The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1917-01-11
THE IRON TRAIL
BY REX BEACH
Copyright, 1913. by Harper 4 Brother

But Eliza was sitting on the floor.
lacing up her own stout boots. and
an instant later she followed her broth
er, pursued by Il wall of dismay from
the adjoining chamber. Through the
chill morning light she hurried, asking
many questions, but receiving no CO.
herent reply from the racing men.
Then, after endless moments of sus-
penSe. she saw with relief that the
massive su~perstructure of the bridge
was still standing. Above the shout
ing she heard another sound, indis-
tinct, but i%nsistent. 1t filed the air
with a whispering movement; it was
punctuated mt intervals by Il dull rum
bling and grinding. She found the
river bank black with forms, but like
a cat she Wormed her way through the
crowd until the whole panorama lay
before her.
The bridge stood as she had seen it
on the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. strong. SUI
perb in the simplicity of its splendid
outline, but beneath it and as far as
her eyes could follow the river she
saw, not the solid spread Of white to
which she had become accustomed, but
Il moving cXpansc of foes. At first the
winter burden slipped past in huge
acres in extent, but soon these
began TO be rent apart: irregular black
seams ran through them, opened. clos
ed and threw up ridges Of ice %shavingS
rs they ground together. The foes
were rubbing against the banks, they
came sliding out over the dry shore
like tremendous sheets Of cardboard
manipulated by unseen hands, and not
until their nine foot edges were expos
ed to view did the mind grasp the APP
palling significance Of their movement.
They swept down in ~phalanXes upon
the ~wedgelike ice breakers which stood
guard above the bridge piers, then they
halted, separated. and the armOred cut
ting edges sheared through them like
blades.
A half mile below, where the Salmon
flung itself headlong against the upper
wing of Jackson glacier. the floating
ice was checked by the narrowed pas
sageway. There a jam was forming,
and as the river heayed and tore at its
growing burden a spectacular struggle
went on. The sound Of it came family
but impresSively to the watchers-a
grinding and crushing of bergs, a roar
Of escaping waters. Fragments were
upended, masses were rearing them
selves edgewise into the air, were over
turning and collapsing. They were
wedging themselves into every conceiv-
able angle, and the crowding process
sion from above was adding to the bar
rier momentarily. AS the ~passageway
became blocked the waters rose; the
river piled itself up Sc swiftly that
the eye could note it's rise along the
banks.
But the attention Of the crowd was
divided between the jam and some
thing far out on the bridge itself. At
first glance Eliza did not comprehend;
then she heard a man explaining:
III was going out when we got
here and now he won't come back"
The girl gasped. for she recognized
the distant figure Of a man, dWarfed
to puny proportions by the bulk of the
structure In the mazes of which he
stood. The man was O'Neil: he was
perched upon one of the Orders near
the center OF the longest span, where
he could watch the attack upon the
pyramidal ice breakers beneath him.
Hes a fool" said some one at
ELIAS back. THAT jam is getting
bigger"
He'd better let the bridge take care
Of itself"
She turned and began to force her
way through the press of people be
tween her and the south abutment
She arrived there, disheveled and pant
ing, to find Slater. Mellen and Parker
standing in the approach. In front Of
them extended the long skeleton tun
mel into which Murray had gone
"Mr. O'Neil is out there she cried
to Tom.
Slater turned and. reading the tragic
appeal in her face. said reassuringly:
Sure. But he's all right"
"They say-there's danger"
Happy Toms round visage puckered
into a doubtful smile. "Oh. he'll take
care of himself"
Mellen turned to the girl and said
briefly:
There's no danger whatever"
But ELIAS fear was not to be so
easily quieted.
Then why did he go out alonei
What are you men doing here?"
cts his orders" Tom told her.
Mellen was staring at the jam be
low. over which the Salmon was hurl-
ing a food Of ice and fOaming waters.
The stream was swelling and rising
steadily. Already 1t had nearly reach
ed the level Of the timber line on the
left bank. The blockade was extend
ing upstream almost to the bridge It,
self. Mellen said something to Par
ker, who shook his head silently.
Dan Appleton shouldered his way
out Of the crowd. with Natalie at his