Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1870-10-06

us and SAID the railroad embankment To
the west of US lad been carried away, aud
no more trains could run through for ten
days. The telegraph posts on all she lines
we're down i'm places, and stages could not
come in from the interior towns. The
woman with the baby groaned, and the
young lady asked what she should do?--
While we were standing on the platform,
an ebgine taking compile of cars 1lled with
Iaborers up to the break in the embank-
ment, went by us. The anxious mother
and the young woman hailed IL with ac.
clamations but saw it rush through and
fade into the horizon with the track mile
beyond, in silence.
Lets go down 10 the river" / said 10
Emily.
We walked down to the bridge, which is
built over dam and from which We could
look off ON the wsters beyond US. The riv.
or toward the west has but slight fill, and
il had overfiowed its banks and stretched
away through the valley more like lake
than a river, afar off losing itself among
the dark pines or tapping around the woOd
lands cs yellow, and crimson, and purple,
and summer green, that came down the
hillside to meet it, Points of green mead
ow land ran into it here and there, and
elm trees as green as in June. their trunks
entwined with the scarlet leaved amphop-
sis, rose from its surface. A large willow
from an island ridge near tls, reached down
to the water and dipping its fingers in the
| flood, played with the white foam that came
down from the dam. The morning sun was
all the while flashing on the waters, vivify-
ing the color of the trees and gloryiying
the whole scene
Isn't il beautiiul?' / asked.
In some way l think of water more rs
an element of destruction than o. beauty,
this morning. Look therer she said point
ing down below US, where the water poured
over the dam in heavy volumes aud broke
ON the rocks with force that sent the spray
up in our faces, aud white foam far down
the stream.
Just feel how the bridge shakes now
ridn't you hear them sag at the depot Tint
ally a few miles below, this stream carried
way factory? And don yoH know thai,
men Were up all night Watching the water
herel'
Emily spoke With n yeheuence of tone
and a nervousness of manner that surprised
me. looked up and saw that her face
was s.'ry white. and thought that she was
frightened. We turned and hurried away
from the bridge and up to the schoolhouse.
One telegraph lite was in operation III a
few hours, and that afternoon a message
came for Emily. a boy brought it to my
door and carried ii in to her.
SIZE WIS hearing class i'm geometry, her
face pale as in the morning. handed her
the Telegram, but her fingers trembled,
and she gave it back 10 ms TO open. She
asked her class question, wbrle split
open the end of the envelope with my pen.
knife, and the young lady answered as |
spread the telegram open before her
Your father was drowned while taking
floating timber frnm ihs river, yesterday
afternoon; bis body has not been found,
1t read.
have said that Emily Was pale that
morning. Not n trace of blood VIZ 10 be
seen in her ears, her lips, or her nostrils.
when she looked up at me.
j will send one OF my girls in to hear
This recitation through, aud you had bette,
60 home, | said.
She put on her bat and shawl quietly,
| tied the little Roman scarf that she wore
about her neck, and gave few directions to
the young lady, who was TO take her place
| at the desk. As she went out she grasped
my hand with nervous force that made
ii ache long afterward She raised her
eyes to mine, and IL saw the suffering which
looked out of theu, and that which was to
come.
What passed IN those two hours before
went to her i never sought to know. II
may have been the harder for her that she
never allowed herself To doubt the ortho-
dox faith of New England. Brought
face to face now with it's mos.
fearful doctrines she could only
sit and stare blindly while her heart bled
with the torture. She saw absolutely no
hope, ami she had too much honesty of
soul To turn aside for comfort to what ahe
bad always been tsi'ght was AIN error in
belief.
When l went to our room after school
she sat in the chair with little package OF
letters and her fathers picture in her lap.
Before laid of my hat, 1 took both Eer
hands in mine and looked down into the
sad white face. Years ago should have
hugged her. cried over her, and kissed her
but g,rls who teach school lay aside the
gushing style as. they grow into women.
''Can / do anything for your" asked.
| mo, Persis, said she IN her even voice,
Il think / shall feel differently by and by.
Don't talk to me. please"
| understood her wish not 10 be ''talkee
to" we'll. People can bear great deal oil
trcuble-more than they know before il
comes. they have capacity of enduring.
But there are natures 10 whom, in times o
distress, words are agony past suflerance
People bring coincidence to such a person
they bring blister salve, and laying it ON the
raw fibre think TO heal
The next morning Emily was cheerful
| AMI self-forgetful, preparing for her schoo
| dnfI 1a1
school that afternoon, grandiloquent
gentleman, superint ndent of schools in
the city OF Blank. He remained after tn,
classes we re dismissed, complimented I'm
liiy's methods highly and limited at finding
"a position of great eminence somewhere ir
the city for her. No doubt when he bowes
himself out, he imagined he left us to in
bilant spirits and mutual congratulations.
Oh he should have seen the look of wear
mess and utter disgust that oyersprcad
Emily's face the moment the door closed
after him
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Wen,
on as the Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fri
days had preceded them. Emily hardly
alluded to the Telegram or to her trouble
She was never in the habit of saying mnch
abo1t herseif-the conversation on Sabbath
1
knew, / could not help but know how
much she was thinking and suffering. The
pallor did not leave her face, and a worn
look grew there fast. She laughed
someti mes, but the laugh seldom
mounted to the sad eyes. 1t, Is sc
hard, Ohiso bard to struggle for resignation
whom within life, or death. or the word -oi
revelation, holds any hopel Emily usedtc
rise in the night time, when she thought
WAS sleeping, and sit by the window Tor
hours looking up to the stars aud to the
infinite space beyond. itmay be that God
aud her mother seemed nearer to her alone
and IN the hush of night. By hundred
different ways tried to express my symha
thy for her, but always with sense of it,
powerlessness to help.
On Sunday, the trains ran through anc
the mails came. Then we learned thai
Emily's father had gone down to the rivel
side, half intoxicated, to rescue drift-wood
A factory dam. mile or two above. had
given way, and the great water that cam.
down the river, had swept him on with it
Hsr