The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-03-01
CHAPTER TX
The Temper of the Tamarack


With the first roar of released wa
tiers. far up the spongy valley. a bank
Of yellow cloud rolled down the west
ern sky. And from the hills rumbled
a sound as cminous as any cry that
ever burst across the lake, the voice
of released inland waters, mad after
their long captivity. bowling with new
freedom. The air trembled. Julie ran
past.
"Juliep Norman cried. "Not that
wayl Eerel Quick. up to the hills 7"
She did not heed. Her remaining
sheep were milling around the pas
ture in the bottoms at the very edge
of the water. Above them the shout
ders Of the food pressed forward
Julie plunged toward them.
"Julie" Norman shouted. This
way, Juliet"
The nearing waters howled louder
than be. His words were lost. yer
In his own mouth. She was thirty
PAGES ahead. He charged after her.
The sheep, recognizing her, trotted
SitWiy III ucT uiIcCliuu.
"AllezI" she was screaming. "You
foolish beasts. upi Upr
Norman reached jules shoulder ;
he was shaking her. pulling, shouting
into her ear.
Come backi You are mad, Julie y
"No, nor She jerked away. "Would
leave the poor sheep?"
Norman. while he dragged Julie up
the bill. saw Germaine, clawing along
the bank below. The old mar had
dragged the new mower halfway
through the door. Trying to save the
mower? Norman laughed aloud ;
there was no mirth In his laughter.
Like Gustafs. II was. He pushed
Julie onward and ran toward the old
man. Germaine abandoned the now
er. He began crawling back up the
hill with water swapping at his heels.
The sheep, baa-ing timidly. trotted
past Julie along the moving bank.
Norman ran back to her.
"Comel !"
my sheepi"
He stopped over, picked her up
fiercely and carried her twenty PAGES.
She was vet in his arms. surprising
Iy light, warm against his heart. She
kicked her heels angrily.
"Put me down down." she
demanded. "Lookw
Clinging helpIessly to a short bounc-
ing log, far out In the stream, a man
whipped by them. Only his head
poked above the water, a gray blot
upon the angry black surface.
"a mani" Julie screamed. She
started forward. "And there go my
sheep swimming.
Norman caught her by the sleeve.
Get back, juliet" he commanded. Il
see a boat coming there
let go my arm ] can get 1t, I'll
go after that man. $50"
He pushed away her hands, sat
down. and yanked of his shoes. She
followed him three steps, four, five.
then halted. Norman Ieaped into the
river. He felt the jerk of the current,
the suction of the undertow. The
capsized boat spun nearer His hands
touched the gunwalc. 1t turned un-
expectedly. made an angry gesture,
jerked away from his cramped fingers
and sped back to midstream with the
shifting current.
Norman shook muddy water from
his eyes. He could see the man no
longer. Who was he? A DeIong? IT
did not occur to him then. How could
he know that he was the last to see
Fritz Deiong alive? Three days later,
when the water dropped, searchers
from Madrid Bay found the body of
James belongs brother by q willow
sapIing fiv- miles below.
Again Norman shook water from
his eyes. He could scarcely see. A
white birc tree. spinning in the river,
twisted its gray ghostly branches
through the murky light. It rolled
nearer. Hazily Norman made out fig
ures on fits trunk. Men. Two of them.
Cingine with arms and legs TO the
smooth bark.
He splashed out of the water. he
had missed that other man, be would
not miss these there must be
some way of getting o u to them.
Twenty feet ND the bank, the earth