The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1873-05-23

lluAuiy3 anu buG Wcchly IcClpLS0b U
Ian allowance of pin money snfIicien
to pay Fred's bills for a month, shl
ihad no immediate idea of changing
| her position for one of less comfor
and independence. Besides, it hat
| been intimated to her that a neigh
boring planter ofunusual aristocrat
ic lineage had looked upon her Will
lcovetous eyes. To be sure, he wa
old and ugly, but he was rich, and il
her mereenary state Of mind, Mis-;
Becky Newton did not desire to lei
such chance of becoming a veal
thy widow slip by unimproyed.
But alas for human nature. il
Becky was SO indifferent to Fred
Eckerson, why did she run up stairs
and take all the starch out of her
nice pillow shams by crying herself
into Mysteries on the bed. 1t was
not all wrath, it was not all vexa-
tioD, it was not all pique. There
was somewhere deep down in Becky
NeWton's heart feeling very much
to akin to remorse. She was not
sure she would not some day be sor
ry for what she had done. She had
no doubt she could bevery happy as
Fred Eckerson's wife after all.
"Bat then" she cried, growing hot
with the recollection, 81 could never
live with such a man, never. %
"When Fred Eckerson had walk
ed off some of his feelings on the
piazza, he concluded to take a look
at the river. The Mississippi, which
flowed within five hundred yards of
the house, was at the time nearly
at the height of its annual spring
rise. Its tnrbid waters rushing to-
wards the sea, had nearly filed the
banks, and in many places had bro
ken through the levees and flooded
the lowlands for miles. A crevasse
of this description had been made
in the farther bank, nearly opposite
the house, and the window Of the
Newton mansion commanded a view
OF vast and glittering inland sea,
not laid down on the map. The main
current Of the stream bore Cpon its
coffee colored bosom an enormous
mass of floating timber, which was
dashed along in the boiling flood,
rendering navigation wholly impos7
sible. The waters we're still rising,
and the frequent crashes far and near
told of the undermining power of the
current, as sections of the sandy
banks succumbed and disappeared,
carrying with them trees which over
hung the stream.
"Now, it happened by curious
coincidence, Miss Newton resolved
also tolook at the river. She dried
her tears, and putting on her hat,
slipped ont by the back door to
avoid Fred, and found herself at the
foot of huge cottonwood tree, on
the bank below the house. Throw
ing herself upon the grass, and lulled
by the bubbIing of the rapid stream
beneath her, she soon fell asleep.
Had she possessed any power of
forseeing the future, she would not
have done it, for although it was
very pleasant dropping asleep there
in the shade, with the soft sunlight
fitting 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 cotton
wood toppled and fell; and Miss
Becky Newton found herself sud
denly immersed in the cold food /;
with her mouth full of muddy water.
In a moment more somebody's arm
was around her, and she felt herself
lifted up and placed somewhere in
the sunshine, though exactly 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,
"Weum
"Wellw
"Where am II"
"In the middle Of the Mississippi"
replied Fred; "and you are in the
fork of a cottonwood tree and you
are voyaging toward the Gulf Of
Mexico just as fast as this freshet
can carry you"
"How came you here!'
ain the same conveyance with
yourself, Miss Becky. In fact you
and and the tree all came together,
to say nothing of portion ofyour
fathers plantation, which, / fear is
lost to him forever"
Becky was silent. She was think
ing, not of her perilous position, or
the accident, when she was lying on
the grass asleep.
GLOW long were you there before
this happenedf' she asked.
Gas long as you were, l was up
in the tree when you came"
"You had no right to be there, {"
she said, coloring-"a spy on my
movements.
"Nonsense," he replied, ''you in
truded upon my privacy, and while
vou slept watched over you like
the sweet little eherub that sits
alOft.'
"Thank You for the service, I'm
sure" she said, bridling.
"You snore awfully."
"BIr. Eckerson, remove your arm
from mYwaisl."
Then put yours around my
neck"
'Indeed, I will do no such a
thing"
eYou will fall IN the river if you
do not"
Becky was silent for several mo
ments, white their -ImWieldly craft
whirled along the current rolling
from side to side, and threatening
every instant to turn completely
over and them of. At last she
said
"What are we to do?7
81 think, now that am started, l
shall go on to New Orleans" he re
piled.
'To New Orleans" she exclaim-
ed, "why it's a hundred miles"
''Yes, and the chances for q free
passage are not to be neglected foI
such a distance. You can go ashore
tif you prefer"
She burst into tears.