The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-09-03
MISCELLANEOUS.
History Of q Waif.

During the great food of 1847, when the
Ohio river 50 far overleaped the bounds OF
propriety as to come up to Pearl street
without any invitation, great many
dwellings located on the river banks were
swept away and came floating down upon
the pitiIess tide Loss of life not unffe.
quently attended these disasters, as when
a family, unconscious oftheir danger, were
asleep in their beds when the waters rose
about their house and lifting it from Its
foundations bore 1t away amid the dark.
ness and the turbulent food.
On the left bank of the Ohio at tha,
time, between Marietta and Pomeroy
stood an humble dwelling occupied by q
small farmer and his wife, together with
five children, the youngest an infant girl 9
little over a year old. The river rose du
ring the night while the family were in
bed. The rocking of the house as the
surging waters claimed it, awoke the in
mates, and through great and hasty exer
ton the farmer was enabled to get all hi:
family, as he supposed, to a place of safety
though he lost everything else. Standing
on q little eminence near by he saw
through the gloom of that dreadful night
his house with all its contents yield itsell
TO the grasping avaricious food and float
down the river, where Ii was soon lost in
darkness. He supposed that all were
saved, but alas, it was soon discovered that
their infant girl was missing.
In the confusion and excitement of the
moment the baby was left asleep on its
bed, and had been swept away to destruc.
tion with the house. Great was the grief
of the parents at the loss of their Youngest
born, and although due efforts were made
to learn whether or not she had been res
cued, nothing was heard of her, and it was
very naturally supposed that she was
drowned in the river
Such, however, was not her fate. A
hundred miles below where his dwelling
was swept away, some people on the
river bank the next morning saw some,
thing peculiar floating down on the cur
rent. They thought it was the form of an
infant. A boat was procured and the OBJ
icct was indeed found to be an infant girl,
sleeping calmly and profoundly upon a
bed
She was taken in charge by family i'm
the vicinity, who took such means as they
knew TO ascertain to whom the child be-
lOnged, but there was no clue to guide
them, and soon the little waif that had
fioated down to them came to be considered
as their own child. They ad, ,)ted her the
more readily, perhaps, on account of being
themselves childless, and because of their
sympathies being so greatly excited by the
peculiar circumstances of the case-an in
FAINT floating all that night ofterrible storm,
amid wrecks and bridges and dwellings,
protected from danger by an unseen
power, that seemed to direct her to their
love and care, 1t may seem strange to the
reader that the parents were not found for
the child, or the whereabouts Of the
child made known TO them, but it
must be remembered that newspapers
were not so numerous or accessible twenty
years or so ago, as now, and that people
didn't advertise the lost as they do now.
Besides, all the parties We're in humble
life, and their circle of acquaintance, as
well as their means, was very limited.
Meanwhile the waif grew into beauti-
ful girl, and became as dear to her adopted
parents as though she were their own.
She had mourned for mamma" little
time, but, ere long, all recollections of her
early surroundings were but dim and
shadowy, and her new home became all
nall to her. A few years and the family
moved into Illinois, settling on & farm near
Chicago. The man prospered there, and
was enabled to give his beautiful Ohio
river foundling an education fitting her
graces of person, her amiability and her
virtues. A short time ago her hand was
sought in marriage by worthy young
farmer in the vicinity of where she lived,
consent obtained, and the happy day ap-
pointed, One day the family were in Chi
cago purchasing her wedding outfit. At
a dry goods store q clerk who was wait
.1 L.
ly, and seemed singularly affected-so
much so as to attract attention.
Excuse me" he said, in some confu-
sion, addressing the young lady, don't be
offended at my staring at you, but the
truth is you are perfect picture of sis.
ter of mine at home, and / couldn't help
thinking you looked just as another sister
of mine would have looked, who was
swept down the Ohio in great freshet
and lost"
The words attracted the attention of the
young lady's adopted parents The resem-
blance spoken of, and the incident of the
freshet taken in conjunction, could hardly
have failed to do that Explanations fol
lowed, and ii was pretty satisfactorily con-
cluded that the clerk and the young lady
were brother and sister, as indeed, was
afterward proved to be the case.
Her parents, too, had emigrated to Hi
nois, and lived not far from her own home.
The families were brought together, and
what was before believed to be true, was
established beyond question, when the bed
on which the child was found was pro-
duced, and the garments she wore; for
what frugal housewife would mt recognize
one of her own beds, and what mother
would not remember the garments worn
by her favorite baby?
There is little more to tell Our heroine
was married to the husband of her choice
last week, and had the satisfaction of hav-
ing her own as well as her adopted parents
at the wedding. We don't consider it nee
essary to give the names of the parties,
but the story is true one, and we have
the facts from one who is thoroughly con-
versant with them Cincinnati Times, Au-
gust 10.
Another Dodge.