The Potter journal and news item. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1872-1874, 1873-06-27
COUDERSPORT, PA, FRIDAY, JUNE 27. 1873.

slowly folded up his paper and re
placed 1t in his pocket. I was a foo,
to goad her so. | shall never win
her in that way. But I'll have her.
he exclaimed aloud. BY Heaven
III have her, cost what it may
Very different was the Fred Eek.
/ erson of the present, pacing nervous
ly up and down the piazza, from the
Fred Eckerson a few moments ago.
receiving his dismissal from a woman
he loved, with such calm and imper-
turbable exterior. For he loved
Becky Newton with all his heart.
The real difficulty in the way. as he
more than once suspected. was not
so much with himself as his pocket.
Becky Newton had an insuperable
/ objection to an empty wallet. The
daughter Of a wealthy Louisiana
/ planter, reared in luxury and the re-
cipient of a weekly allowance Of pin
money sufficient to pay Fred's whole
bills for month she had no immedi-
ate idea Of changing her situation
for one Of less comfort and indepen-
dence. Besides. it had been init
mated to her that a neighbor planter
of unusual aristocrauc lineage had
looked upon her with covetous ewes.
To be sure. be was old and ugly. but
he was rich, and. in her present mer-
. cenary state Of mind. Miss Becky
Newton did not desire to allow such
. a chance Of becoming a wealthy wild
ow slip by unimproyed.
But, alas for human nature. Ii
Becky was really so Indifferent to
Fred Eckerson why did she run up
stairs after that interview and take
the starch all out Of her nice clean
pillow shams by crying herself into
mysteries on the bed? 1t was not all
wrath. not all vexation. not pique.
There was somewhere deep down in
Becky Newton's heart a feeling very
much akin to rcmorse. She was not
sure o she would not one day be
sorry for what she had done. She
4ad no doubt she would be very
happy as Fred EcEersou's wife. after
I'll.
But She cried. growing hot with
. the recollection. lie was so rule and
50 insulting! I never could live with
such s man-nevern
When Fred Ecker-on had walked
. OF some Of his feelings on the piazza
. lie concluded to take look at the
Mississippi. which flowed within five
hundred yards Of the house. was at
that time nearly at the height of its
annual spring rise Its turbid wat
. ers, rushing swiftly toward the sea.
had nearly filled the banks and in
many places had broken through the
. Ievees and flooded the low lands for
many miles. ! crevasse Of this de
scription had been made in the far
ther bank nearly oppsite to the
house. and the windows of Newton
mansion commanded a view of a vast
and glittering inland sea, not laid
down on the maps. The main cur
rent Of the stream bore upon its cof-
/ fee-colored bosom an enormous mass
Of floating timber, which was dashed
along the boiling food. rendering
navigation wholly impossible. The
waters were still rising and the fre-
quent crashes tar and near told of
/ the undermining power Of the cur
+ rent. as sections of the sandy banks
. succumbed and disappeared carry
ing with them the trees which over
hung the stream.
Now it happened that, by a curious
/ coincidence, Miss Newton also re-
solved to look at the river She
dried her tears and putting on her
hat, slipped out by the back door to
avoid Fred. and soon found herself
at the foot Of huge cottonwood tree
on the bank below the house. Throw
ing herself upon the grass and lulled
by the bubbling Of the rapid food
/ beneath her, she soon fell asleep.
Had she possessed any power OF
foreseeing the future, it would have
/ been the last thing she would have
I done. for though it was very pleasant
dropping asleep there in the shade
with the soft sunlight fltering
through the leaves overhead. the
awakening was not all to her mind
. 4 terrible crash came and made
chaos Of her dreams; the grouuo
-lipped from beneath her: and tLt
tall cottonwood toppled and fell
and Miss Becky Newton found her
self suddenly immersed in the cold