The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1876-09-28

took dinner at q wayside inn, four miles
beyond which was stream which must
be forded The innkeeper told me that
the stream was somewhat swollen from
the late rains but if my horse was
thirsty there could be no danger.
Arrived at the wampatuck river, l
found the water indeed risen, and the
current strong, but [ saw that others
had recently gone over, and resolved to
venture. knew my horse, and had
faith in him. My wife was anxious,
b she trusted my judgment. A third
OF the way across the water was over
the hub of the wheels. \ little more
and it would have reach ID the body OF
the wagon. bega,. to be alarmed; L
! feared that had left the true track.
Presently my horse stumbled and stag
gered, having evidently stepped on q
moving stona. The wagon swayed. up
ped and the food poured in upon us,
My wife slipped, and in moment
more we were in the waite. With one
hand gaasped the harness upon the
horse, and with the other l held my
wife. [ was thus struggling when
wild cry from her lips startled the ar.
Our child was washed away.
Oh. my soul, [ cannot tell you what
T suffered during those moments. L
could not help our darling. If l left
nv wife she was lost. 1 clung t. the
horse and clung to my shrekin9 wife
shrieking to my God for mercy for her
child. In the distnnce, upon bosom OF
the surging food, [ could see our little
one. her white dress cleaning IN the
sun, beng bone quickly away. A mo-
ment mole, and.L SAW m'n plunge
from the bank into the river. l saw
this mach, and then al intervening
point of land shut ont sthe scene. The
horse WIS now rapidly nearing the
shore, and ere long my wife and l were
on dry lan1, with the horse a W '5on
As soon as [ was sure my wife vas safe
left her to care for the horse while 1
postad of down the river benk III guest
of the swimmer dan the child.
You may well understand that ali this
time [ was frantic. | was machine
being operated upon by a surEln8 and
aronizing emotion. How long or how
far I wandered do not know, but at
length [ met man, wet and dripping,
with my darling in his arms, my dar-
ling. safe and sound He told me that
he had caught the child within a lew
rods Of the falls, and that in landing he
had cleared the fat Il abyss by not more
than two yards He was n Young man
not more than twenty-five, handsome
and stalwerS. He said he had seen my
wagon tip, and was coming to my as
sistance when he saw the child washed
away. Il threw my life into the bal
ance," said he, with a genial smile,
"anl. thank God, both the lives were
.avcd!'
asked him how I should ever repay
him. He stopped mewith an lmQiorlnS
gesture.
'If yon talk OF more pay than have
received, he said, iii you can rob M
f the only solid reward [ can claim,
, mercy, if saving the life OF such /
cherub is not enough reward IN Itself,
, then hard is the heart that Graves
more" And with moistened eyes he
foli me that he hal a child of his own
at home-au only child of very nearly
+ the same age.
I asked if he would tell me his name.
o With a smile he answered that his
oam, did not m .ttAr-he WAS not snrl
= that he had nlme. then asked him
if he knew me. He nodded and said he
o thought [ might be Mr.. darlington, q
p Nalibridge. When told him that he
f was correct he said he must hurry
p home. And with that he turned away
was deeply moved to stop him, ano
' when he had disappeared l started tt
rai0in my wife with dawning impress
: ION that the man might be slightly de
rsngel. But my darling was safe-he'
+ broad. deecy cloak had f ,ated ont anc
: kent her head above the water-and
went on my way rejoicing, resolved thai
! the preserver of my child should not hf
e forgotten.
+ I will not hell you of the emotion o.
? nv wife when she held her child once
more in her arma. We reached Shire
: ton before night, and found quarters al
, a comfortable tavern.
a On the following day Leban Sarfur
called on me and was about to spread his
T evidence for my inspection, when L in
terrupted him. I told him [ could no
accept his confidence until had made
ND nv mind to take his case in hand
: Something seemed to whisper that
there was danger ahead. [ did not fee
comfortable in that mans presence.
as though he was trying to buy me
The court would sit in four days.
, told him | would give HIM q final an
swer in two days from that.
That evening male a confident oi
nv wife, and asked her what I should
do. "If l take the case,' said, 81
am sure of five thousand dollars" She
bade me to do what was right. 5000
has been very kind to u.s." she said
"let us look to Him for guidance.
After this / called on the Clergyman
of the place, whose son had been mJ
, classmate in college, and whom l had
once before visited. He received me
heartily, and by and by asked him
about William Acton. The result OF al
he told me summed up in his closing
sentence. Said he! 81 am sure William
t Acton was Phillip Acton's son--in fact
[ know it-and / think the father and
mother were married. Betsy died very