as he ran; wild
rapids at Davis's Bend, worse at the
Nine-Mile, then the falls-there, surely,
the endl
However, the big tub rode gallantly.
Although tarrying here and there in boil
or swirl or eddy, it still kept ahead.
Twice he sighted it. But when he reached
the height above Davis's Bend, and it
had not stayed in the eddy there, he
could hardly keep his feet. A fearful fig
ure he was-hatless, coatless, ragged,
torn. How he longed fer the one slim
chance, the chance 10 plunge into the
river, and TO struggle with the wild cur
rent for the life of his child