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About The news-review. (Roseburg, Or.) 1948-1994 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1954)
2 The News-Review, Roteburg, Ore. Fri, May 21, 1954 17-Year-Id Authoress Wins Exertional Acclaim 'The Magnificent Rift' Story Of Marooned Prospectors ! The following story It printtd , pales of a magnet attracts, they, In iti entirety by spatial arranga-j too, were drawn to eaci other. msTTT wim in awinvr. vuij uuiig uic uau ill bunr By Janniee Hanbett The air of the small dimly-lit cabin wai blue and smelted of mon was a desire to go Into the wilds, of the Yukon Territory and find a rich vein of gold, it seemed that Pate had brought 'hesj men atale tobacco smoke and had the i trmthr in nh m uhiteWsn rant uwr vl twsc iiviiik. mi through the long winter, the two men had been closely confined to the small comforts which the cab in offered. The winter had been se vere and long; out, hey had been well-prepared to face the rigors of th long, cold nights and the unless, freezing days. Many of the previous summer's long iyt bad been spent , outaining wood, which was split and neatly piled in the lean-to next to the cabin, just two long steps from the front door. The shelves and bins had been well stocked with good sub stantial food, food that would stick to a man's ribs and help insulate him from the razor-sharp, biting air. . Yes. they had been well-ore pared for the long, bitter winter In every way but one. They hadn't prepared themselves to live with each other. It Is true, they realized that they needed some form of relaxation, something to keep their minds occupied, Tney sacruicca the space of one pack-saddle bag that they filled with magazines and books, which would afford for all winter. But ' these had all been read, reread, and reread un til eacn could tea almost to rue page that a certain word had ocen written. When they had read the books and magazines until Jicy were boring and intolerable, they started reading, the labels on the ' canned goods and flour sacks. Each could tell you how many ounces of tomatoes were In the can, where it was canned, who was the brokerage firm that han dled it. The brown bean sack ad- vertlsed itself as being filled in Twin Falls, Idaho, the dried bean center of the world. Man, wouldn't it be nice to be there. Any place but this cold, God-forsaken liole. They bad met two summers ago, and there was an immediate -attraction between the two. They were definitely opposite types, just as muerent as the two poles ot a that day. me tall red-head had lust been graduated from Princeton. He wanted to be on his own for a year or two before he settled down to a bum-drum existence of living and working and rushing around in a big town like his father and grandfather before him had done, as tney were accumulating money money which would do neither good. Many tunes, dunnz the trio on the boat from Seattle to Skag- way. he had thought about these two. Me finally conclude! mat their only enjoyment in life was to obtain more and more money and spend more time and enort made In its mad race through the frothy water. The boat was traveuing way too close to snore and the heavy stera was slowly starting to turn in the current and jut the boat sideways A huge, wnuc wave nuea me cran nisii and the observers could see the boatman frantically rowing, trying to gel the nose of the boat neaaeu down-stream. The craft disap peared from view into a trough. A sigh of relief came from the breed when the craft again appear ed, still Intact, on the crest of the next sweu. "By gar!" said the breed. "He got more guts than brains. Ev cr'thing he do, he do the wrong way. Come let's got in my boat and pick up the pieces when they drift over the rapids." The red head and the breed him riedly pushed a graceful, high sided boat into the eddy at the foot of the racing rapids and wait ed for the inevitable wreckage. They stood high in the boat so they might tee over the huge, pounding waves, foaming and churning the .clear water into a froth. Occasionally they could see the boat as it careened ana Routine Class Assignment Wins Laurels For Janniee Henbest trying to devise better methods of bounced first one way and then keeoine it. The red-head had been in White horse two days and had looked the town over completely. Everyone was friendly and hospitable: but, his driving urge to go on North was making hin'. restless. His long legs were drawn toward the watei. front. The beach was lined with boats of every description and size, from small canoes to huge river boats with large side and stern-wheels. The ordinary hustle and bustle was temporarily suspended and everyone's eyes were riveted on the rapids above the town. The red-head looked up the river to see what was claiming their atten tion. A small. Bray boat had just entered the smooth chute at the head of the broken water. It was so far awav that it was difficult to see the small figure standing In the stern. As the small craft shot down the sleek water, everyone who had made the trin involuntarily, tens ed, as if he were in the boat and were again experiencing the thriijs and fears they had on their first trip through. It was easy to see that the boat man was inexperienced in han dling a boat in white water. A dark breed riverman stepped close another in its mad race through the spine-chilling rapids. The craft appeared to be riding lower in the water and would not respond to the oar, as the lone rider tried to steer it away from the last high, white froth, which boiled around the huge boulder that marked the end of '.he tur bulent water. It would need more and stronger arms to pull the craft into safer water. Frantically the oars were pulling and training to straighten the boat and ease it through. A loud thud jarred the boat and tossed it sideways, throw ing the occupant over the side into the foaming water. The boat lurch ed sideways shipped water, set tling it lower. The red-head and the breed row. ed the boat to the ege of the swift water and waited, holding the craft under control in the heavy up stream null of the back-water. Soon they could see a dark, shining head struggling to stay above the white foam. They rowed rapidly into the fast water to intercept it. The gray boat was rushing toward them, as if trying to hit them and throw them off course. The crazy, bouncing river crashed the boats together and knocked the bow ot their craft downstream. They lost signi oi me oiacic nea-i in tne I What started out to be a rou- tine class assignment turned into i national recognition for a Rose- burg senior Hign bcnooi junior. Janniee Henbest, one of a class of 28 English students, submitted a short, story with others of her class in a regular assignment. Her instructor, Donald W. Bodeen, ad vised her to submit the story to Scholastic Magazine's annual con test. Others in the class were also invited to submit their original compositions for judging, but Miss Henbest was the only entrant from Hoseburg. A few weeks later, she learned through her instructor and the newspaper that she, had received a commendation from the maga zine for her work. The story, "The Magnificent Rift," is printed in its entirety in adjoining columns. Miss Henbest, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Henbest. is 17, and has been an advanced stu dent in Bodeen's class since the beginning of the year. Students ol the class have shown an aptitude in English composition prior to their assignment to the group. Bodeen states that while he has had students reach similar rani in the contest, Miss Henbest is the first Roseburg student to receive recognition, to his knowledge. While she does not have definite plans to be a writer, Miss Hen- jFV J .... J v 1 ft r i v JANNICE HENBEST . . .authoress best plans to take journalism and composition as a prep course if she attends the Universi'.v of Ore gon, as planned. She comes by her talen honest ly, sue says, since her father has written several stories, and is at present engaged in writing a book. oars until the muscles were nearly : er he had rid himself of the gag- torn from their shoulders. The K"S... n smuea. jeeoiy ana saia: swimmer's arms were to the red-head, intentlv watching torrent for a . minntp Thorp it magnet, and just as the opposite 'every move the unknown boat 'was again and they pulled on the the dark, wet head and reached down to null him over the stern. It took the combined strength of both of them to pull the sodden body over the nigh stern, "Get the boat," he said and lay in the bottom of the boat, heaving and breathing hard from his ex ertion of trying to, stay alive in the churning water. The two men rowed down stream and caught the heavy boat, tied a line to the bow and pulled the loggy craft into the safety of the eddy. The back-water car ried them upstream to the waiting crowd. The black-haired stranger was now sitting up and coughing the water be had swallowed. Aft- feebly "We ain't goin' back up and it dKaiu, me wi ludu auuui e roughest trip I've ever tried.' When the boat was docked, they n,..ki. i- vm himtoif i. inn try again, are we7 tw n..lii th boat alnmr.side the roughest trip I've ever tried." J . r . . . i i ... j , Wrmn fhit hftnt uroo pulled on the rope to get the water-logged craft closer to shore. The curious erouD of oeODle crowd- ea arouna me ooai. some uciycu to get the newcomer to his feet on the shore and others pulled on the sunken boat to gel it up nign er where the water could be rock ed out of it. All of the strangers supplies were unloaded and plac ed on the beach to dry. The friendship between the red head and stranger wasted no lini in getting started. Yes, it seemed to be fate that brought such op posites together to form a combin ation which would travel over quite a bit of the province in search of the elusive gold. The contrast between the two was apparent to the eye. One was tall, light-complexioned, and red haired. The other was short, mus cul. , dark skinned, and deep, brown eyes. The tall one was care fully groomed and the short never cared anything for clothes, ex cept that they covered him and kept him warm. All their habits followed the same pattern and 't seemed that each was needed to complement the personality of the other. For a full year and a half an other they were constant compan ions before they had struck it rich. All this time was spent do ing things, helping each other, and having their minds occupied on getting things ready for the winter they were now spending. They had planned things very well. In fact, too well. If only they had left something undone, like not cutting enough wood; or, if they bad run short of grub and had to snow-shoe the seventy-odd miles to Whitehorsc, they would not be getting on each other's nerves. The continual, boring life they were living in the cramped quarters kept them in constant niu.1 with Aarh other and the i friction was increasing daily, i Without realizing it, these two ' ft.n .....iirflM rl .were victims . long northern winter nights cabin ti,a tvmntnnit anneared ; level. -- -r, - I slowly at first; but, by '.lie end of i February, neimer wouia ia:n m the other except in arguments I about the work (and very little of I that was being done). Things had ('come to such a state hat neither I could stand the thought ot con iintuing partnership. Everything jthat each had admired about Ihe other was now a source of an inoyance and irritation. The tall inn had an Eastern inflection to his voice, which had at first in trigued the other, in fact; he nao even copies it. Now, he felt like from. The tall one had been raised in a family t)al was neat ana precise. When the other dropped Ut. i Ika miHslla nf IhA flnnr. he felt like kicking them througn the wall; and when the other spill ed food on the floor, he wanted to grab him by the hair and rub his nose into it. Matters rapidly became worse n. it h.Miia Hma fnr I hi Spring break-up, sheer will-power aione xepx ineuu iiom cam min er's throat. Everything would have been straightened out by the ac tivity of the Summer's work, if the tall one hadn't opened the door and remarked: MTh.,.'. a uranm Ittiinnnfr Ulinrl biowing. Won't be long until the snow will be melting, ana you can go out and fall in the creek and get the bath you've bee needing all winter." The smaller one jumped to his feet and yelled: "By God! I'm not goin' to take any more of your high and might iness. I've been puttin' up with your snobby ways all winter and bending over back-wards to keep my temper; dui una u . I wouldn't be partners with you, if thai whole dang mountain was !8"Do you want to split-up?" ask led the other. "That's the way I I want it, too, the sooner the bet i tcr. What do you want for vour 'half?" ' j "You can go to blazes! Wbal dn you want for your naif? I ain't goin' to sell out to you." : It took effort for the tall one to hold his voice down, as he an Iswered, "My half isn't for &al I to you, either." i i "What do you want jo do about it? It's a cinch I ain't goin' to sell out to you and I shore am t goin' I to have you around all summer." n.a turn mon &tnoi. ffLirin? fit each other, and each trying to de vise some schema to rid himself of the other. "Why don't we cut the cards and high man take all?" asked the tall one. The smaller thought for a min ute and answered. That's fine with me." Both walked to the table and a deck of worn cards were placed on the table when a loud roar filled the cabin. The floor tipped up era ily, throwing the two men across to the other wall. The door was now above their heads and snow gradually drifted down to cover the white face of the tall one, ly ing unconscious on the broken wall. The stove tipped over tho cabin. , The short, black-haired one was dazed by the sudden shock, but eru,n Malivwl that h had hpttpr tget out. He looked up at' the door and Knew mat ne couian i reach it. He pulled the table over and climbed on it to push the heavy door up and crawl outside. 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