Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1871-03-02

acted jest like the runners OF sleigh
all had to do was to keep my balance.
| beat the comlck, and loWcofoco engine
all holer!
Folks turned right out to one side.
when they was a gwine to meet LIE |
guess they seed that didn't turn for no.
body Bymeby, | seed Elder Tapley and
his wife coming along at his slow coach
pace, and instinktivly [ knowed that
there'd be a collision /
Clear the track 7 yelled [, at the tip
top of my lungs, but the elder only lifted
his eyebrows, and kept rite on.
'Take the consequences then ? seq I.
and squatting leetle, | put my umbrill
before me. and charge. The elders UNI
dersfandings flew like. two candles.
down he come, down come his wife, and
on went [. warn't to be stopped by
small obstacles.
Nv umbrill cracked leetle in the fray,
but it wasn't hurt, and,neither was |, if
| azcept the fact that my cap and wig
lad long before blew off, and departed for
lands unknown.
I went so fast that very few minutes
more, seed, would bring me to open
water. | should be drowned, sartin
shure, for could not stop myself, if it
had been to save the uuivarse. [ grab
bed bush, but the bush broke off, and
away went again.
made little prayer, and detarmin-
ing if [ went down, to go with flying
colors, histea my umbriil and in |
went.
Gehos#phat, how cold the water was,
it II Ugh about friz me to the bone-but
in a III init OF two. found out that was
not drowneded, but safe and sound for the
umbrill highed me up just like a life
presarver. | foated down the stream as
TRANQUILITY as swan.
AS soon as I got where [ could touch
bottom I waded ashore, and then come to
look round | was about a quarter of a
mile from Cousin JOHN Badgers. [ mad e
tract S for thar as fast as possible, and
liked to have skeered Cousin Johns wife
into the hydrostatcs. But after she
found out who | was, she gave me some
dry clothes and some dinner, and then
Cousin John took me- into MS sic Ugh and
carried me home
found Sarah Ann crying as if her
heart would brake, and when she seed
me, she skreechcd OUT and jumped rite
into my face and eyes. The folks had
been up from the pond, she sed, and told
her I was drowned. They was a sarch-
ing the river for my body, now, she sed.
/ put on my rubbers, and Went down to
assist EN-.
The river was lined with a little mil
lion Of folks. all of'm talking at once.
and everybody was ordering every body
else. Some Of 'em was pour'in billin' wa
ter on the ice out Of tea-kittes ; and some
with steel yards, and some with grabbers,
was fishing in the river for keziah
Small.
But what amazed me most was to see
Jea con Baxter. Not two hours before,
he had told me that if should be taken
away from the world he should die of a
broken heart and now seed him, with
my own eyes, hugging the Widder
Jones and pokiug tie ice with his cane to
see if my dead body was anywhere round
Oh, the in6delity of mankind.
I was SO disguised with his behavior
that I gave him poke with my umbrill,
and in he went; souse ; rite into the riv
er.
The folks set up a tremendous horray
at sight of me and niue or ten of the
fellers actually hauled me home on a
hand-sled and insisted on my spreading
my umbrill to keep the wind off.
I haint seen the deacon sence, but he S
in the land Of the Twin I guess and a
constant visitor of the Widdar Jones
Wall I'm willing.