The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-03-08

his leg, he says, and his back is hurt.
What shall do? 0, what shall | do :
O, what shall / .dO?" But although she
asked this question, Shc-tIuc 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 US !!
pity US :" he cried. But the pitiIess
snow fell, and the soft flakes danced III
the air: Then Saul cried. ".Dayid's
wife! The child the chill" LET
me be, wife" said David, " i am easier
now. Pile up those seats again: make
firm. Don't hurry. l can wait. I am
in no pain. Lift our little daughter to
Saul, and the provisions afteTward. .
She Obeyed him she piled the seats one
above another. Then brought the
! child to David. He took her to his
arms and kissed her again and again.
my pet, my darling" he moaned.
kiss father, little Onem 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, and resigned their child to her.
David's wife stood silent for a few mo-
ments with the child in her arms, and
murmured a prayer over her, and
blessed her; and then, keeping down
her awful grief braTely, like brave
woman, climbed 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" said Saul, and STOPPING
down, at the risk K of his life, clutehed
the child from the mothers arms, and
els she safe, Saul 2" "She is safe, dear
woman" Other heads rose from other
tents and turned dcspairingly 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 you
may be able to manage it," She looked
at him tenderly. "My place is here,
David" she said; al shall stay With
you and trust to God. Our child is safe,
in the care Of good man." He tried to
persuade her, bnt she shook her head
sWeetly and sadly, and simply said:
81 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
root, with the purpose of resting it
upon a branch Of the tree. AS with
mere than a mans strength he lifted
the plank forward. Saul heard a thud
beneath him, and looking down saw
that the;wall of the tent in which Da-
vid and his wife were had given way,
and that the snow Wds toppling over.
He turned his head; he was pOwerless
to help them. The tears ran down his
! face and beard, and he waited, awe
| struck by the terror of the time. He
thought he heard the voice of Davids
wife cry, "GOod-bye, my child! God
preserve your In choking voice he
said solemnly to David's little daughter,
"Say God bless you, mother and fathern'
The child repeated the words i'll 4
| WhlspCr, and nestled closer to Saul and
said, I'm so cold. Where's mother
and father p Why don't they come up?
Sau with a shiver, looked down.
Nothing Of David 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
occupied the next tent had fixed his
plank; not moment was to be lost
his tent was cracking; creeping along
| ShS RA+TAA h4Nn LuC AC1 hOtto SIIGuSLU- OI
desperation, Clinging to"it like a cat,
he 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 higher. Men signaled to each
other from tent to tent, and babe God
bless each other for they felt that, un-
less the snow fall should instantly cease
there was no hope for them. But still
it fell; fell softly into the holes in the
canvass roof and sides, into the cham.
bers below ,creptsup to them inch by
inch; wrapt yellow gold and mortal
flesh in soft shrouds of white; and hid
the adventures from the light of day
Only three remained. Saul and Da-
yid's little daughter in the .uppeEmost
branches of the tree; the digger from
the nearest tent clinging to the lower
branch: