Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-05-04

BrouIlard Was Staring Out Over the
Loom of the Camp Fires.
Arson persists in carrying around
with him wherever he goes. While you
were up on the hill cutting your spruce
tips Arson went over to his tent and
lighted up, and few minutes after
ward / heard the clock strike-seVen.
Just as l was comfortably forgetting
the significant reminder the clock
went off again, striking slowly, as if
the mechanism were nearly run
down."
Another seven?" queried Grislow.
mo; it struck four"
"Well?" was the bantering comment,
II suppose Arson was tinkering with
his little tin god of a timepiece. It's
a habit of his"
Il was curious enough to go and
look. When | lifted the flap the tent
was empty. The clock was ticking
away on Anson's soap-box dressing
case, with a lighted candle beside it,
and for crazy half-second | had a
shock, Murray-the minute hand was
pointing to four and the hour hand to
seYeni"
Still don't see the miraculous sig
nifcance," said the photographer.
Don't you? 1t was only another OF
the condolences, of course. While I
stood staring at the clock Arson came
in with Griffith's tool kit I've got to
tinker her again. he said. She's got
so she keeps Pacific time with one
hand and eastern with the other Then
/ understood that he had been tinker
ing with it and had merely gone over
to Griffith's tent for the tools"
We'll" said Grislow again, what of
it? The clock struck seven, you say;
but it also struck four"
Brouillard's smile tilted his curling
mustaches to the sardonic angle.
"The combination was what called
the turn, Grizzly. Today happens to
be my twenty-eighth birthday-the end
of the fourth cycle of seven.
"By Georgei" calculated the hydrog-
rapher in mock perturbation, sitting
up so suddenly that he dropped his
pipe into the ashes of the fire. TN
that case, according to what seems to
be the well-established custom, some
thing is due to fall in right now!"
Il have been looking for it all day. -
returned Brouillard calmly.
1t was Murray Grislow who finally
rang the curtain call on the prolonged
talk
Say, man! do you know that it is
| after ten o'clock" he demanded, hold
ing the face of his watch down to the
glow of the dying enbers. You may
sit here all night, if you like, but it's
me fer the blankets. Now, what in the
name of a guilty conscience is that %
AS it CHANGED, they were both fac
| ing toward the lower end of the val
ley when the aprarition flashed into
view. In the deepest of the shadows
at the mouth of the gorge, where the
| torrenting Niquoia Strengthened itself
momeLtarily before entering upon its
| plunging race through the mountain
| barrier a beam of white light fickered
unsteadily for a fraction Of a second.
| Then it became a luminous pencil to
trace zigzag line up the winding
| course of the river, across to the foot
hill spur where the camp of the recla-
| nation service vanguard was pitched
| and so on around to the base Of the
| Chigringo. For certain other seconds
| it remained quiescent, glowing bale
ster searching for it's prey. Then ii
was gone.
Grislcw's comment took the form OF
half-startled exclamation.
by Jove! wouldn't that give you a
fit of the creepies ?-this far from civil
lization and a dynamo? What are you
calling it?
Your guess is as good as mine,
was the half-absent reply Brouillard
had got upon his feet and was but
toning his many-pocketed shooting
coat
I'm going to take a little hike down
yonder for investigation purposes
Want to come along?'
But the mapper of watersheds was
yawning sleepi1y. Not on your tin
type" he refused. I'm going to cork
| it OFF in me ammick'
1t was only short mile from the
/ camp on the inward slopes of the east
! ern foothills to the mouth of the outlet
| gorge, across which Brouillard could
already see, in mental provision, the
great gray wall of the projected Nj
| quota danl-his future work-curvins
majestically from the broken shoulder
of Chigringo to the opposing sleeps
] OF Jacks mountain. The half-growr
moon. fitting now toward the skyline