Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-03-18
WHAT A STRANGE NAME.

''Jessie, my dear, read the deaths for
me. '1ts such dark morning 1 don't
seem able to see this fine print" said
old Mrs. Martin to her granddaughter.
81 guess 1t Is dark day." answered
Jessie pettishly. 'It's too bad for the
rain to come to-day when we were going
to have game of croquet in the park,
with the Simonsons."
1--WE must never find fault with the
weather, my child. Remember who
sends the rain, and think of the good it
does to the country. Think of all the
mills which need water to work their
machinery, and the many animals who
depend on the rain to fill the little
streams where they drink. Indeed, we
shouldn't have water enough to supply
our own wants, only the rain falls so
abundantly. Anyhow, what are our
little amusements compared with the
interests of the great region on which
the rain falls ?"
'I didn't think of that, grandma.
Give me the paper, and let me read for
you. I'll try and forget my disappoint-
ment."
That's a good, sensible girl. I'll
give You a maxim that will always help
you: Make the best of it. Now, nv
dear, Just read the deaths over"
Jessie read aloud till near the end of
the column, when she was struck by the
following: "On Monday, at the resi-
dence of her son, Hugh Emerson, De-
hverance Emerson, aged sixty"
why, grandma, what strange
namel Deliverance. 1 wonder what
the folks called her for short-DeL,
Liuer, or Ancy ?" exclaimed Jessie,
laughing.
''Hush, child Read that again. Is
Deliverance dead? Why, she was a
little baby when | was engaged to your
grandfather Read that again"
Jessie read the notice again, and then
said 'Then You knew her grandma 2"
''Knew her child / should think /
did know her. Dear me, to think that
the baby / held in my arms is gone be-
fore mel'
"Tell me about her, grandma. Why
did her father and mother give her such
a name?"
"It's quite story, child"
"Well, tell it to me, please, grandma.
You know L love to hear you tell of
when you were young, and it will make
up for the game of croquet l expected
/ to play this morning"
"Well, let me think a moment. 1t
brings back the time when your grand
father and used to stroll by the creek
and across the meadows to gather
apples. Well, was about seventeen,
when family named Field came to set
/ tie in our country. They were odd
kind of people, didn't go to meeting,
and kept somewhat to themselves. We
all wondered what they were, and where
they came from but they never told
us. Well, they had one child, little
baby a few months old and they were
very fond of this baby it seemed as if
they were always playing with the child
and talking baby talk when any of the
neighbors passed that way. The father
painted pictures of the child in various
positions, and hung the paintings up in
the sittingroom.
"Was Mr.. Field painter ?"
"He knew something about it, but
couldn't make living by it, SO he took
to farming. He didn't do much at that
either only just managed to live, that's
ALL"
but what happened to the baby,
grandma I'm SO impatient to hear"
"Well, I'm coming to it. One June
afternoon, Ned Martin and / were near
his fathers mill, on the Barton River.
He was talking about the lowness of the
water preventing the mills from work
ing. He said the men of the neighbor-
hood were going to cut trench from
Long Lake to the little lake from which
the Barton River flowed, so that they
could get supply of water to work the
mill"
"This was in Vermont, grandma,
wasn't it ?" said Jessie eagerly.
"Yes, in the northern part of Yer
mont. Well, on the 10th of June, 1910
I remember the date better than if it
happened last year-the men were cut
ting the trench, when, on a sudden,
Long Lake burst its borders and poured
down the hill between the two. What
a fearful noise the torrent made as it
rushed along. We heard the noise and
saw the furious stream, but we were not
near enough to be in danger of our
lives. The torrent rushed across the
country fifteen miles, to Lake Mem
phremagog, carrying with it rocks,
hills, forests, houses, mills, and cattle.
"When the water had subsidized, it was
found that no lives were lost, except
the Fields little baby. Their house
was swept away with the baby IN 1t.
Mr.. Field was out In the woods at the
time, and Mrs. Field had left the house
for a few minutes, to get something out
of the garden. OF course every one
gave the baby up, and Mr.. and Mrs.
Field set off towards Lake Memphre-
magog to seek for the body.
"Soon after they left, Ned was out in
the boat, when he saw the ruins OF a
house little in from the course of the
torrent. He doesn't know why he was
led to go and see what was among the
ruins, but he looked under the planks,
and saw a child nearly famished, but
still breathing. He didn't know the
child, but supposed it to be the one the
Fields had lamented so bitterly. Our
house was nearer than his, SO he
brought the baby to me, and mother
warmed and fed the little creature
carefully till she became quite recov-
cred. L carried the helpless thing
about, and petted it for several weeks
till 1 grew very fond OF it.
"But didn't the father and mother
learn that the baby was saved p
"Not for two-yes three months
They didn't come back, and though
several of the neighbors tried to find
them, they did not succeed. The reason
was, Mr.. and Mrs. Field both took a
fever from being out in the wet looking
for their baby, and went to a cousins
house near the Canada border.
"What a pity they didn't knowP
"Yes, but suppose there was a pur-
pose in it all. Well, in September, MIR.
Field came back to sell his farm. As
soon as your grandfather saw him, he
told all the good news, and led the as
tonished father to our house, where l
put baby into his arms.
-, dau canna