Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1873-02-06
LOVE UPAGuM TREE.

II 1NeW. DpQth, SfHleS 1S q CouuITy Pc
culiany liable to floods. It's rivers
| generally take their 'rise'in the lofty
mopntain ranges, and in the early
part Of their course are Joined By
nGmerous tributary streams. Wher
the rainy season has set in-&hich
| generally commences about the mid
die of May-the downpour sometimes
continues for six weeks at time, and
these rivers overflow their banks and
flood the surrounding. country fa1
and near, forming in many places
miniature seas. Upon these occa-
sions hundreds Of farmers are ruined,
thousands of sheep and: cattle gen.
orally destroyed, and not unfre-
quently many valuable human lives
sacrificed.
Perhaps the district most liable to
disastrous foods in the whole coun
try is the Hunter, where, every few
years, thousands of acres are sub
merged with the suddenness that is
truly appalling. Houses are fre-
quently buried to the chimney-tops
beneath the waters, which rapidly
form an inland sea Of at least hun
dred miles in length by an acre i'll
breadth.
In the year 1866 I was quartered
at Windsor, little township about
twenty-five miles distant from Sgd
ney, the metropolis of the country,
and for some months I had been en-
gagged in the arduous and by no means
romantic duty Of hunting for illicit
stills, of which it was supposed there
were several in the neighborhood.
l certainly did my best to discover
their'whereabouts, but.rwas complete
ly 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 a bad job.
II I had not found a still, however,
I had in the course Of. my wander
ings discovered what gave me a far
greater delight, for l had fallen across
one of the prettiest and most Iowa.
Bile little girls that an Australian OF
any other sun ever had the honor OF
shining upon, and, whatwas better,
Il had so ingratiated myself in her
good graces as to win her promise
that she would never marry any one
but me.
Our acquaintance had commenced
in romantic manner enough. I had
rescued her from a wild cow, who
would certainly have gored her had
1 not interposed and shot the brute.
She was too frightened to walk home
and so I accompanied her, was in
troduced to her parents, as a matter
Of course, and they were profuse In
theii. thanks, and begged me hence
forth to look upon their house as my
home, and so forth.
1 promptly took them at their
word, and every other evening, and
sometimes even, oflener, my charger
would be Comfortably Stalled for hour;
in farmer Martins stable and, mean
while, the pretty Gertrude and my
self would be either wandering by
the rivers. bank, studying poetry to-
gether in the old sdmner-house, or
as. the cold weather drew on. play.
ling chesS.m in the snug little beck par
lor. s
These things continued until the
rainy season set itf, but instead q
being deferred by the steady down
pouys, my visits became if possible
more frequent, and through the slushy
lowlands, where the water was Otter
above my horses. knee, l nightly Jog
ged, like marine centaur, to visit
! my inam.orata.
By and By tile hthers suspicious
were aroused. Could it be possible
a mounted trooper, wearing Englisl
uniform, would ride nightly through
mud and rain, and thunder and hight
ming, hail and wind, to drink gla,s
of grog and smoke apipe with an olt
man Of sixty? Common sense an
swered "No, and having fair stool
of that commodity, SO also said Far
rner Martin. The girl he's after
and it's time to put stop to his non
sense was the conclusion he arrIv
ed at.
r And SO the very next evening
rodeAover; before Gertrude and
could finish our third game of chess
lar. Martin put his head into tn
room and said, in dry, dignihe'
N'"I Hen ea could I speak with you
few ,minntss in the front parlor, MI
Rush ?" :
i think I knew what was coming
and. so did Gertrude, 1or she grew
7 very pale and upset the chessboar'
in her agitation, 50 that kings, queens
bishops, knights and all the smalle
fry went rolling over the room.