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

4@AD, ~ ~
ents, sprang up behind me, and ava,
we dashed.
It was indeed, wild, fearfulnig
the moon shone brightly, but every
minute or two its light was obscured
by black, .pall-like clouds, that Were
teeping, with mad velocity across
thessky, and then at was $50 dark
could not see my horses head before
me.
I'm the brief intervals of ghastly
white light, / could, see that we were
surrounded by a3sea; lof waters,l ans
that scarcely speokof dry land wa,
to be seen., True, they were as YET
very shallow, scarcely above Carlos
knees, but I knew how rapidly they
would deepen; and + Urged dythei good
horse in the direction of the town.
Gertrude's arm eIcircled my waist
and she clung tightly to me with
fear. Often I turned my head tt
speak to her q few words Of encour.
agement and hope, but / was too an1.
fious to secure her safety and my own
to say much
She was warmly wrapped, up in
shawls and wraps, and as she was an
excellent horsewoman, I had no fear
Of her falling of, though the, wind q
was blowing lard enough to 'Ehifl
her from her seat.
Before we had got more than a
mile from the farm, the rain, recon-
menced with redoubled fury, and in
ia few, ,momentswe were wet through.
The wind, toos grew from gala to
hurricane, andS amid the continuous
roar of thethunder and fash of the
pale lighting through the air, we now
and then heard a mighty crash, and
some aged monarch of the plain fell
prone upon the earth.
Suddenly a. fash Of lightning dart
ed rightsIin front of I0grlo's eyes, and
with snort Of fear, he reared nearly
ppright.q.; -.
Hold fast, Gertrude I cried,
endeavoring to throw my right arm
around. her to keep her from slipping
off.
I was too late-she had fallen. I
heard a splash in the water, a cry,
and the darkness hid her from my
sight. Just, however, as 1 was about
to give way to despair, another flash
revealed her to be standing amid
the food, and not dozen yards dis
tance.
l spurred toward her, and pres
emily she was again on Carlos broad
back.
The excitement of this event, and
the turning of my horse round and
round, had made me forget the prop
er direction TO the town, so that we
now rode on not knowing whittier we
were heading.
4. Meanwhile, the food grew deeper
each moment, and presently l discov-
cred that Carlo was swimming. l had
not felt fear until now; but l must
say that whichever way | guided my
charger he could not touch rhe,ground.
l knew that, Weighted as he was, he
could not keep aaoat for long, and
each moment he seemed to sink deep
er and deeper in the water.
At this critical juncture of affairs
the moon shone out again, and light
ed up'the scene as though.it had been
broad daylight. Far as the. eye could
reach, mot spcck Of dry land was
now visible:; but. to my great Joy. l
perceiYed, close by, a bluegum tree,
whose boughs were so disposed as to
be easily scaled.
"Do You think you can climb that
tree, Gertrude?"% / asked. "1t is
our only chance of preserving our
lives now"
She answered feebly in the afirma-
tive, and with some little difficulty |
swan Carlo alongside. Under the
tree he r;eegained his footing, and |
was glad of this, as he was enabled
to stand steady for my poor little
companion to climb into the branches
from his back.
When she had accomplished this
feat, I took off his bride, so that he
should not catch his feet in it, if he
had to swim for his life, and then
Gertrude and | got some twenty-feet
higher up in the blue-gum, and paus-
ed to rest. Shawls and wraps had
long ago fallen off her and been lost,
and now poor Gertrude was exposed
to all the inclemepcy Of the weather,
in the low-necked, short.sleeved dress
she had worn during the evening.
How her plump, white, and beau
tifully moulded arms were scratched
by the rough tree bark in climbing,
and as the rain poured down through
the unprotecting vertical foliage, the
drops glittered on her polished shoul-
ders, and trickled down her plump,
snowy bosom.
Why, Gertrude, you look veri-
table Undine," said, and, having
no cape or overcoat TO protect her, I
DOTTED my uniform and made her put
it on.
We then sat side by side, and put
ting my arm around her neck, I told
her all about my interview with her
father that evening.
"And did papa say that when you
were as rich. as himself he would let
me marry you, Wille?" she asked.
"Yes, Gertrude, gave me his
word Of honor to that effect" l re-
.sponded. -
piled. "Poor papa this night has
made him beggar. ALL his money
was invested in improvements on his
land, and an increase Of stock. It is
all lost now, SO you. may claim me
sooner than you thought for, Willie. y