River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-08-29
CHAPTER VII.
The Blacksmith.

The Blacksmith.
/ had come up gasping for breath,
well out in the stream, either shore a
mere darker shadow showing above
the water. How far ! had been swept
below the barge could not be guessed,
as ] could distinguish no outlines
clearly, excepting the bare spars Of
vessel, tied UP to the west shore. AS
this ship had not been in sight previ-
ously / concluded the drift had been
greater than anticipated, and I struck
out quickly toward the opposite bank,
fearful lest / be borne down as far as
Gloucester before / could finally make
land. 1t was hard swim across the
swift current, and l was nearly ex-
hausted when / finally crept up the
low bank. and lay dripping and pant
ing in the shelter Of some low bushes.
| Except for the bark of distant dog
there was no sound more disturbing
than the rustic of leaves, and the lap
ping Of water. AS my breath came
back sat up, wrung out my clothes
as best / could, and, with difficulty,
drew on the boots had borne across.
slung to my shoulder.
possessed but a dim conception of
where l was, yet knew / must make a
wide detour to the east so as to escape
British foraging parties.
must have plodded doggedly along
| through the darkness for fully five
miles, without perceiving the first sign
of habitation, or even a wood into
which I could crawl for concealment,
when / suddenly came upon a long.
one-story stone building standing at
the left of the road, a grim, silent, ap-
parently deserted structure, one end
| of the roof caved in, and several of
the windows smashed. / tried the
doors, but they appeared firmly fas-
| tened. Far in the east there was a
| faint tightening Of the sky promising
the approach of dawn, and thus
| Immediately attain shelter, / clam
bered through one Of the broken win
dows, and dropped to the earthen
floor within. ] could see nothing. not
even hand held before my eyes, yet
carefully felt my way forward through
| a tangle of rubbish, wheels. scraps OF
| iron, some casks, a number OF plough
handles, and a rifraff of stuff | could
not make out. Tie place had evident
ly been used as repair shop, but
must have been closed for months, as
| could feel the grit OF dust every
where, and cobwebs brushed against
my face as moved about. Finally
felt the outlines of large box half
filed with paper, and, for want of
something better, crept in and snug
gled down, intending to rest there IN
| til daylight should reveal my sur
| roundings.
| ! was warm enough now, my cloth
ing practically dry. but thoroughly
tired from the long tramp over the
dark road, and exhausted by the ex-
citement. through which / had passed
Even my mind seemed duiIed, and 1t
appeared useless to think or plan. I
had not intended to sleep, yet drowsi-
ness came, and lost consciousness.
l know not what aroused me, but it
was already daylight, CLEAN of sun
through the windows turning the fes-
| TONED cobwebs into golden tapestry.
One side of the box in which | lay
had been broken out, and could see
the full length Of the shop, which ap-
peared Uttered from end to end with
all manner of implements OF hus-
bandry, and woodworking and black
smiths tools. All this I perceived
with my first glance, but 1t was the
distant sound of voice which as in
stantly held my attention. At first /
could not locate the speaker, nor COM
prehend the peculiar singsong of the
utterance But as / lifted my head,
listening intently, knew the man to
be beyond the wooden partition at my
right. and that he was praying fer
vently. Somehow heartened by this
discovery / crept out from the bed OF
papers, and stole silently forward to
the narrow door which apparently led
into this second apartment. The voice
never ceased in its monotonous ap-
peal. and / ventured to lift the latch,
and take cautious glance through the
slight opening.
1t was a blacksmith shop of fair
size, fully equipped with all the tools
of the trade. The man was facing me.
but with eyes closed, and uplifted, as
his lips poured forth the fervent words
of prayer. l was not religious man
in those days, yet the faith of my
mother was not forgotten, and there
was something of sincerity about that
solitary kneeling figure could not but
respect. The words uttered, the deem
resonant voice, and above all, the ex.
preston of that upturned face, held
me silent, motionless. He was a man
of short, sturdy limb. but great bulk.
massive chest, and immense shoulders
evidencing remarkable strength. What
was this man, this praying black
smith? A patriot surely. from his
words Of petition; one who had suf-