Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1873-04-03
SELECTED STORY.
LOVE UP A GUM TREE.

new OOUtn NaleS is country. pc
culiarly liable to floods. It's rivers
generally take their rise in the lofty
mountain ranges, and in the early part
of their course are joined by tributary
streams. When the rainy season has
set in-which generally commences
about the middle Of May--th down
pour sometimes continues for six weeks
at time, and then these rivers over
flow their banks and flood the surround
ing country far and near, forming, in
many places, miniature seas. Upon
these occasions hundreds Of farmers are
ruined, thousands Of cattle and sheep
generally destroyed, and not unfre-
quently many lives sacrificed. r.
Perhaps the district most liable to
disastrous foods in the whole country liz
the Hunter; where, every few years,
thousands Of acres are submerged with
suddenness that is truly appalling
Houses are frequently buried to the
chimney tops beneath the waters, which
rapidly form an inland sea of at least 2
hundred miles in length, by all acre OF
more i'll breadth. e. ia
In the year 1866 I was quartered at
Windsor, little township about twenty
five miles from Sidney, the metropolis
of the country, and for some months
had chiefly been engaged in the ardaous
and by no means romantic duty ofhunt
ing for illicit stills, of which it was sup
posed there were several in the neigh
borhood.
certainly did my best to discover
their whereabouts, but was completely
unsuccessful, and after traversing the
country day after day in every kind Of
disguise, until l must have Travelled
hundreds of miles, I at last gave the
matter up as bad job.
If | had not found a still, however,
= had in the course Of my wandering
discovered what gave me far greater de
light. ] had fallen across one of the
prettiest and most lovable little girls
that Australian Or any other sun evel
had the honor Of shining upon, and
what was better, I had SO ingratiated
myself in her good graces as to win hc1
promise that she would never marry
any one but me. T*Ntsff
Our acquaintance had commenced II
q romantic manner enough. l had res
cued her from a wild COW, which woulo
certainly have gored her had not in
terposed and shot the brute. She was
too frightened to walk home, SO l &C
companied her, was introduced to hel
parents, as a matter Of course, and they
were profuse in their thanks and beggee
me henceforth to look upon their house
as my home, and so forth.
[ promptly took them at their word
and every other evening, and sometimes
even oftener, my charger wonld b.
comfortably stalled for hours at a time
in Farmer Martins stable; and, mean
while, the pretty Gertrude and mysel
would be wandering either by the river
bank, studying poetry together in th'
old summer house, as the cold weather
drew on, OF playing chess in the little
back parlor. =
These things continued until the rainy
season set in, but instead of being de
tered by the steady downpours, my
visits becrme, if possible, more 1requen
and through the slushy low lands,wher'
the water was often above my horse
knees, nightly logged, like a marine
centarir, to visit my .inamorata.
BY and by the fathers suspicious
Ewere aroused Could it be possible /:
mounted trooper, wearing English uni
form, would ride nightly through mao
| and rain, and thunder and lightning
and hail and wind, to drink glass 0
grog and smoke pipe with an cl(
man of sixty /? Common sense answer
led No, and having fair stock of tina
|'comlmodity, SO also said Farmer Martin
sGt's the girl he's after, and it's time t.
put stop to this nonsense," was tn
conclusion he arrived at. s5
And SO the very next evening | rod
over, and before Gertrude and | could
finish our third game of chess, Mr.
Martin put his head into the room ant
said, in dry, dignlfed kind Of way:
s'Hem! could speak with you a few
| moments in the front parlor, Mr.. Bush1
I think knew. what was coming
and so did Gertrude, for she grew yer,
pale and upset the chess board in he
agitation, So that kings queens, bish
ops. knights and small fry went rolling
over the room. H., ~ ~,
Meanwhile ! f;as|ll6v1ed the old gentle
man to the front aparlor-t horrit'
room where every thing was burieC