Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-06-27

river would be captured or the idea
| forever Knocked. Each time a belching
engine pulled across that hazardous
track it flung a credit to the man-side.
Each time the waters, slowly rising
hurled their weight against the creak-
ing trestles where the rock was thin,
point was gained by the militant riv-
err. It's roar sounded like the last cry
of a wounded animal in lines ear !;
the Dragon was q reality that night as
| it spent it's rage against the shackles
of puny men.
Molly Silent had seen her husbands
train pull in. She watched for it to
go out again. The whistle blew twice.
Something was wrong. She left her
place in time to see Silent, his face
shining CHASTITY pale under the SCOT,
pull himself up from the ''battleship"
where he had been leaning. Estrada,
sent by Richard to find out why the
train did not pull out, saw him the
same instant as did Molly. Silent
swayed, waving them back unseeingly,
like a man who is drunk.
"God, man, you can't go like that !"
cried Estrada.
"Who's going?" demanded Silent, his
tongue thick with thirst and exhaus-
ton. The whistle blew again.
81 will p The train moved out on
the trestle, as the whistle blew angrily
twice. Only Molly and Silent saw Els
trada go. Silent staggered unseeinglS
up the bank toward the camp, Molly
I following.
The river was humping out ycntler;
the rolling mass came roaring, Aank-
on, against the dam.
"Quick, for Gods sake, quick J!
| yelled Richard. His signals sounded
short and sharp. sFDunp it on, throw
the cars in!" Marshall was dancing,
his mouth full of oaths, on the bank
edge. Breathlessly all watched the
rushing water fling itself over the dam.
| For several hushed seconds the struc-
ture could not be seen. When the
foam fell a cheer went up. The dam
was standing. Silent, it was supposed,
was bringing in his train.
Above the distant jagged line OF
| mountains rose red ball. A new day
| began. And again the Dragon rose:
mountain of water came rolling dam
ward.
Three trains ran steaming on the
rails.
Don't stop now to blast the big
ones. Pour 'em on!' ordered Richard.
There was a long wait before any
rock fell. Marshall and Richard wait
ed for the pour. The whistles blew
| again. Then they saw what was
wrong. The morning light showed q
rock weighing several tons which was
| resisting the efforts of the pressing
| crew. Out of the gloom sprang other
| figures with crOWbars. The rock tot
tered, fell. The river tossed it as
| though it were a tennis ball, sent it
| hurting down the lower face Of the
| dam.
Things began to go wild. The men
were growing reckless. They were
| sagging toward exhaustion; mistakes
| were made. Another rock, as heavy as
| the last, was worked toward the edge.
| Men were thick about it with crow
bars. They hurried One concerted
| effort, drawing back as the rock top
| slow, or too tired. He slipped. The
watchers on the bank saw fash of
waving arms, heard a cry; they had a
| glimpse of q blackened face as the
| foam caught it. The waters closed
| over him.
There was hush of horror; halt.
"God himself couldn't save that poor
devil" cried Marshall. "Have the
| work go on!'
Pour rocks on that wretch down
| there? Pin him down? Never had it
| seemed more like war! "a man
down? Ride over him! to victory !"
| Soberly Richard signaled for the work
| to go on.
| The rock-pour suffered as if in hOr-
| ror. The women turned sick with fear.
| No one knew who it was. Some poor
Mexican, probably.
"Who was it?" demanded Richard,
| running down to the track.
'"The young Mexican, Hestrada. 'E
| tried to 'elp. e wasn't fit
''Who was it?" Marshall had run
down to see why the work paused.
Richard turned shocked eyes on his
chief. ESTRADA !" The beautiful
mournful eyes of Eduardo were on
| him, not Marshall's, Mortified. Now he
knew why Estrada had said, II can't
see it finished"
''Rickard!" The engineer did not
recognize the quenched voice. "The
work has got to go on"
1t came to Richard as he gave the