The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-10-26

and they set out to find our bodies.
But me and Swatty wasn't bodies
yet. We we're still folks.
Well, I guess we'd have been bodice
before anybody gotsto US, anyway ~
We hadn't had. some bad luck. Me and
Swatty was there in our trees chewing
Swatty was there In our trees when all
at once something big and black come
slamming down onto the point Of the
Tow Head. 1t looked like a house. but
guess 1T was only a COW shed or some-
thing like that. that had got fioated on
the river bottoms by the flood. 1t came
all of sudden and before we knew
what had happened it hit the Tow
Head point and banged into the tree I
was on and water began to rush
over it and then all at once the tree
I was on began to give. 1t began 70
| topple. 1t went slow at first and then
| it went quicker, and 1t fell over
against the tree Swatty was in and
the shed came humping after it. and
| then Swatty's tree keeled over, too. and
me and Swatty went down under and
the shed come grating over us-right
| over our heads, and pushing our trees
down into the water.
| All 1 ever knew was that. the next
thing 1 knew. I was, slammed up
against the side of the shed by tho
| water and pushed against 1t like Dig
| hand was pushing me, and was fight
| ing to get more out of the water. and
then the shed sort of melted and went
to pieces and I was holding onto a
board and going down with the current
| between the trees of the Tow Head.
Then I saw the water ruching and
| roaring up against something.
I didn't know what it was. but 1t was
a log raft the mill folks had put in be-
hind the Tow Head so 1t wouldn't get
washed away. 1t was in the inside Of
the horse shoe. and all across the front
Of it was drift wood and trash and Did
boards and everything and that was
what the water was splashing against.
and before I knew 1t 1 was slammed
up against tine and my board. And
what I slammed up against was the
bridge timber had been on before. or
one like 1t. If had slammed up
against where 1t was just bark and
drift wood would have clawed at il
awhile and then gone under. I guess.
but crawled onto the timber and just
lay there and tried to get the water out
OF my nose.
Well, that timber wasn't any place
to be. The water rushed against 10
and over 1t, SO was getting ducked all
the time. and put out my hand and
tried the drift stun. but 1t didn't seem
like 1t would hold me up, but there was
one board that was on top Of the stun.
and I tried that. I slid over onto 1t.
and it seemed all right. SO I edged
along 1t and when I got to the end Of
the board the drift stuff seemed firmei
and I got on my belly. and edged out
very firm. but on my belly that way ]
covered a good deal Of 1t at time and
I sort Of wiggled along. and the more
wiggled the firmer 1t got. 1t had to.
with all the river pushing 1t, and thu
drift wood back of it pushing. too. So
1t took me about an hour to get to the
log raft md when I got to the edge
logs, that are chained together, I was
all scratched and sore. and just sat
down and cried. because I knew Swatty
was dead. And all at once he said
Hello Henny!" and there he was.
crawling along the logs toward me. He
said he went under when the tree fell
over, and that he went under all the
drift wood and come up through hole
in tho raft. Maybe he did.
Anyway. there he was. and that made
me feel a lot better. and we crawled
around the edge OF the raft, because
we wanted to get to the lower side.
Swatty slid maybe we could push .
log under the outside chain of logs and
paddle to shore on 1t, but wasn't go
! ing to do 1t. Only wanted to see him
!. do 1t II he did 1t. So we got to the
lower edge of the raft, where 1t stuck
out below the Tow Head and just then
along came the ferry boat. She was
back padding and going as slow ar
) Ia
cursion. with all the porch lamps and
the nambeaux. So me and Swatty hol.
, Tered, but I guess they saw US before
, We hollered. Everybody came over Oh
; our side and that tipped the ferry boat
. over a little. and a lot of tho men threw
ropes at US and held out their pike
t poles. and me and Swatty grabbed
t them and they yanked us aboard. So
then she whistled i've times and waited,
: and whistled five times again, and 80
|. on, because that was the signal they
( was to make II they found our bodies.
] and they had found them, but they
t were alive yet. So then Herb made
y the captain whistle long and steady
1 without stopping. SO maybe they'd
1 know we were alive yet But nobody
e thought we would be.
( Well. the old ferry let out so much
steam whistling she couldn't go up
stream I guess she couldn't. anyway.
i So they ran her into the shore just
i where she waShnd tied her to a big
I tree, and when we got to the road there
Y | was mother and father and Mr.. and
: Mrs. Schwartz in livery rig. because
they had followed the boat all the way
, down. And Fan was in the rig. too,
So they all paved me and Swatty over
and saw how bad we was scratched
and all. and said we was suffering from
exhaustion, but We was not We waa
!. only played out.
= So then Herbert said, All right"
and started to go away. and Fan said
"Herbert!'
What is It ?' he said.
Il want you to ride up town with US, =
she said.