The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1873-10-08
aloud "By Heaven, iii have her,
nnck ,nhnA Il nna,,lV

cost what it may!".
Very different was the Fred
Eekerson of the present, pacing
neryously up and down the piazza,
from the Fred Eckerson Of u few
moments ago, receiving his dis.
missal from the woman he loved,
with such calm and imperurba.
bic exterior. For he loved Becky
Newton with all his heart. The
real difficulty in the way, as he
more than half suspected, was not
so much with himself as in his
pocket. Becky Newton had an
inseparabio objection to an emp
ty wallet. The daughter Of q
wealthy Louisiana planter, reared
in luxury, and the recipient of q
weekly allowance Of pin money
sufficient to pay Fred's whole
bills for month, she had no inn
mediate idea Of changing her sit
uation for one of lass comfort and
independence. Besi d es, it had
been intimated to her that a
neigbboriug planter Of unusual
aristocratic lineage had looked up
on her with eovetous eyes. To be
sure, he was old and ugly, but he
was rich, and in her present
| mercenary state of mind, Miss
Becky. Ncwton did not desire to
allow such . chance Of becoming
u wealthy widow slip by unim-
proved.
Bat alas for haman nature! IF
Becky was really so Indifferent to
Fred Eckerson, why did she ra&l up
stairs after that interview, and take
the starch all out of her nice clean,
pilIow.shams by crying herself
into Mysteries on the bed. 1t was
| not all wrath, not all vexation, it
was not all pique. There was
somewhere deep down in Becky
Newton's heart, a feeling very
much akin to remorse. s.Sho was
not sure she would not some day
be sorry for what she had done.
She had no doubt she could be very
happy as Fred Eckelson's wife,
after all. :
"But then" she cried, growing
hot with the recollection, "E never
could live with such q man-aeV-
er!" =
When Fred Eclcrson had walk
ed off some Of his feelings on the
piazza, he concluded to take look
at the river. The Mississippi,
which flowed within five hundred
yards of the house, was. OF the
time neariy,at the height of its an.
nual "spliRg rise" Itsturbid va
ters, rushing swiftly towards the
sea, had nearly filed the banks
and ia many places had broken
through the levees and flooded
the lowlands for many miles. 4
crerasse. Of this description had
been made in the farther bank,
nearly opposite the house, and the
windows Of tho Newton mansion
commanded a view ola vast and
glitseripg inland sea, not laid
down on the maps. The main
current Of the stream bore upon
it's coffee-eolorcd bosom an enor-
NOUS mass of floating timber,
which was dashed along in the
boiling food, rendering navigation
wholly impossible. The waters
still rising and the frequent crash
es far al neas told of the. under
mining power Of the current, as
sections OF the sandy banks sue
cumbed and disappeared, carrying
with them the trees which over.
hang the stream. .
Now It happened that BY . Carl.
Gus coincidence, Miss Newton also
resolved 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 a huge
cottonwood tree on the bank be-
low the house. Throwing herself
upon the grass andiulled by the bub.
bling of the rapid food. beneath
her, she soon fell asleep. Had
she possessed any power Of fore.
seeing the future it would have
been the last thing she would
have done, for although it was
very pleasant dropping asleep
| there 10 the shade with the soft
! sunlight fittering through the
leaves overhead, the awakening
was not at all to her mind. A
! terrible crash made chaos of her
dreams; the ground slipped from
| beneath her; the tall cottonwood
| toppied and fell; and Miss Newton
! found herself suddenly immersed
/ in the cold food, with her month
| falTof muddy water. Ia 8 moment
/ more, somebody's arm was around
| her and she felt herself lifted up
| and placed somewhere in the sun
shine, though precisely where.
she was as yet too bewildered to
know. Getting her eyes open at
last, she found Fred Eckerson's
whiskers nearly brushing her face
"Well!"
! "Wcll!"
"Where am |? asked Becky
shivering and looking AROUND her
ia the middle Of the Missls