Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1873-09-18

Gus coincidence, Miss Newton also re-
solved to look at the river. She
dried her tears, and putting on her
hat, slipped out by the back door to
AVOID Fred, aud soon fonrd herself at
the ioat oil huge to;tou wot"l tree on
,he bank below the house Throw
ing herself upon the grass. and lulled
by ? the bubbling of the r.pid food
beneath her. she soomfell fast "seep.
Had she posses el any pow"r Of fore
seeing the future. 1T would have been
the last hing sLs would haze done
f,r although ii was very Pleasant
dropping asleep there in he shade.
with the soft sunlight Aittering thr ugh
the leaves overhead, the ',yakening
was not at all to her mind. A terri
ble crash made chaos of her dreams !;
the ground slipped from. beneath her;
the tail cottonwood topplei and fell /;
and Miss Becky Newton found her
self suddenly immersed in The cold
food, sith her mouth full OF muddy
water. In moment more, somebody s
arm was around her and she felt her
sell lifted up and placed somewhere
in the sunshine, though precisely
where, she was as yet too bewildered
to know. Getting her eyes open at
last, she found Fred Eckerson wkis-
kers nearly brushing her face.
Well |"
Well !"
Where am T? asked Becky, shiv-
ering and looking around her. :,
I'm the middle of the Mississippi,
replied Fred, land you are in the
fork of a costonwood-tree, and you
are voyaging toward the Gulf OF
Mexico Just as fast as this freshet can
carry you.
Hoy came you here y
In the same conveyance with
yourself, Miss Becky. In fact, you
and and the tree all came togeth err
to say nothing Of portion of your
fathers plantation, which, | tear' Is
lost to him forever"
Becky was silent. She was think
ing. not of he accident or the peril
GUS position, but of her appearance
when she was living asleep on the
How long were you there be-
fore this happened?" she asked.
"As long as you were. | was up
in the tree when you came.
You had no right to be. there,
she said, co'oring,-"a spy upon my
movements. F."
intruded on my privacy, and while
you slept 1 watched over you, like
the sweet little cherub that sits up
aloft.
Thank you for the service, I'm
sure" she said, bridling.
You snored awfully."
Mr.. Eckerson, remove your arm
from my waist"
"Then put yours around my
neck" !,
Indeed I will do no such thing"
"You will fall into the river if you
do not"
Becky was silent for several mo-
ments, while their unwieldly craft
whirled along the current, rolling
from side to side and threatening
every instant to turn completely
over and tip them of. At last she
said
"What are we TO do?''
"I think, now that I am started,
1 shall go on to New Orleans, he re-
piled.
"To New Orleans" exclaimed
Becky. "It is a hundred miles
"Yes, and the chance for free
for such distance is not to
be neglected. You can go ashore if
you prefer"
She burst into tears.
"You are cruel" she said, Ito
treat me 30.
Cruel exclaimed Fred, draw
ing her closer to him, quickly
" cruel to your
There was no help for it, and she
again relapsed into silence, quite con-
tent, apparently. to remain in Fred.s
arms, and eyincing now no dlsposl-
ton to rebel. For once in her life
he was dependent on a man.
at want to go to New Orleans,
Fred, and after a pause;
because there is a young lady Of
nv acquaintance residing there, whom
[ have an intention of inviting into
his neighborhood.1
"O!"
"If we don't go to New Orleans,
and if we get out of this scrape,
shall write for her to come any
way" =,
"I shall obtain board for her in
St. Jean, which will be convenient
Tor me as long as | remain your faith
er's guest. l can ride over after
breakfast every morning, you see.
,'She is an intimate friend, then,
said Becky.
l expect to marry her before long,
he replied.
Marry herl Why you-you pro-
posed to me this morning"
Yes, but you refused me. | tol'
you then you would never have an
other chance"
Becky was silent again. 1t is a
matter of some doubt whether, had
Fred at that moment, sitting astride
that cotton log with his feet in
the water and his arm around her
waist, proposed to her a second time,
she would have accepted him or not.
To be sure a marvellous change had
come over Becky's feelings since her
tumble into the river: She felt just
then that one strong arm like that
which supported her, was worth
thousand old and decrepid planters,
and che recognized the fact that q