Evening star., 1924-07-06
The Far Side of Thunderb0lt

Brent to give my boss a mess Of
fodder in the morning. If the ice
gets on the railroad bridge I'll have
to board with you a SPELL"
Fred looked up quickly. Luella had
gone into the kitchen.
rs he bad, do you think, Doc?"
Rumly rubbed his long. bony chin.
He looked at Fred keenly.
This is one time" he said, when
wish there was a bridge across
Thunderbolt.'
Dawn came cold. There was no
comfort in the drab light that
trickled through the sleety windows,
slowly drenching in its cold flood the
amplight and the fire. In the grim
grayness the sick child lay asleep,
his eyes already shadowed and
sunken, his chin a bit tremulous.
I'D rather have any disease on
earth to fight than diphtheria poi
son." remarked Rumly as they sat
by the fire. Fred Susong sagged for
ly at his nails Its so blamed
tricky. You think you've got it beat
and then it's like a grass fire; it
flares up in another place. Heart,
maybe-or kidneys"
THAT antitoxin fixes its generally,
don't it?" inquired Fred hopefully.
mo chance to get any," insisted
Rumly. mo chance to cross that
railroad bridge with all this ice on
it," He regarded the lacquered trees
standing sheeted outside, the yard
coated over with black glass, with a
tinkling crystal-coated bush thrust
up here and there. "And if you got
across a horse couldn't stand up un-
less he was roughshod. If you had
a telephone, now, 1 could phone Ella
and Milo would figure some way to
get it across. but Of course you amt
got a phone
I'VE never had any wires put up
just expense for nothing. / figured.
Long as / had to be in town every
day, anyhow, there wasn't any use
paying for a phone, too. There amt
any line on this side of Thunderbolt."
mo, there amt any-this side of
Thunderbolt."
Fred Susong sauirmed. The Su-
songs owned all the land on that
side of Thunderbolt, and it may be
that he was thinking at that moment
as was the old doctor-of the
things which were not on that side
of Thunderbolt. Not telephones
merely-other things. Roads. Power
pumps. Curtained windows where
fioflwers bloomed. Women smiling
Light and gladness. SO many things
were left behind when once old Milo
Flowers ferry boat had slid off the
muddy shore into the outlaw, tumu1-
tuous river. Rumly was thinking OF
them now-thinking of the confused
wrong of it. They didn't know
they were unaware, the Susongs, OF
the wrong of it..
Not one was cruel-not even old
Nick, the older, the harder, the most
despised of the clan. He himself had
seen the quick. bewilddered hurt in
Fred's eyes when his little son looked
at him in terror. They didn't know
"They got calluses," thought Rum
ly. "Calluses on their hearts and
souls. Pare 'em deep enough and
they're alive under. Pare 'em deep
and you hit the quick"
K K x x
ERED sat oblivious by the fire while
Luella, her eyes tragic, wrapped
herself in shawl and went out to
milk. For generations the Susong
men had sat by fires while the Susong
women went out to milk. And wher
Luella came staggering in with q
great armful of wood Fred moved
over and gave her room to lay il
efficiently on the fire.
Rumly went to the bed and felt the
child's hot little wrist. Luella came
and stood by his side. her eyes dark
wells of dread. Isis he worse?'
she whispered.
Il wish / could give him some anti.
toxin" was all the answer Rumly
had.
Fred jumped up. I'm going across
that bridge he declared. Il can gel
to Parrotsville if 1 can get across
that bridge"
Luella set her lips. "If the bonds
had passed we'd have a bridge" she
stormed. wed have a bridge te
carry Sonny over"
"a toll bridge" returned Fred
badgered and flushing. Cost me &
quarter every time 1 went to town
and a dollar to drive a herd of steers
over"
Luella was merciless. Medicine
costs money, too" she tauntsd
You'd better stay here-and save it,
Fred twisted his lips, bit back z
| retort, jammed on his hat anG
slammed out. Rumly patted his foot
So many fevers in this house thai
needed curing"
That bridge is mighty slick" he