Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1873-01-09

with redOubled fury; IN a lew moments
We were both of us wet through. The
wind, too, grew from gale to hur-
ricane, and amid the continuous roar OF
thunder and flash of the pale lightning
we could see hugh boughs of trees
hurting through the air, and now and
then heard a mighty crash, as some
aged monarch of the plain fell prone to
the earth.
Suddenly flash of lightning darted
right in front of Carlos eyes, and with
a snort of fear he reared nearly up
right.
"Hold fast, Gertrude"' 1 cried, en-
deavOring to throw my right arm
around her to keep her from falling off.
was too late--I heard splash in the
water, cry and the darkness hid her
from my sight. just, however, as l was
about TO give away to despair, another
flash revealed her to me standing amid
the flood, at not dozen yards dis
tance.
Ispurred 1 toward her, and presently
she was on Carlos broad back.
The excitement of this event, and the
turning of my horse round and round,
had made me forget the proper direc-
tion to the town, so that we now rode
on not knowing whittier we were head
ing.
Meanwhile the flood grew deeper each
moment, and presently discovered that
Carlo was swimming. l had not felt
fear until now; but 1 must say that a
great dread crept over ME when found
that, whichever way / guided my
charger, he could not touch the ground.
l knew that weighed as he was, he
could not keep afioat long, and each
moment he seemed to sink deeper and
deeper in the water.
At this critical juncture of affairs,
the moon shone out again, and lighted
up the scene as though it had been
broad daylight. Far as the eye could
reach, not speck of dry land was now
visible; but, to my great joy, 1 per-
ceived close by, a blue-gum tree whose
boughs were so disposed as to be easily
scaled.
"Do you think you can climb that
tree, Gertrude?" l asked. s'It is our
only chance of preserving our lives
now"
She answered feebly in the affirma-
tive, and with some little difficulty I
swan Carlo alongside.
Under the tree he regaIned his foot
ing, and L was glad of this, as he was
enabled to stand steady for my poor lit
tie companion to climb into the branches
from his back.
When she had accomplished this feat,
1 took off his bride, so that he should
not catch his feet in it, if he had to
swim for his life and then Gertrude and
got some twenty feet higher up in the
blue-gum, and paused to rest. Shawls
and wraps had long ago fallen off her
and been lost, and now poor Gertrude
was exposed to all the inclemency of
the weather, in the low-necked, short
sleeved dress she had worn during the
evening.
How her plump, white, and beautiful
ly nodded arms were scratched by the
rough tree bark in climbing, and as the
rain poured down through the unpro-
tecting vertical foliage, the drops gilt
tered on her polished shoulders, and
trickled down her plump snowy bosom.
"Why, Gertrude, you look veritable
Undine," l said, and having no cape or
overcoat to protect her, L doffed my uni
form, and made her put it on.
We then sat side by side, and, put
ting my arm around her neck, told
her all about my interview with her fl
ther that evening.
"And did papa really say that as soon
you were rich as himself, he would let
me marry you, Willie?" she asked.
eyes, Gertrude, he gave me his word
of honor to that effect" responded.
"Then he won't break it." she said.
-"Poor papa! this night has made him a
beggar. All his money was invested in
improvements on his land, and in in
crease of stock. 1t is all lost now, so
you may claim ME sooner than you
thought for, Willie.''
This view of the case had never struck
me before, and l nearly jumped off the
gum-tree in, l fear, most selfish ecsta-
cy of delight. l was bound however,
to control myself, and exert all my at
tention in comforting Gertrude, who,
now the excitement attending our es-
cape was over, began to entertain a
thousand fears concerning the fate of
her parents.
At last succeeded in convincing her
that it was matter of impossibility for
the flood to cover the house before res
cue came in the morning, and thereup-
on she became composed, and our
own hopes and fears, and amid the rain
and bowling wind, and the still rapid
rising waters below, she nestled in my
arms, and we talked of love until the
cold, gray dawn aroused us from our
seventh heaven of bliss. Well, then,
to make Il long story short, after an
other three hours perch, We perceived.
some boats coming from the direction of
Windsor, and by the aid of d brilliant
scarlet handkerchief that fortunately
possessed, we signaled them, attracted
their attention, and in due time were ia
ken on board.
At my instigation we then rowed to
Mr.. Martins farm, and saved the old
man and his wife from chimney top,
whereon they were both sitting, with
their feet held up out of the water. We
were only just i'm time.
Two months later, Gertrude Martin
became Mrs. William Rush. The old |
man stuck to his word, and our position
was not so bad, after all, for month |
previous to our marriage, came into
an annuity, of hundred and fifty
pounds per annum, on the death of
distant relative in England which with
my pay of seven and six pence per day.
were able to begin our housekeeping
pretty comfortably.
At last we have new genteel euphon- |
ism for legs. Limbs was ridlculed out
of good society long ago. A clergy
l.. ::