Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1871-07-20

ward and which drowned the rush OF the
tempest about me. 1t was rush and
roar-a mingled crash of earth and
rocks, which made even the ground
beneath my feet tremble. / knew not
then what it could be, but found af-
terward that it was the first slide
which came down near the Notch.
/ knew by the brooks which filled
every hollow which / had to cross,
that the river must be swollen to
many times its usual size, and that
each moment was adding new streams
to it, to cause it to overflow its banks
and this, with the terrible sound that
had come from the mountains above,
filed me with alarm for the safety Of
my wife and child, and | hurried of,
catching more than one fall in my
haste, which tore my clothes and COW
cred me with bruises.
At last L knew that / must be pret-
ty well down towards the valley, and
eagerly / gazed through the trees for
the light l knew Mary would set in
the window to guide me to the cabin.
L knew not exactly where / was, but |
must be somewhere near my own clear
ing, l thought, and the light could be
seen from any part of it, on the side |
was approaching. l could hear the
rush of the river, and great fear took
possession of me that the cabin had
already been swept away, and that my
loved ones had been engulfed in the
merciless waters. ....
At last the foot Of the mountain
was reached, and against the dull sky
| could see the outlines of the great
struggling trees which had been sheath
ed by the fire and which stood leafless
about my clearing. Their dead branch
cs cracked beneath the fury of the
tempest, making dismal, moaning
sound, which seemed like an omen of
some terrible disaster impending over
the valley. f.. -
L moved down among them, and in
a moment found myslef to my middle
in the water, and sprang back again,
fearing that the next step would carry
me beyond my depth. Great God !
was the valley flooded with water, and
had my cabin and its lo7ed inmates
been swept away?
Sick at heart, and oppressed with
this terrible fear, asked myself the
question, as / stood trying to pierce
the darkness which filed the valley
before me, and to comprehend the ex-
act spot where | stood. At last / de-
cided the latter question by a study
of the dead trees before me, and then
moved slowly down the valley to bring
myself opposite the spot where | had
left my cabin standing in the morning.
Just then, to my great joy, light
beamed out through the darkness. For
a moment it wavered, and then burned
brightly, and knew that as yet my
cabin had not been moved from the
spot where had placed it; but the
rays of the light glimmered upon a
sea of dark water that lay between it
and the spot where l stood and any
moment might float away.
7 wondered why it was that the wa
ter was so still, and not the rushing
torrent | should have thought it would
have been; but this was soon made
plain as | reflected upon the subject.
A short distance down the valley the
hills came close down to the banks of
the stream, and here, owing to the
amount of drift-wood, a jam had been
formed which the force of the water
had not been able to break, and so had
flowed it back, covering the entire val
ley. How much longer the drift-wood
would bear the strain it was impossible
to tell, but it did not seem as though
it would for many minutes, as / coult
hear the rush and roar of the water.
as they battled with it from the spo
where / stood.
Suddenly shrek, full of morta
terror, rang over the water. My hear
stood still in my breast, for / recog
nized the voice as that of my wife, and
1 knew that some fearful danger men
aced her and the child. Again it was
repeated, and | sent back an answer.
ing cry. A moment more, and / stood
mute with horror and dismay The
light was moving down to the bottom
of the clearing, telling as plainly as
words could have done, that the cabin
was afoat. .iI
| For few moments it seemed as
though L were chained to the spot
where / stood.
The light, as it 6oated downward,
possessed a terrible fascination, and