The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1869-09-02
Her voice was soothing as when l was
a fretful child, as she replied,

Her voice was soothing as when l wa.
u fretful child, as she replied,
Fore gracious, Use sorry to come or
de nice carpet wild ny wet close! bu
scuse me dis time"
As she lighted the burners I saw thai
she was wet and dripping to the waist
1 was out Of bed in moment, and ask
ed anxiously, "Why, my dear old nurse
where have you been? Did you you &C
to the levee and slip In the water:"
She proceeded to stir up the fire, and
arrange my clothes for me to dress, as
she said, ta $50 @.
Jest look out of the window, mis-
tress." #a.
As threw up the sash, and stepped
out iuto the wide, upper veranla, l
thought saw what had happened, in a
moment. 1t was evident that the swol-
len stream had received some new ac-
cession of volume from some ofits upper
feeders-perhaps from the Missouri,
with its springs under the arches of the
sunset. Then, coming down like IA vast
tidal wave, it had overleaped all artiti-
cial barriers. 1t was the crushing and
splintering of the massive timber breast
work that had heard at first. All
around me the moonshine glittereu on
the ripple of the yellow water, while
trees, buildings and fences stood out
/ of the shiny surface and cast delicate
shadows upon it, Every cloud had
passed from heaven, and the serene
blue, with its calm stars, was quiet and
holy. The illumincd water was Deauti-
ful, and seemed SO harmless that | only
felt mortified because my husband
would know that the Mississippi had
defeated his wife. The. negroes who
were near at hand were crowding on
the unbroken part Of the levee, some
miles above, and | could see their dark
forms relieved against the glare of the
fire they were building. AS saw the
women and children and cattle slowly
moving up the broad embankment to
safer ground, felt that no great loss
was likely to occur, and 80 said to Aunt
Sarah, who had silently Joined me with
Il shawl. She looked at me u moment,
and said, :'You wont be scared"
"No,' said l, "for should rather like
it were it not for the loss of my husband
and the wetting to you. How did you
get wet"'
She answered. II went out wild hoe
when see de ribber Citing up, it came
too strong, an like to wash me way.
couldn't nnd de horn u plow for de
quarter peoples y
"Iou foolish old woman" said l.
never try to mend a break yourself
But rs you are safe ] don't mind it
much.'
She was silent for little while, and
then said, MY lamb dis is no crevasse;
dis is cut Off"
Are you drcaming?' said l, with a
rer.
She pointed to the timber land back
Of the garden, where could see that
the ripping water, of only two or three
feet depth that lay around the house,
changed to deep and rapid current
"Look at dem trees leanin' obcr,n said
she. Dare, two of 'em goes down"
felt my heart stand still and my
limbs tremble as looked and compre-
hended the worst. On each side of the
swift path of the water the giant oaks,
1, tl,,.i,
were leaning together over the mid cur,
rent, and IA she spoke, two went down
together with aspiash. Perhaps a thou
sand years before that had been the
drift Of il million interlocked trees had
checked the rush of some past flood, and
the retarded waters had whirlcd away
to cut new channel around the elbow
of some twenty miles. Centuries had
passed-moulu had covered the sand
and mud Oh the raft. Oaks and tall
magnolias had taken root down as they
grew up; and for half century man
had locked out the annual flood with
huge bars of earth, and, redeeming the
virgin mould from nature, had built
his home, and gathered richer golden
fleece than Jason dreamed of. Now
the autocrat river claimed its ancient
bed, and swept down with its hoarse re-
buke to the forest and to man. Our
home stood directly in the old path,
and The leaning and falling trees show
ed how terribly sure was the great pIow
making its furrow Nature had harness.
ed the Mississippi.
Aunt Sarah was perfectly calm as she
said:
Nov you is looked enough. Get
all de warm dresses an jewelry an some
blankets while puts on dry close, an
gets All AXE
An axe" said |; "what for?"
ITO prize up de porch floor an' make
a raft, my precious. Dis house will
wash away by daybreak."
l saw that too, and hesitation and de-
lay were over. My husbands valuable
papers were first secured, and then
clothing, money, plate and jewelry.-
By the time had begun to roll up the