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-come to me?
HAPPY DAYS
pulled up their boat on the shore close to
the hut.
It still wore the same air of desertion.
Dick had left the door partly open and
had placed, a small pebble on top of it in
such a manner that if the door was touched
the stone would be sure to fa!
ie seized hold of foe door and pulled it
open, but no pebble fel:
There’s been some Sue here!” he ex-
claimed. “Look, Charley, the floor is all
tracked over with alkali since we were
ere.”
“That's what, Dick. If it was mud, now,
we might guess it was your friend.”
“Ten to one it was Mudd,” replied Dick.
“Helle what's this?”
In the middle of the long table which oc-
eupied the centre of the room Jay a paper
upon which some words were written, fas-
tened to the table by a rusty old bowie
knife which had been driven deep into the
wood.
“That's yours, Dick,”
“Don’t you see what it says
“For you, Dick Darrell,” were the words
scrawled over the paper jn letters at least
six inches long.
cried Charley,
CHAPTER XII.
INTO THE BOLLING POT.
“That's Mudd’s work, sure,” exclaimed
Dick, and he pulled out the knife an
picked the paper up, turning ft over and
Snding the following written on the other
Friends or enemies—which?—I swore to
On ce:
stand—but we can’t get together by keeping
apart. Shall I come to you or will you
I shall be in this hut at
midnight and alons and you must come
alone if you want to meet me. It will pay
you, Dick Darrell, and you need fear noth-
ing.- If you do not come I shall take it to
mean that I shall come to you. It will be
too late to talk about the $100,000 then, for
en I come I come to kill, Yours any
way you like to take me, Mupp.”
* “Well!” exclaimed Charley, for Dick had
been reading aloud, “that’s a most remark-
able communication. What on earth docs
it all mean?’
“Rubbish!” cried Dick, “He must think
I am a born idiot.~ Still it shows the fellow
is watching us.
“I don’t know about that. There may
be more in it than you _{hink for. Are you
going to do as he says?’
“Well, I think I see myself,” laughed |
Dick. “If he wants to come, to me let him
try it. I’m ready for
“I wouldn’t do it that. way. * I'd come to
the hut and let me and Doctor Dan hang
around somewhere. If we could once cap-
ture Mr, Martin Mudd his name would be
mud for fair and we could find out then
exactly what has become of the girl.’
“Well, I'll think it over,” said Dick.
“Come on now and let’s have a look at the
boiling pot.”
This was the name the boys had given
to the point on the lake which so interested
Charley and they now went back into the
boat and paddled along the shore until they
came to the place.
The water was now as talm here as else-
where and showed no signs of disturbance.
After pulling around few moments
Dick paddled ashore, declaring that he was
going to look up the footprints of the mon-
ster and measure them.
“You don’t need any
help, I suppose,”
said Charley. OL i stay out here, I want
to watch the
“They say a vate hed pot never boils,”
laughed Dick, “but I’ve no objections to
you trying to prove it. Of course I don’t
need any hel elp. It won’t take me five min-
utes, anyhow.
So Dick hurried along the shore, while
at once
the act of measuving them w
a shout from Charley called his attention
to the lake.
“She boils, Dick! She boils!” cried
Charley.
“Look out!” shouted Dick, running down
to the shore. “Don’t go too near. There
may be some suction there.”
“By Jove, there is a big suction,” an-
swered Charley, “and what’s more I'm
right in it now.”
He commenced to paddle furiously and
perhaps he thought he was making some
headway, but Dick saw that he was not.
“Jump out, Charley!” he shouted. “Jump
and save yourself.”
“I can do it! I can do it!” Charley re-
plied, working the paddle more vigorously
than
Meanwhile the water was boiling furious-
ly—more than it had done at any time yet.
Dick was terribly alarmed. He was
standing now on a point of rocks directly
over the boiling pot and all at once, to his
horror, he saw the boat half double up and
go shooting into the middle of this min-
fature maelstro
“Ty a goner!? yelled Charley, and he
tumbled out of the
oat,
But he was too late to save himself.
Like a flash the boat disappeared beneath
the wate!
Char! fey. made a noble effort to save him-
self, but the Suction was too much for him.
, Dick!” he cried suddenly, ind then
threw up his hands and was
Dick hesitated just one
more.
Without even stopping to throw off his
coat he took a header iuto the boiling pot,
disappearing like a flash.
t seemed a piece of mad folly.
How could he hope to rescue Charley
under such circumstances as these?
But Dick never gave that a thought. He
would have jumped in just the same if-he
had known that he was jumping to his
death,
gon
instant—no
went—down—down—drawn
deeper every second by weet terrible pull.
.” he tho can’t help
mye and. ‘his heart pezan to fail him
as he was still drawn on and on, deeper
into the boiling pot.
[ro BE CONTINUED.]
—_—__ + +,
Look out for our next Grand Premium
Offer. It will be great.
[This story commenced in No. 281.]
The Captain of fo, 9
R,
THE BOY LOGGERS OF
LOON LAKE.
By JAMES D.
Author of “Wall Street Will,” “The Boy
Rough liders,” “The Boy Sheriff,”
“Hustling Harry,” ete, etc.
MONTAGUE,
CHAPTER XVI.
THE BREAKING OF THE BOoat,
“There she is now!” cried Indian Joe.
“ Get ready to
We've got all we want to do
to save ae own necks,
ick did not hesitate, for he could see
that “their only hope was to do as Indian
Joe sai
As the ice came on, driven down the lake
by the strong wind, the boys made a bold
jump and landed upon
In an instant the boat-was struck and
the ice, circling around it, crushed it like
ad and then swept over it and all trace
f the boat vanished before the ‘boys had
time t to say a
“Well, by thundes, that was quick work!”
gasped Dick.
“And the end of our boat!” replied Joe.
“Hello! There goes the horn.”
Dick gave an exclamation of despair.
“They won't get me this time, Joe,” he
n
ey
“Evidently not,” replied Joe. “I don’t
think anything serious can have happened
yet, though. Paul Bates is afraid the boom
will BO and that’s why he has given you
the c:
“te vonust think it strange I haven’t been
down before. There he goes again. Holler,
Joe. I’m all played out. Try and make
Jessie hear. I'm so hoarse that I can only
“oe yelled lustily, but it was the same as
eto
No “an swer came from the missing girl,
yet there had been no mistake about the cry
3
ay
Ss
5
S ai
In spite of what he said, Dick tried it,
too, yelling with what little voice he had
left.
sit was all useless so far as Jessie was
concerned, but their voices were heard at
That you, Joe?” Paul Bates
“Right here,” replied Joe.
“Where are you? Where's Captain Dick?
The boom is Sure ining terribly. I don’t be-
lieve she can hold out long.”
e are on the ice. Look out for us!”
oe.
“On the ice: Thunderation! The ice
all broken up! What be you doing there?”
Paul yelled back, his voice barely audible
above the howling of the wind.
“Don’t try to answer his questions. It
isn’t any use,” said Dick. “Tell im to get
ive the
the crew on the rafts.
signal. If the boom is going let it gO.
will only. hota out till the boys come that's
all we .
Indian ‘Toe thought that the rafts stood
a fair show of starting on their long jour-
ney without a captain, but he said nothing
about that, simply shouting out Dick’s or-
ders, which were promptly obeyed.
Again the horn sounded, blown ‘twice in
quick succession, then a pause.and then
once again, »
This was the signal arranged with the
crew which was to take the rafts through
t. John, in which city all the cut of the
0
}winter had been sold, for it was not possible
Ponly on Dick’s account, but from fear of a
to transport the lumber from this section to
Bangor.
Again and again the signal was repeated,
Dick listened attentively for the answer,
for the crew were all sleeping in the huts
at No, 1 ready for just this emergency.
“There she goes!” cried Joe at last, for
the blast of a horn was heard in the dis-
nee.
The answering signal had come. .
om.
Meanwhile Joe kept calling to Paul Bates
at intervals to know the condition of things
and the response was always the same.
e boom was holding its own thus far,
but Dick felt sure that as soon as the ice
touched the hindmost rafts it would foree
time. Dick had called again an
but he had now given up all hope so far as
she was concefned and we have no words to
express the feeling of deep despair which
came over him.
For Dick had a secret which he had
shared with nobod.
ad learned to love Jessie Bartlett,
vas only @ poor logger work-
ing for his daily bre
Thus Dick had never even dared to*hint
at the state of his feeling toward the brave
girl; indeed, he hardly dared to admit to
himself how he felt.
no “means strange that he
should be far more disturbed about Jessie
than about the danger which threatened
himself and Joe.
“IT guess they | are all there now, Dick,”
said Joe at last. “All that hollering means
that they are going out on the rafts,”
“I suppose it does,” replied Dick, “and
“Nor for yourself, either, I guess,” replied
“T never saw such a cool fellow 4s you
are, Dick, and yet there isn’t one chance in
forty that the ice will hold till we reach
the boom.”
‘Don’t agree with you,” said Dick. “I
believe it will, Anyhow, it isn’t going to
make matters any better to get excited
about it.”
They were standing on top of the heaped-
up cakes as they spoke.
Every instant brought its changes; the
cakes were breaking up all around them.
The boys did not dare to make the least
move, but so far their own footing had n
firm and it so continued until they had al-
most reached the boom, when suddenly the
whole mass went to pieces, but not without
warning, and, fortunately, not before Dick
and Joe had time to make their escape.
oO minutes before the- break-up came
the ave drifted up against one of the log
nek saw his chance, flung out his log-
ging pole and drew the raft in near enough
to make it safe for them to jump.
They had no more than set their foot
upon the raft when the ice went to pieces
and all in the same instant a shout went
up nee the mouth of the river:
e goes the boom! There goes the
CHAPTER XVII.
THE RAFTS GET UNDER WAY.
The breaking of a log boom at a time
like this is not always a calamity by any
means, but unless due precaution has been
taken it may endanger the safety of the
entire cut.
Dick had taken every precau’
He was one of those careful fellows who
take no chances and as he had been able to
give his orders to the men evén during
the terrible excitement of the night, all was
in readiness now,
In a moment the whole flotilla of rafts
was on the move and the big mass of logs
began to move down the Madawaska among
the broken ice,
The thing to avoid now was a Jam, for,
of course, all the rafts could not pass into
the river at once and the danger lay in|
having one forced up upon another, in |
which case the blockade at the outlet to |
Loon Lake might become so serious that |
they would not be able to break it up before
the spring freshets were over and fhe water
fell, in which case’there would be no hope
on moving the rafts until the following.
sp
Dick and Joe wasted no time in talk,
Running to the end of their raft they
were able to jump to the next one, which
brought them into the jam, so that they
could run from one to another until they
reached the raft where Paul Bates, Nibsey
and Ned Truell we
Their arrival Was. hailed with joyful
shouts, for Paul was terribly worried not
a
“There's three gone through already with
nobody on them, cap!” he exclaimed, “and
your raft is one of them, I’m awfully
sorry, but we couldn’t help it; your raft
“I know,” said Dick. “Don’t fret about tt
boys. It’s all right. Is everybody
“I believe we are all here,” replied | ‘Paul,
and, indeed, there were enough of them, for
almost every raft now had its men on
oard.
Dick took right hold, shouting his orders
and putting himself on the raft nearest the
jam. -
This he was able to hold back by aid of
his pole and Joe nianaged. the t one;
the three rafts ahead of them, by quick
work and good management, were set free
and passed safely into the Madawaska.
The rait Dick was on went next, and as it
passed into the outlet he sprang upon the
one behind and assisted the men in piloting
that safely into the river also.
Indian Joe brought the next two down,
Dick moving back trom raft to raft all
while until the last one was safely launched
upon the river.
To describe this Process in detail is im-
possible.
There was nearly three-quarters of an
hour's busy work in the rain before the
anger was over.
Meanwhile the rain continued to fall in
torrents, but the loggers did not mind that
a bit, as they were ae protected against
it by the rubber su
Each raft had te little hut or shelter
where the men had stowed away their be-
longings, and where they were to take their
turns at sleeping.
Captain Dick’s big cut was now safely
Jaunched and on its way to St. John, but
t need not be supposed that they expected
tS go straight through without di
Dick was well posted on the situation,
paving had his scouts out for a week, and
@ knew that their present run was not to
be a long one, for the ice still held firm in
the narrows just above Grand Falls, and it
might yet be some days before it would
break up.
When it did there was another danger to
face, for each raft must pass over the falls
nd very likely one or two would break up
in the passage.
Then, if possible, the logs must be got
together again and new rafts constructed.
Below the falls there-was a stronger
boom, which Dick had helped to build with
his own hands and which he felt sure would
safely passed
could the voyage be actually said to be be-
gun.
‘AS the raft upon which Dick was’ passed
into the river the young captain of the log-
gers blew a whistle.
This was the signal that he wanted to
be taken off and that two others must come ,
and take charge of the raft.
nswering whistle came from further
along the fleet and soon Indian Joe came
up in a boat with two
There were a umber. ‘of strong boats at-
tee hed to the fleet and these were in charge
oO
nals everything all right?” called Dick.
“All right, cap?” replied Joe, “except the
two forward rafts; they're away oben We
don’t know nothing about them
“Then we'll go and find out.” replied
Dick, and aftef the two men had come
aboard the raft he got into the boat with
Joe.
“Well, we are out of this snap all right,
Dick,” said the half-breed, after they had
Ile always calcd Dick by his
, thanks to you, “Joe, but, oh, I
feo eonibly about poo Jessie!" ,
n awiu
“Ves, “and the worst ‘of it is to think that
I can’t stop behind to look for her body.
She’s drowned, of course Joe, Jt don’t know
what to do, I’m alm
“I know what you wil do, Dick.”
“What do you mean
“You will brace up io is You’ NM stick to
your logs, as you ought do.”
“I must and I shall, st course, but it’s
enough to drive a fellow crazy. But there’s
no such thing as going back now.”
Joe saw that Dick was much affected, so
he wisely remained silent and pulled on
past the different rafts;
When they had passed the head of. the
group Joe began to pull more vigorously, for.
the two runaway rafts were not even
ht.
2
rs
was very necessary to catch them and
hold them back, not only because Dick
wanted to keep the fleet together, but be-
cause all his own belongings were in the
hut on the forward raft and Joe’s on the
one behind.
“Do you know
oe Joe, suddenly.
T. at *jerhaps Mr.: Bartlett was in a
“What put that idéa into your head? We
saw him on the ice all right.’ Where would
he get his bo:
“Do you remember the boat that was
stolen from No. 6 last week
“Yes, of course. That w —”
Dick paused, catching himself up just in
time to prevent saying nmgthins which
might have hurt Joe's fectin:
“It was stolen by Indiaus you were going
to eay, Dick. Out with it. Don't be afraid
of treading cn my toes, Now,
there is no proof at all that any Indian
was neur the camp and I don't beliéve any
was away over near the other shore, you
know.”
(Continued on page 10.)
what I was ‘inking,
1