Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-09-01

ing form OF old Tim. the cat. In nas
distress the old man did not care for
the wasted milk. Saving 1t only meant
washing crooks. skimming milk ana
makinE butter for which there was no
market. with sigh OF RELIEF ne
picked up the bucket ana went BACK
to the house where he Dusied himself
all day helping his frail companion.
when awakened next morning ne
found the earth drencaed by pour
Ing rain. The air was warmer. Inc
snow had disappeared.
IT guess I'll take . load OF potatoes
to town mother" he said cheeralv when
he carried in her dinner" It's liable 70
to grow cold any day and you know
farmers have to use every pretty Gay
this time Of the year"
You, Just 60 right along" aSrsed
Mrs. Carson as she rocked In her easy
chair. 'and don't worry about me. I'll
get along all right but do hate 20
have YOU 70 out In this driving rain"
The old man laughed mirthlessly as
he buttoned his shabby overcoat up TO
his auivering chin. II amt sugar nor
salt, Almiry."A he .cackled. I'll De
edzin' along and git the hosses ready"
Half an hour later he bade her good
bye and drove away with the heavy
load. For few miles the horses
trotted briskly in spite Of tho driving
rain but at the corner they plunged
into a ouagmire Of half frozen clay and
sticky mud. The alternate Pressing
and thawing had made the mud road
almost impossible. A, the three mile
post the old man stopped at SHERIFF.
and beggec another horse
that he might proceed with his LOAD.
It was 1 o'clock when he trtumphantly
delivered the potatoes. received his
money, bought few danities and
started for home again. It was dark
when he left the horse at Arbogast's.
and again the rain was pouring over
the already submerged 'ow&ands.
The creek near the corners was q
raging torrent when the old man
reached 1t. The water was angrily
tapping the rotten planks OF the bridge.
Ezekial Carson was almost exhausted.
His horses were trembling violently
and when he urged them to cross the
bridge they stopped ana looked ap-
pealinely back at their master. But
Carson was in no mood for mercy. On
Jen!" he commanded. Jen did not
bulge. He struck her sharply with
the big whip. Jen SHE'D, jumped and
at another blow rushed madly on.
Scarcely had the weight Of horses and
wagon touched the structure when
the boards parted ana Ezekial Carson
and horses fell into the raging stream.
When Ezekial Carson opened his
eyes the blood was streaming from a
wound on his head. The wagon was
gone. In some unaccountable way he
had found a place of safety on old
Jen's back. 1t was very dark. He
could but dimly discern the outlines
of the bank, which seemed faint and
far away. It was very cold. The
sharp wind penetrated to the very
marrow of his bones. The rain still
fell. Ezekial Carson thought of home
and the warm ffre and shuddered again
as len swerved to one side just in
time to escape a faiIen tree which
came swirling down the stream.
He could not swim. The old man
wondered II Jen could hold out until
some one came to the rescue. And
somehow altho surrounded by rushing
waters and staring death In the face
he remembered his past. how he had
fought the dredging and widening Of
this channel and the replacing OF the
old wooden bridge with q more sub
stantial structure. He had como to
this sorry plight because he had led
a company Of back numbers to op-
pose the improvements. He had come
to this plight because ne had forced
Jen to 20 on when her instinct babe
her turn back. It was all his own
fault.
>,,I1
SWIMMING, braced herself against a
small island in the center OF the stream
and with mighty effort pulled herself
and her master to temporary place
of safety. There he sat it seemed. for
hours. Sat until every thread OF the
old mans garments were drenched,
until every drop Of water had con-
Eealed into ice. Occasionally Jen
shifted her position uneasily. lifting
first one foot and then the other for
the island was scarcely large enough
for her to turn. Ana as the old man
hung there tremblingfy between an
angry sea and cold gloomy sky all
his past life was spread out before
him.
He had known long ago. tho he
would not admit 1t even to himself.
that he had been hard and unjust to
the merry boys and girls who called
him father. He had exacsed never end
ing toll from them and permitted no
amusements. no recreations In return.
He had tied them to the old place and
the unmentionable mud road when he
could have secured a more attractive
home for the same money, when he
could have improved conditions. No
wonder they had left him. When the
commissioners proposed to build pike
past his place he had fought the issue
because he feared an increased tax
rate. He thought Of Clifford fighting
with the philanthropists for better
roads which would benefit the farmer
most of all and a blush of shame crept
across his withered old cheek az he
remembered how he had prosecuted his
own flesh and blood. The night passed
with suffering and sorrow and vain re-
grets
Ezckial Carson's rheumatic fingers
were so stiff that he could scarcely
hold the Bride. He had become 30
benumbed by the cold he was scarcely
conscious when he was startled by O
great shout. The sun nae come light
ing up the great sheet of
water which covered the adj
joining fields and the solitary horse
man who was marooned upon, this little
midstream island. Inside Of thirty
minutes the rescuers brought their
,oat up alongside the old man and
pulled him to place Of safety then
holding the bride Of faithful Jen, they
made for the shore ana safety In the
farmers dwelling.
The water had covered the hay