The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-07-07

a srosr Or rHE AxoSoosuck RIVER.

The Peril ~ MArtha Warron.
STORY or THE AxoSoosucK RIVER.
"Good bye, Martha. God help youi
shall b back in three days, ~ the farthest.'
The hardy White Mountain pioneer. Mari
Warren, Kissed h,s young wile, hold hi
two-year-o,d boy to his breast for . moment
and then shouIdering the saoh Of corn which
was to be converted into meal a. the rude
mill, forty miles away, through the wilder
ness. Es e.fI i sagdp
Martha " arrsn stood At the door OF the
log cottage, gazing out after the retreatine
form Of her husband. An angle Of the dense
shrubbery bid him from view, but still she
did not return to the solitary kitchen. II
looked 80 dark, and lonesome there, she
shrank from entering; or perhaps the grand
sublimity Of the view spread ont before her
held her attention and thrilled her soul with
that nams,saa, unexplained something tina,
we all feel when standing thus face to lace
with the work of His fingers. ant4
The finest and most satisfactory view ot
the White Mountains is that which presents
itself from what 10 now the town Of Bethle-
hem, on the road to Littleton and Franconia.
Mount Washington. the king among princes,
is there seen In his proper place--the center
Of the ''rock.nbbed" range, towering, bald
blue and unapproachable.
Far up in wild clearing, close by the
turbid waters Of the Amonoosuck, was the
cottage situated--a place wild and eyre
enough for the nest Of an eagle, but dear TO
the heart of Martha Warren as the home
where she had spent the happ, days Of her
young wife hood. When she had turned
from many patrician suitor, in the fair old
town Of Portsmouth, to Join her fortunes
with those Of the young settler, II was with
the full and perfect understanding Of the
trials that lay before her. She would walk
in no paths OF roses for years to come much
Of life must be spent in the eternal solitudes.
whore silence Was broken only by the wild
winds Of the forsat. the shrek of the river
over the sharp rocks, or the dismal howl of
the red.mou.hed wolf afar in the wilderness.
The necessary absences Of her husband
she dreaded most II was 80 very gloomy
to close up her doors at night and sit down
by her lonely fireside, with the conscious
ness that there was no HUMAN being nearer
to her than the settlement Of Lords Hill,
ten miles away through the pa,hlsss woods.
There was little to fear from Indians. al
though lew number Of scattered tribes yet
roamed over these p-imeval hunting grounds.
They were mostly disposed to be friendly,
and Mrs. Warrcn's kind heart naturally
prompted her to many acts Of friendship
towards them, and an Indian never forsets
. heneiit !.
The purple mist cleared away from the
SCARED forehead Of the dominant old noun
tain, the yellow snn peepsd over the rocky
wall, and Martha turned away to the per-
formance Of her simple domestic duties
The day was . long one. but It wore out to.
ward evening, and the CLEANING comes much
sooner in these solitudes than In any other
places. The sunlight faded out Of tho un.
glazed windows, though it would illumine
the distant mountains for some time yet. and
Martha went out In the scanty garden to In.
hale the oder ot the sweet pinks on the one
meagre root she had brought from her old
home.
The spicy perfume carried her hscl; in
memory to those days away in the past,
spent with kind friends ard cheevsd by
bright, young hopes. Bnt though the
thought Of home and kindred made her sad,
not for moment did she regret the late shs
had chosen.
Absorbed in thought, she had not ob-
served the absence Of Charlie. her little boy;
now she saw with vague uneas,ness that be
had left the bed Of peppermint where he had
been playing and was not to he seen. She
called his name. but only echo and tho roa,
Of the swollen river replied.
She few back to the house, the faint hope
remaining that he might have returned
thither for his pet kitten but no, the kitten
was mewing At the widow, but no signs
Of Charlie.
With frantic haste she seapched tho clear.
ing, but without success. Her next thought
was the riverl black - night. save where
f]ecked With spots Of snow white foam-it
flowed on but few rods before her. She
hurried down the brink, calling out, "Ohar.
liej Charlie r.
The child's small voice 1t sumo littls DIS
tAase replied. She followed the sound, and
TO her horror saw her boy--his golden hair
and rosy cheeks clearly deaaed against the
purple twilight sky-standing on the very
edge Of the huge, detached rock, some ten
fsst from the shore. opt 10 The sweeping sus.
rent q tho river isf k
This rock, called BY the settlers "fhe Pul.
pitt" Was good situation for casting iash-
ing lines, and Marx Warren had bridrsd the
narrow CHI sm Between Il and the shore with
. couple Of hewn logs
Aliursd ~ some slastsra of aaming Ore.
weed growing on the side Of the Pulpit,
Charlie had crossed over, and now stood
there, regardless Of danger. jsuxA xAisgly hold.
ing out the 6osal treasures to his mother.
Martha asw over the ffail bridge end The
next instant hsA hss child in her arms
Joyful bseause she he'd found him snin.
jured. and msnaAy Tesolvipg fhss no less