The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1873-01-15

tent nearest to the trecarrested Saul's
attention. One of the men inside had
| thought also Of the tree, and had
adopted Sanl's expedient of cutting
through the. roof of the tent. He saw
Saul, but he was too far away to
reach the tree. "Giye me hand,
mate Give ME a hand for Gods
sakcw One moment" replied Saul,
deeply anxious for the fate Of David,
for he heard the generous-hearted
digger groan, and heard David's wife
sobbing keep your hold and stand
firm for little while. You are safe
there for time. There is something
here in my own tent must see to at
once" Then be called, David
David! Are you burt ~ The voice
of David's wife answered him with
sobs and cries, "He can't move, Saul !
He can't move! o, my poor, dear
David He has broken his leg, he
says, and his back is hurt. What
shall l do? 0, what shall / do ?"
But although she asked this question,
she-true wife and woman as she
was-was attending to the sufferer,
not thinking of herself. "God pity
us = groaned Saul, and raised his
hand to the storm. ''Pity u.s. pity
us!r he cried But the pitiless snow
fell, and the soft fakes danced in the
air. Then Saul cried, "Dayid's wife !
The child! the child,' "Let me be,
wife," said David II am easier now.
Pile up these seats again make them
firm. Don't hurry. 1 can wait. l
am IN no pain. Lift our little daugh-
ter to Saul, and the provisions after
ward" She obeyed him; she piled
the seats one above another. Then
brought the child to David. He took
her in his arms and kissed her again
and again my pet my darling"
he moaned. kiss father, little one."
And the rough man pressed this link
of love to his heart, and kissed her
face, her hands, her neck, her lips
Now, wife, he said, Sand resigned
their child to her. David's wife stood
silent for few moments with the
child in her arms, and murmured a
prayer over her, and blessed her and
then, keeping down her awful grief
bravely, like brave woman, climed
to the height and raised her arms to
Saul with the child in them. Only
her bare arms could be seen above
the tents roof ''Come, little one,u
said Saul, and, STOPPING down at the
risk of his life, clntched the child
from the mothers arms, and heard
the mothers heart-broken sebs. "She
is safe, dear woman Other heads
rose from other tents and turned des-
pairingly about. But no help for them
was near They were in their grave.
David's wife raised the provisions to
Saul and went down to her husband.
"Wife," said David, leave me, and
see if you can reach Saul 1t will
be difficult, but yJn may be able to
manage it. She looked at him ten
derby. "My place is here, David, ("
she said; II shall stay with you and
trust to God. Our child is safe, in
the care Of good man. He tried
to persuade her, but she shook her
head sweetly and sadly, and simply
said Il know my duty" He could
say no more, for the next moment he
swooned, his pain was so great. Then
his wife knelt by him, and raised his
head upon her lap. Meanwhile, the
man in the next tent who had called
to Saul to give him hand, had not
been idle. He found a plank, and
was raising it to the roof, with pur-
pose of resting it upon branch of
the tree. As with more than mans
strength he lifted the plank forward,
Saul heard q thud beneath him, and
looking down saw that the walls of
the tent in which David and his wife
were had given way, and that the snow
was toppling over. He turned his
head he was powerless to help them
The tears ran down his face and
beard, and he waited, awe-Jtruck by
the terror of the time. He thought
he heard the voice of David's wife
cry, GOOD bye, my child! God pre-
serve you'll" In choking voice he
said solemnly to Dayid's lettle daugh-
ter, Say God bless you, mother and
father J" The child repeated the
words in whisper, and nestled
closer to Saul, and said 'I'm SO cold |
Where is mother and father? Why
don't they come up?" Saul, with a
shiver, looked down. Nothing of
David or of David's wife did he see.
The tent was not in sight. The snow
had covered it. And still it fell, and
still it drifted. The digger who oc-
cupied the next tent had fixed his
plank ; not moment was to be lost /;
his tent was cracking.
Creeping along the plank, with ner-
vous strength of desperation, cling
ing to it like cat, be reached the tree
and was saved for a time. As he
reached it the plank slipped into the
snow. And still it fell, and rose high
er. Men signaled to each other from
tent to tent, and babe God bless each
other, for they felt, unless the snow
fall should instantly cease, there was
no hope for them. But still it fell !;
fell softly into the holes in the canvass
roofs and sides, into the chambers be-
low; crept up to them inch by inch !;
wrapt yellow gold and mortal flesh
in soft shrouds 0f~white, and hid the
adventures from the light of day.
Only three remained Saul and Da-
vid's little daughter in the uppermost
branches of the tree; the digger from
the nearest tent clinging to a lower
branch.
Regal and Imperial Jokes.