Beadle's Dime Novels No. 35: East and West — page 51: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE MISSOURI ON A BENDER. 51 When I came up it, I had ample leisure for sketching its snags and sand-bars, I assure you. It was just one endless mud- puddle !” “You wouldn’t care about the sight more than once,” said Mrs. Willard, sighing. CHAPTER VII. THE RISE. Tue next morning was bright, cool and windy. When the girls arose, they looked out over a landscape unchanged in any of its usual features, except that, off toward the Missouri, where the bottom lowered, by frequent terraces of a few feet, down to the level of the river-bed, there was the silver shining of still water. This was nothing unusual—Minnie explained— Since many of the sloughs had outlets which led to the river, and when the latter was high, the water set back into these Sloughs and overflowed the low lands. Beyond this was higher ground, constituting the timber-land of the Missouri ; and nearly opposite the mill was “the landing,” a little town On the river-bank, where steamboats called for wood and Provisions. These people were now cut off from commu- nication with the high prairie; but this, too, was of common a After breakfast every man about the place was set to work vigor. A load of brush was already dumped on the -bank, and also a pile of sods from a piece of prairie by, that had just been “broke.” These were being wn in together, to stop some leakages, and to strengthen dam—Mr. Willard, Nat and the carpenters working with & will, Fletcher Harris wi gone with John and Charley after more brush; as well as to see the river having, as Char- ley declared, a “ high old time.” Soon after, Frank made his *Ppearance. The horse he rode, an intelligent-looking animal, Shied, and refused to cross the bridge with him. “ What's this, Comanche ?—don’t be a fool about a creek- fall of water,” said Frank, half coaxingly, to the frightened fits 18 . comlicbooks.com