Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-02-02

h80m0tlt0. that almOSb 0Q ual1cu VIC OoSt
Swedish in lustre and purity; and moth
inc but the cost of coal and OF labor
prevented us from carrying on much
larger trade than we actually did. Our
workmen we're q motley crew OF varied
| nationality. for the best of the native
pitman had been allured away by the
col and silver of the Far West, while
thes urdy Irish immigrants preferred
oper air labor to earning livelihood
below ground. So high were the wages
we were forced to give that Cornish
miners and Golfers from Scotland OF
fen found il worth their while to cross
and recross the Atlantic, spendlngsthel1
own slack season probably among ou1
shafts and galleries.
Salaries in the United States are per-
haps not quite on proportionate level
with weekly wages, but then the oppor
tunities of rising in the world arc proba
bly more frequent than at home; and
did not complain, anticipating the time
when. as permanent manager, should
be in receipt of a better income and,
prospectively, of some share OF the
profits of the firm. For the time being
/ had board ard lodging at the rate oil
81. 30 day, in an upland farm house
and ran no risk of damage, either IL
person or property, by the inundatlor
that menaced the dwellings OF those who
lived close to the river. [ was, there
fore, mere spectator, though ready
and willing at a pinch to be useful te
those who were less fortunate.
There's a woman on Ship Island
there, waving something ana calling tt
us. May never, but it's young Nine
Parnen herself Yes, and there's The
child with her." said one of the men or
the bank.
Cant be-" said another incredulous
II. tThe farmer would never have
fingered this long, till he's right in the
grip of the ice"
&c Parnelps not tew hum, I tell you,
answered the other in his New jersey
accent. "He's away this week past te
Philadelphia City. Yes, that's the wife
calling for help, poor young thing
Guess those cowardly skunks of hirec
men hev gone off in the fatboat anc
left the woman and child to shift fol
themselves
To explain this I may briefly say
that, two miles above Ithaca, and al
most opposite to the bluff on which We
were standing, there is an islet IN the
river shaded by trees, and which takes
it's name from some fancied resem
blance IN its shape to that of ship. Or
it stool q farm house, with brightly
painted gables of carved woodwork, {
tiled roof, and porch which In sum
mer was festooned with twining roses
picturesque object in the landscape
Often in the still sultriness of an Angus
day I had looked admiringly at THU
house, with its peach and apple
orchards, its grassy meadows shaded b.
tall cottonwood poplars, and its sunni,
garden sloping to the waters edge
where the great streaked melons ane
yellow pumpkins lay basking In th'
midst of blooming flowers, and had con
sidel.ed it as the very abode of peace
| I knew the proprietor of this enviabl'
dwelling-Seth Parnell by name-bu
very slightly, and had never met Will
the other members of his family or Sc
foot on his tiny domain.
That the island farm was in grea
danger from the advancing ice was bu
too manifest; and I was astonishet
when, on demanding who was ready t.
assist me in carrying aid to the desert
ed woman and child, no response wa
made beyond deprecatory growl o
dissent from my proposal.
"Throwin' life away as you'd throw ,
cornstalk, that's what call it, pithl,
reioined, after pause, the cid yoemal
from the hills. sc 'Taint the drift tina
is speaking the river not that I'd value
the swapping of gunlock," he con
tinued, pointing to the loose ice float
ing by; "it's the gorge itself, that would
smash in the side of hundred-to1
sloop as boy cracks peanut; and see
mister. the jams breaking already"
And indeed tb, ice wall, which hai
for some minutes been stationary, hav
ing probably anchored itself to some
shoal or sandbank, was again in motion
urged by the resistless pressure of tn,
flood above it, while the shrieks ani
despairing gestures of the lonely occu
pant of the islet showed in what al
agony of alarm she beheld the near ap
proach of the destroying wave. Still
although I made an urgent appeal tx
| those around to aid me in manning
broadhorn-one of number of boat,
of various build and size that la,
moored in the creek hard by-no volun
teer answered to the call; and when
declared my intention of going alon.
to the rescue of those on the island
efforts were made to dissusde me from
running the risk of what, to the by
ISLANDERS, appeared to be all but inevl
table death.
"Good grit; I'll say that for tht
Britisherl" Such were the old farm
er's valed1ctory words as I sprang into
a canoe, grasped the paddle. and push
ed off. 'Pity, too, to see it done. W.
oughter hev held him back by force
neighbors." 49,
However, was by this time well ou
of the creek, which formed sort Of
miniature harbor, and plying my paddle
with the vigor necessary to contend
with the force of the current, now swol
len by the effects of the long confirmed
thaw. Luckily, during my residence
beside the Delaware, / had acquired
that dexterity in the handling of 8
canoe which nothing but practloe could
confer, and I succeeded in ending the
shock of those sheets of floating ICE
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