River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-01-14

IA ohcute. ouOIIy was tue uTSl
u to speak.
Come on" be said I'VE
might as well tackle it. 3iy feet II
get cold If stay mere any longer"
Shorty and Kit tramped back through
"A foot Of snow to the head Of the rap
ids and cast off the boat.
You've sure got to keep the top OF
the ridge" Shorty shouted at him as
the boat quickened in the quickening
current and took the head Of the rap
ids
Kit nodded swayed his strength and
weight tentatively on the stecrlng gear
and headed the boat for the plunge.
Several minutes later. half swamped
and wing against the bank in the ed
DIV below the White Horse Shorty spat
out a mouthful Of tobacco juice and
shook KRIS hand.
At the top of the bank they met
Brcrk. His wife stood at little dis
t4ute. Kit shook his hand
Il NJ afraid your boat can't make
it, be said. 1T is smaller than ours
and bit cranky"
The man pulled out roll of bills.
Ill give you each Il hundred ii you
run it through
Kit looked out and up the tossing
name of the White Horse A long
gray twilight was falling. it was turn
ing colder. and the landscape seemed
taking on savage bleakness.
1T amt that" Shorty was saying
We don't want your money. But my
pardner is the real meat with boats
an when he says yourn 8in't safe
reckon he knows what he's talkin
about
Kit nodded affirmation and CHANGED
to glance at Mrs. Breck. Her eyes were
fixed upon him, and he knew that If
ever he had seen prayer in woman's
eyes he was seeing it then. Shorty fol
lowed his gaze and saw what he saw.
They looked at each other in confusion
and did not speak. Moved by the com
mon impulse, they nodded to each 9th
er and turned to the trail that led to
the head of the rapids
Barely had they showed Breck's boat
out from the bank and caught the first
rough water when the waves began to
lap aboard They were small waves.
but it was an earnest of what was to
come.
The rapids grew sitter. and the
spray began to fly. In the gathering
darkness Kit gimpSed the name and
the crooked fling of the current into it,
He worked into this crooked current
and felt a glow Of satisfaction as the
boat hit the head of the name square
~ in the middle After that. In the
smother leaping and burying and
swapping, be had no clear impression
of anything save that be swung his
weight on the steering oar.
They emerged GREATNESS. wet
through the boat filed with water al
most to the gunwale. Lighter pieces
of baggage and outfit were floating in
side the boat A few careful strokes
on ShOrty's part worked the boat into
the draw Of the eddy. and the eddy
did the rest till the boat softly touched
the bank
Looking down from above was Mrs
Brock Her prayer had been answer
ed. and the tears were streaming down
her cheeks
You boys have simply got TO take
the money" Breck called down to
them
Shorty stood up. slipped and sat
down in the water, while the boat
dipped one gunwale under and righted
again
fhO Cnf6
Fetch out that whisky. Now that it's
over I'm gettin cold feet, an I'm sure
likely to have a chill"
The trail by water crossed Lake La
barge, Here was no fast current, but
a tideless stretch of forty miles which
must be rowed unless a fair wind
blew But the time for fair wind was
past. and an icy gale blew In their
teeth out of the north This made a
rough sea. against which it was al
most impossible to pull the boat Add
ed to their troubles was driving snow;
also the freezing of the water on their
oar blades kept one man occupied I'm
chopping it off with a Ratchet. Com
PEELED to take their turn at the oars.
Sprague and Slime patiently loafed.
AT the end of three hours Sprague
pulled his oar in and said they would
run back into the mouth of the river
for shelter Slime seconded him. and
the several hard won miles were lost.
A second day, and a third. the same
fruitless attempt was made. The
freezeup was very imminent.
I'VE could make it if they had the
souls of clams." Kit told Shorty as
they dried their mOccasinS by the fire
on the evening OF the third day 1--WE
could have made it today If they
hadn't turned back Another hours
work would have fetched that west
shore They're they're babes in the
woods
Shorty debated a moment Look
here. Smoke It's hundreds of miles to
Dawson. If We don't want TO freeze
~ nor.a Uoscn rof tO do SorOafhfns If