The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1876-11-03


it. and on the following morning threw
ii into the FIRE l would not make up
my mind until / had seen other par
ties-until l had been on the grounds
And wrote to Leban Sarfurt to wait
Two weeks later harnesscd my horse
to the wagon, and with my wife and
child started for Shireton. I had been
D. married two years, and our little babe, a
girl. was year old, our pride, our pet
and our darling. Shireton was distance
of about thirty miles We had been
having rainy weather for weel, or so,
and it had now cleared OF bright and
beautiful. We stopped and took dinner
at Il wavside inn four miles beyond
which was stream which must be
forded. The innkeepar told me the
stream was somewhat swollen from the
late rains. but that if my horse was trusty
there could be no danger.
Arrived at the stream, the Wampa-
tuck river, I found the water indeed
risen and the current strong, but l saw
that Others had recently gone over, and
/ resolved to venture I knew my horse,
anu hau I<h III nm. Ny wife was
ANXIOUS but she trusted my Judgment.
= IAir1 Oh the way across the water was
over the hub OF the wheels. A little
more and it would have reached the
oouy OF the wagon. began to be
alarmed; feared had LETT the true
track presently my horse stumbled
ana staggered, having evidently stepped
On moving stone. The wagon swayed
| and tipped, and the Hood poured in upon /
Us. Ny wife slipped, and in moment /
more we were in the water With one /
hanc ! grasped the harness upon the /
( horse, and with the other I held my .
( wife. I was thus struggling when p wild /
cry from her Iias startled the air. our
/ child was washed away. /
/ h.Inv sopI, Icannot tell Won what
! suffered duri,o, t},osa ,,,o,,,o,4.
/ could uot beln o,r darIine, TfT1..,
/ nv wife She vrqs lost ! oIrno, f., n..
| horse ana cIupr 70 NV shriet-irs uite-
shrieking to God for mercy for her child
In the distance. upon the bosom of the
surging food, I could see our little one.
her white dress cleaning in the sun +
being borne swiftly away. \ moment
more and I saw man UIupoa from tba
bank into the river. saw this much
and then an Intervening point of land
shut out the scene The horse was now
nearing the shore. and ere lone NV wife
and I were on drv land with the horse
and wagon. A soon as T was sure NV
wife was safe, I left her to care for the
horse. while I posted down the river
bank in quest Of the swimmer and the
child.
You may well understand that all
time / g.as frantic. was a machine
operated upon by surging and
agomzlng emotion. How long or how
lar wandered / do not Know, but at
length me, man, wet and dripping I
with my darling IN ms arms-my dar-
ing, safe and sound. lie told me he had
caught the enid WITHIN aiew rods OF the
tails, and that IN landing he had cleared
the fatal abyss by not more than two
YARDS, lie was young man, not more
tAah twenty H'e' handsome ana stall
""''' ne Sa'i iie i-'' seen my wagon
up ana was c5hilhs 10 my assist
,L'T "ii'ii ne "a" 'l'e ci.liu "asheu away,
'rle" Liy me lhIo tHe paidhce' saiu
ne WIN a sehl"i smile and lhahA o'od-
'o,I me ii'Vs were Sa'
'zAeU ilIiii no" l 9Ho''4u ever repay
NM lie stopped me WlJh an impIorng
gesture;
" IT you ever talk OF more pay than
! nave already received ne said, If /
you can roo me OF the only solid reward
can claim, mercy ! If saving the life OF
such a cherub IS not enough Of reward
in itself, then hard is the heart that
Graves more. And with moistened eyes
he told me he had child at home-an
only child Of very nearly the same age.
q" l asked if he would tell me his
name. With a smile, he answered that
his name did not matter-he was not .
sure he had name. then asked if he {
knew me. He nodded, and said ne
thought | might be Mr.. burlington, OF {
Nalbridge. When l told him he was
correct, he SAID that he must hurry
home. And with that he turned away.
! was too deeply moved to stop him, and I
"heh he mad disappeared l started 70
Iejoin my wife, with dawning imPres- !
sion that the man mlght be slightly de
ranged. But my darling was sate--her !
broad fieeey cloak had foated out and
Kept her mead anove "aterIand l went ]
% ''is way i''oi0iHs, iesoi,TU t"i' c"'
i,ss p-tael 'ei u NY '"''' 9"0''0 -''' 10 'oi
..I ,riu NOT +oI1 vou 81 tho emotion of
o,v wife zyben She I,eId her child once
raore in her arms We reached Sbiroton
before rioht. and found quarters at
o.,,, for+allo toyor, -
90 -. e,I1,,,,inc, dow obo, earr,r+
called unon me-and was about to spread
his evidence for NV inspection when |
i,,torrunted him. I told him could not
/