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

nephew. who is young boy, ana my
wife. If you get through safely will
you run my boat through
Kit looked at Shorty. who delayed
to answer.
Hes got his wife with him." Kit
suggested.
Sure" Shorty affirmed ut was
just what | was stoppin' TO think
about knew there was some reason
| ought to do it,
Again they turned TO 20. but Sprague
and Slime made no movement.
'tiood luck. Smoke. Sprague called
to him "I'll-er-Ill just stay here
and watch you"
I'VE need three men in the boat. two
at the oars and one at the steering
sweep" Kit said quietly.
Spra que looked at Slime.
I'm cursed if | do said that gen
tieman
We can do without them" Kit said
to Shorty. You take the bow with
paddle. and I'll handle the steering
sweep. All you'll have to do is just To
helD keep her straight Once we're
started you won't be able to hear me.
SO just keep on keeping her straight
They cast off the boat and worked
out to middle In the Quickening cur
rent From the canyon came the ever
growing roar. The river sucked in to
the entrance with the smoothneSs of
molten glass. and here. as the dark
ening walls received them, Shorty took
chew of tobacco and dipped his pad
die.
The boat leaped on the first crests
OF the ridge. and they We're deafened
by the nprOar OF wild water that re-
verberated from the narrow walls and
multiplied itself They were half
sinothered with flying spray AT times
Kit could not see his conrade ut the
bow. 1t was only a matter of two min
utes. in which time they rode the ridge
three quarters of mile and emerged
in safety and tied to the bank in the
eddy below
Shorty emptied his mouth of tobacco
juice he had forgotten to spit and
spoke. Say. We went few. didn't
we! Smoke, don't mind tellin' you In
1
was the gosh dangdest scaredest man
this side of the Rocky mountains
Now I'm a bear eater Come on an
Wen run that other boat through"
After running the strangers boat
through Kit and Shorty met his wife.
slender, girlish woman whose blue
eyes were moist with gratitude. Breck
hfinSOlf nj fn no II v,1 %L
attempted it on Shorty.
Stranger" was the latters rejection,
Il come into this country to make
money outa the ground an not outa
my fellow critters
Breck, the stranger, rummaged III his
boat and produced demijohn of whis.
Ky ShOrty's hand half went out TO It
and stopped abruptly He shook his
head
There's that blamed White Horse
right below. an they say it's worse
than the Box | reckon / don't dast
tackle any lightnin'"
Several miles below they ran In to
the bank, and all four walked down to
look at the bad water The river.
which was succession of rapids, was
here DETECTED toward the right bank
by rocky reef The whole body OF
water. rushing crookedly into the mar
row passage, accelerated its speed
frightfuIly and was upfung into huge
waves, white and wrathfuI This was
the dread name OF the White Horse
and here an even heavier toll of dead
had been exacted On one side of the
name was a corkscrew curl-Oyer and
suckunder. and on the opposite side
was the big whirlpool To go through
the name itself must be ridden.
AS they watched boat took the head
of the rapids above. 1t was a large
boat. fully thirty feet long. laden with
several tons of outfit and handled by
six men. Before it reached the name
1t was plunging and leaping at times
almost hidden by the foam and spray
Shorty shot q slow. sidelong glance
at Kit and said: shes fair smokin'
an she hasn't hit the worst They've
hauled the oars in There she takes it
now. God: She's gone. No. There
she isl
hurried from sight in the flying smother
between crests. The next moment. in
the thick Of the name. the boat ieaped
mp ascrest and into view To Kits
amaZement he 50 w the whole long bot
tom clearly outlined. The boat for the
fraction of an instant was In the air,
the men sitting idly in their places. all
save one in the stern. who stood at the
steering sweep. Then came the down
ward plunge into the trough and a sec
ond disappearance
Three times the boat leaped and
buried itself. Then those on the bank
saw its nose take the whirlpool as ii
slipped off the name, The steersman
vainly opposing with full weight on
the steering gear. surrendered to the
whirlpool and helped the boat to take
the circle
Throo firnoo xuop% aro11pd oooh