Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-06-03
HIGH WATER MARK.
n Thrilling Adventure ON Dedlow
MaBah.
BIZ BRET HARr1.

Let me recall q story which never failed to
recur to my mind In my long cunning eIcur.
was briefly recorded in the county paper. I had
the story, In all its eloquent detail from the lips
OF the principal actor. cannot hope to catch
fem,ntns S.Iinsstion, for my narrator 1 Wa. 0s
woman; but III Try to give at least its sub
She lived midway Of the great slough or Dsd-
low Marsh and a gOOd-siZed river which de-
bouched four miles beyond into an estuary
formed by the Pacific Ocean, on the long,
sandy peninsula which constituted tue north
western boundary OF a noble bay. The house
IN which she lived was q small frame cabin,
raised from the marsh a few feet by stout
piles, and was three miles distant from the set
element upon the river. Her husband was a
1ogger-a profitable business in q country where
me principal occupation was the manufacture
OF lumber.
1t was the season OF early spring when her
husband left on the ebb of a high tide, with q
raft OF logs for the usual transportation to the
lower end OF the bay. As she stood by the door
of the little cabin when the voysners departed
she noticed q cold look in the Southeastern SKY
and she remembered hearing her husband say Il
his companions that they must endeavor TO com
plete their voyage before the coming of the
southwesterly gale which he saw brewing And
that night II began to storm and blow harder
than she hal ever before experienced, aud some
great trees fell in the forest by the river and
the house rocked like her bsby's cradle.
But, however the storm might roar about the
little cabin, she knew that one she trusted had
driven bolt and bar with his own strong hand
and that, had he feared for her, he would moi
have LEFT her. This, and her domestic duties,
and the care Of her little siokly baby. helped to
keep her mind from dwelling on the weather,
except, OF course, to hope that he was safely
harbored with the logs at Utopia. in the dreary
Gerf on 70 ICED re ch;tss "a ~ w1sn , sne
COW, that the tide was up to the little fence of
their garden-Pateh, and the roar OF the surf on
the south beach, though miles sway, she could
hear distinctly. And she began TO think she
would ike to have some one 70 talk with about
matters, and she believed that, If IL had not been
50 far and so stormy, and the trail SO impassa-
bic, che would have taken the babe and hsya
gone over TO Rackman's, her nearest neighbor.
But then, you see, he might have returned in
and II was long exposure for baby, who was
eroupy and ailing.
But that night. she never could tell WIN, she
The storm had somewhat sbsted. but she stiii
"sat and sat-" and even tried to read. don't
know whether IL was the Bible or some profane
magazine that this poor woman read, but most
probably the latter, for the words all ran
together and made such sad nonsense that she
was forced az last TO put the book down and
Turn s !, % o. that aesrer volume which lay before
yet unsoiled, and Try to look forward to its
mysterious future And, after rocking the
cradle she thonsht Of everything and everybody,
1t was nearly IL O'Clock when she at last lay
down In her clothes. How long she slept she
could not remember, but she awoke with a
dreadful choking in her throat, and found
herself standing, trembling all over, In the
middle of the room, with her baby elasped to
The baby cried and sobbed, and she walked
mp and down, trying to hush IL. when she
heard q scratching at the door. She opened
old Pete. their dog, who crawled, dripping
with water, into the room. She would ike 10
have looked out, not in the faint hope OF her
looked; but the wind shook the door so saS-
agely that she could hardly hold it Then she
sat DOWN little while, and then walked MP
and down little while, and then she lay down
again little while. Lying close By the wall
OF the little cabin, she thought she heard once
OF twice something scrape slowly against the
SGlsspDoaIcs, IKE inc seraping Of branches.
Then there was little gurgling sound, "lIke
the baby made when il was swaIlowing;" then
something went "cliek-cliek," and "cluck-
ciuek, 30 that she sat up in bed. When she
did so, she was attracted by something else
that seemed creeping from the back door toward
the centre or the room. Ii wasn't much wider
than her little nnyer, but soon il swelled to the
width OF her hand, and began to spread all over
the floor. IL was water.
She ran to the front door and threw Il wide
open, and saw DOthing but water. she ran to
the back dOor and threw it open, and saw
nothing bot water. Then she remembered
hearing her husband once say that there was no
people could calculate on it, and that he
would rather live on the bay than tue river
whose banks might overflow At any time. BIT
was u the tide? So she ran again TO the back
door and threw out stick Of wood II drifteJ
away toward the bay. She scOOpsd up some
water and put II eagerly TO her lips. Ii was
tidel S TIC
Itvas theu-O God be praised for his rood
mess! enc did neither faint nor fall; il was then
blessed be the Saviour, for Il Was His mercifuI
hand that touched and strengthened her In this
awful moment-that fear droppe d from her ike
garment, and her trembling ceased IL was
lIeh anu thsIeafter that che never lost her self
Command, through all the trials OF that gloomy
night.
sSae drew the bedstead toward the middle of
the room, and placed the table upon 1t, and on
that she put the cradle. The water on the floor
was already over her ankles, aud the house
once or twice moved so peTceptiby, and seemed
70 be racked so, that the closet doors all dew
open. Then she heard the same rasping and
humping against the vail, and, looking out
saw that large uprooted tree, which had lain
near the road at the upper end OF the pasture
long roots dragged in the soil and KEPT II from ~,
moving a. rapidly a. the current, for It had
struck the house in its full career, even the
s0 k.1s snS 0s s .Sca The Pm s SSuS
had lesped upon Its knotty surface,
and crouched near the roots shiTerins
AND whining; ray Of hope dashed across her
and wrapping IL about the babe, waded In the
deepening waters to the door. As the tree
swung again, broadside on, making the little
eapln creak and uemble, she lesped on to its
Eunk. BY Gods mercy she succeeded In OBJ
tanning footing on ITS slippery surface and.
hnihlbk Al arm about It's roots, she held in the
otner her moaning child. Then somethino
cracked near the front porch, and the whole
front OF the house chs had just Quilted fell for
Ward,-Just as cattle fall on their knees before
tney ne down-and at the same moment the
great redwood tree swung round and drtrted
Away with Its living cargo Into the black nI1ht
ror 81 the exciten emf and danger, for Ali her
sooihing OF her crying babe, for ali the whist
ing OF the wind, for all the uncertainty on her
htuatlons she still turned 70 look a, the deserted
And Water-swept cabin. She Remembered eyen
then, and she wonders how foolish she Wa 70
mink OF IL at that time, that she wished she mad
put On another dress, and the babyIs best
elothesj and she kept PRAYING that the honsa
would be spared, so that be, when he Returned.
would have something to come to- and if
wouldn't be quite 30 desolate snd-hoy copId
ne ever know what had become of her and bahx9
Andst he thought she grew sick and faint. But
ere had something to DO besides Worrying foo
whenever the long roots Of her ark struck An
obstacle, the whole trunk made half revolu-
ton, and twice dipped her in the black water.
The hound, which kept distractfng her by
running up and down the tree and bowling
a. last fell on az one OF these collisions. IA
swan for some time beside her, and shB tried
70 get the poor beast upon the tree; but be
" acted silly" and wild, and at last she lost
sight of him forever. Then she and her babe
we're left alone. The light which had burned
Tor Few minutes In the deserted cabin was