The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1943-01-28

swept against boulder and be-
gan to roll In the wild water,
over and over again.
In some fashion the boy made
his way to the bank, and ran
along the bank, tearing bis
clothes and his face and his
hands upon the bushes, and al
last staggering into the little
clearing beneath the fir trees.
Daddy" he cried. my Dad
dy is up there in the water"
They got his body out. Nor
man Tinker said, This is terri
BILE, terrible, terrible. But
we must bury him here and not
try to take him down to the Set
Element" Martha Frye was toe
stunned with anguish to protest
She helped to dig the grave.
Then, early in the afternoon
life and consciousness of life
flowed back into her, and she
walked to the table where Nor.
man Tinker was waiting, with
bowed head, Off her to bring his
food. She said:
You murdered him"
The boys eyes flew wide, and
Norman Tinker looked up slow
ly.
You are upset" he said. 81
decline to ne offended because
you don't know what you're say.
ing"
you tried to murder the boy,
too"
This is very foolish of you
Martha"
II am not afraid of you. You
have murdered him. And l am
going to the Settlement and tell
them So"
She started for the door, with
her daughter in her arms and
the boy walking beside her. The
three Of them got TO the water S
edge, and even into the canoe
before Norman Tinker came
rushing from the house.
Wait" he cried. Stop Wait!"
In that moment the guilt and
the fear were cut deep into his
face.
Wait"
The oaceWn
The canoe was almost fully
water-borne, the boy giving il
one last shove, when Norman
Tinker came up to it. He lunged
and caught a. the gunwhale, and
stumbled, and fell into the wa.
ter.
The canoe swirling out into
the stream. The boy fell, too. not
far from Norman Tinker, and
wallowed tor a moment. But he
got TO his feet and yelled, I'm
coming, Mother. III be there. Go
ahead. Go. Co."
Martha Frye plunged the pad
die into the water and the swift
current caught hold of the ca.
noe, sending it down stream. The
boy ran into the woods.
Norman Tinker hesitated fol
a moment. He almost started af
ter the boy. Then he looked a
the canoe, and looked at another
canoe, pulled up on the sandy
little beach. He rushed TOWARD
it, and fought it into the water
and swung the paddle fiercely
until he too was in midstream
The boy struck away through
the woods.
He reached the Settlement
three days later. A few men
were there, sitting along the
jetty with their fishing lines in
the water. They told him that a
canoe had come in-one canoe
1t was long, brown canoe, pad.
died by a tired-looking man who
had, of all absurd things, baby
wrapped in blankets in the bows
No. No woman at all.
The pan lad got hold of the
only automobile round about
and gone off.
Whereupon the boy, from ex.
haustion and from hunger and
from fear, fell into delirious
cries. A woman took him in and
nursed him and listened to his
muttered raving.
She almost believed him, and
said to her dubious husband
We'll, tell lie what tike like
this is doing, wand r 4
around the big woods, all by
himself? There must be some
reason for it,"
The husband shook his head
If he had learned one lesson in
his life, he told her, it was to
keep hands off other folks do.
ings, especially if he other folks
seemed to be in trouble.
II never trouble trouble" he
intoned gravely. "till trouble
troubles me- But then he said