Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1945-05-01
Continued from Page 15)


suits.
AS he stood there and waited,
he discovered that Meow was close
behind him. This was a thing
he had forgotten to take into con-
sideration. Now it was question
of how to get away, for the dyna-
mite would explode any moment.
He ran for dear life down the hill
toward his cabin. The cat, NOR
tally afraid of the unusual object
that ratified and sputtered on its
tail, followed at his heels.
If the cat was frightened and
did his utmost to follow his mas
ter, Swanson himself was no less
frightened. The man perspired
and was in agony; the dreadful
shot that was to come almost
scared him out of his senses. It,
for that matter, was a question
of life and death, and he therefore
ran faster than he had ever done
Ill oil lllS liz n SouplS VI lihiSo
he turned his head around to see
how much he was in advance. He
noticed that the frightened ami
NAL, with a still greater speed
rushed towards him. 1t was hor-
rible, almost enough to make his
hair stand on end to have the
dynamite loaded cat at his heels.
Tired, as though painting his
last, Swanson at last reached his
house. The cat shot at the same
moment by him like an arrow and
disappeared under the cabin,
where the rest of the dynamite
was lying. Unless he could find a
safer place, Charles would be
hopelessly lost. With the speed of
a marathon runners last eXertion,
he hurried to the clubhouse.
Between the barn and the liv-
ing house was a deep ditch, which,
during the rainy season led the
water to the river, was now dry
In his haste, Charles did not see
the ditch, but pitched head fore
most into it. Before he had time
to rise, the air resounded with a
deafening crash. It sounded as if
all the guns on earth had been
fired at the same time above his
head.
Something heavy hit him in the
head; then everything was still,
The neighbors rushed out from
their houses. From all directions
people came to the place, where
the new settler, Charles Swanson
had had his cabin. The nearest
neighborS had seen large pieces
of the roof, doors, chairs, etc
thrown hundreds of feet up into
the air. 1t looked as if an inn
mense dark cloud had risen from
the place; and for several min
utes, there fell a rain of stoves anG
soil and pieces of boards.
That Swanson had made thun-
dering departure was the common
opinion when neighbOr women dis
covered his body in the ditch, with
large part of one of the walls
lying on top of the corpse. The
woman had scarcely made the dis
covery before the whole Grove
gathered around the dead man. A
Japanese, couple of Indians, anc
an Italian moved away the part
of the house that covered the
body while a Norwegian, Swan
sons most intimate friend, went
to the nearest store to telephone
to an undertaken to remove the
body. They lifted him up from
the ditch with the intentions OF
carrying him to the road. Bu'
they should not have touched thu
corpse, for at the same moment
the dead man opened his eyes anC
looked astonished at the crowd a!
if meaning to say What are yol
doing here? ?"
= When Hanson, his friend, hearC
= that Swanson was alive, he hast
ened back to the store to tele
phone for an ambulance.
On his return, he found Swan
son sitting on the edge of tn,
: ditch emptying a big glass o
: whisky, which someone had givei
to him. Charles stared at TIL