Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1920-01-23

will let me help you up the bank, no
doubt you can find your way home.
l assure you that I have no intention
of intruding on you further"
His scorn seemed to beat down her
anger. She looked at him for the first
time without hatred.
''Why have you come into nv life?
Why do you begin to MAY a part in
it?" she whispered, as if in terror.
Suppose you let me assist YOU up
the bank, Mademoiselle, before I an
swer your question. We can hardly
discuss that matter here" said Hilary.
She seemed to recover her self-pos-
session. There is no need to answer
me-" she replied scornfully. Never
theless she permitted him to brush the
dust from her skirt and to give her
his hand. They scrambled up the side
of the gorge and stood breathless upon
the road again. Far away Hilary
heard the crash of the logs, flung over
the dam and shooting toward the boom.
Madeleine Rosny turned and faced
Hilary. ''Well, monsieur?" she de-
manded.
"It is because I want US to be
friends" he said. And he took the
girls hand frankly in his.
She let it lie there for moment,
gazing at him in astonishment and
puzzlement. Then, to Hilary's sur
prise, he saw the look of fear come
into her eyes again.
sit is too late" she whispered.
Surely not, mademoiselle. We have
misunderstood each other, perhaps,
but"
Il tell you it is too late. Oh, why
did you not come to me and say this
before?" she cried, and suddenly broke
into understandable sobbing. 81 thought
you were grasping and wicked, and 1
hated you. I wished you evil. Look
to your boom! No, let me go, mon
sieur Look to your boomr'
And, snatching her hand away, she
ran, still sobbing wildly, down the
road, leaving Hilary staring after her
in uncomfortable dismay.
He could not understand her mean
ing, though her last words still rang
in his ears. He watched her as she
fled through the trees like a hunted
deer. She was out of his sight around
the bend Of the road almost in an in
stant, her shoulders heaving and her
hands outstretched in blind panic be-
fore her.
Hilary heard the shouts of the work
men still more plainly, rising above the
awful smashing of the logs. Then
while he still looked after Madeleine
there came a sound louder than any
he had heard, riva1ing that Of the ex
plosion itself, as if Thor's hammer had
Changed upon a leaden anvil, as If the
earth were rent in twain like stitched
garment.
There was no need to wonder what
had occurred. Hilary began running
down the road. His eyes were fixed
ahead where the log boom lay rent like
a straw pipe, and the great burden OF
logs which the Rocky river had borne
so long was plunging down the cata
ract
He ran on, breathless, and the stu
pendous spectacle went on before his
eyes. A mighty barrier, piled up fol
a few moments against the rocks thai
spanned the cataract, gave promise oI
arresting the debacle. Behind it the
logs spun and twisted. All the freight
of the river, far back from the hills
was sweeping onward, an irresistible
army, forging past stone and boulder
tossing, upheaving, mounting the dam
whose cement wall was now sub
merged, swept by the milk-white tor
rent to where had been the boom. Thl
clashing of the logs against that wood
en- wall was like battering rams agains
city wall. Then swiftly, as Hilar.
still ran, he saw the picture dissolve
The wall Of logs went down into tn
cataract, and column of spray ros
higher than the flume, fiared funnel
wise and caught the sunlight into pris
matically banded hues like a rainbow
and went down.
Over the cataract swept the logs, ur
impeded now. The river had burst it
chains and spewed it's burdens into tn
Gulf. Fanlike, the lumber began t
spread and stain the gray st. Lawrenc
surface with mottled brown.
Hilary reached the waste place bt
side the mill. The workmen stoo
there, impotently watching the ruin Q
their toll. 1t was the wreck of every
thing. There could be no hope of built
; ing up the boom in the face of tina
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