The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1876-06-27
NUMBER IS.

X! WHAT'S that "

"Hark. what IS that TsS ~ etxsff q
The speaRer.who wssra w,Wan about
be middle age16l life, At wefk 10 The
.ommon apsrtmett Of SWiss dwelling, ;
nd With 8 nalc face and qs,iyerisg lips.
,azed around on her childrens vho, st
hese signs of alarm, gathered IN terror :
0 her side, 9, I
"Hark r. She said, ngain, As one soe
he little ones began to cry. "Be still.
M your life, till listen" And sho bald
lp her finger.
.Tlers vas dead. silences at lheAa
words; dead silence. We mean. within
he room; for without was heard . hDl-
ow, ominous. sound Of awful signih
.anco s's l['.i 81 ~
.:Itis an asaianche," !" cried tho eldeet
81 III children, ssstad Of sb0nt nfseap
summers, breakiuy The stillness squick.
mother, fy."
Tie mother iusriactiEs,y snatched tie
hand Of her ynungestT oLiId md tusaed
door, The wAols family fol-
lowed her. ~
OH il your father Sss bat here, ths
said, as with hurried steps she CROSSED
the room. "What shall we dor II the
avalanche is near, we shall be over
whelmed or If we even escape at first.
we shall he;lpst on the mountain, for
know none OF the paths.
In truth, ths tender mother WAS over
powered for the moment by the 1espon.
sibilities Of her situation. But, ct this
juncture her son came to her relief.
.Neyer fear, mother," "said he, like
young hero. "If we only escape being
buried, I'll find d path, for Eve NOT
been out with father for nothing"
AS be spoke he fupg open the door
ard courageously stepped forth the first.
His glance was Immediately directed to
the right, where the Alpjne summit
rose, unusually distinctly defined, high
Into the heavens. But now the outlines
of.the mountain were lost ID q white,
shadowy mist that, rushing rapidly
downward, seemed as II it would the
next moment envelope the dwelling in
i its fatal embraces Too,awell he knew
what the awful cloud portended., It Was
the avalanche.
"Run, rua for your lives" he cried..
Iand pushing his mother and her chill
dren out as he spoke. he lea9ed Alter
them like young chamois.
The terrified family needed no incsn-
Tive, however, to fight. Even the youn-
gest comprehended the imminence OF
ltAe peril, and all breathlsssly rushed
do~n the slope. -
r. Suddenly the lad heard tho beating
Fof sheep. He had forgotten, until thus
reminded, thst stbe dock, their almost
[sole support, was Penned dp and would
be overwhelmed il left to themselvAs. -
/ But iEske delayed to relsase them biz
lowQ life NIGH. pay. the. forfeit Every
aecenE was spreciops.;x He .shesi,ated
1stll,sxha1. there came another best. =
i Tie piteous cry rent to his, heATt Ev-
1 cry, ,s6eep in NAT dsck had eaeen otter
slfrom' his hand, and most of thdm be 'hs9
carried in his arms when they were
lambs. Without o word he turned back,
and rushed up the. slight ascent that led
| to their shelter. The sheep, crowded
u together atcthe door, looked at him %
: gratefully tha: he felt repaid fully for
1.-THE perilhe-ran. As he threw open the
way for them, they rushed ontand fed
! down the slope. ss...s6s ID.
i 4 Hitherto his mother had not looked
back But at this moment, turning her
!, eyes around to see if her children 'were
!, all safe, she recognized her son stand
II Inc. at the door Of the pen, and the f0ro'
), most sheep just leaping through She
stopped on. the instant, with q cry d
i despair. .aJsF 81 II It's
d 1--WE are lost! We are lost T. abe cried
+ .sOh, my son, how could you pera ev
, cry thing Pill 3e,Ii a.sw = a9,,a .aa ra
! But the lad, even as he spoke. .cam'
bounding down the hill. ','''.'. S
II "On, on! Not moment TO SPARE
. l can sill outr0n you all. TO tbs lef
or we are lost" W - :
J, 81 IT was an an awful moment. Poised on
n high, hike some enormous mohntAiu,
$ gathering impetasaas ii descended, ths
Z avalanche hung overhead Then, with
1.-The rush of wbirlYind, down IT, came
: carrying stones and even rocks With i
p For an instant the fugitives disappear
81 Cd from sight Nothing, indeed, wa
= seen but thick, impersious mist. ~
lat were fakes of suew infinitely fine :
, fGradualiy this foatedt past, like . foI
!, driving down D mountain side. and the
} the voice OF, the lad rose ia . clear, lou
o halloo.
le II was answered out ofthe mia
e ahead by the voice, OF his mother; an
IN Immediately afterward she, wNh her iii
le tie ones, become visible. The avalanch
le was still ahead Numbering doHnwart
10 but below them; and they, saw at
s, glance that the danger was past.
,e They had been saved, indeed, almoi
IS by miracle. The lofty and perpendi'
o, uIar cliffs by which; their dwelling WI
v surrounded, here afforded. for about
lie hundred yards, a sheltered corner, can
led by the overhanging browIof . prcc
in pice The avalanche in its descent hs
IN passed on both sides Of the ledge, ca
We ryjng every thing before it that 1t m
is on it's way Had the fugitives been
I'D minute later or minute earlier, thu
as would have been In its path. The &c
1T, lerous act of the lad, in pausing to I
Of Ilieve the helpless aock had in rcali
'u- saved the lives Of ell
We He saw It, his mother saw II. and til
er locked at each other. The same sen
In ment moved the heart Of each, thouI
ms liz found words. only at the mother
At. lips:
cb ut Is the hand Of God. ny children
en- she said, solemnly falling on her knee
zee I"To him be all the praise. y. '' =
III A Lucky Dream..
1r. Mr. Scott. one Of the owners Of
no Last Chance Mine al Nevada City attr
;,e ; u,es his being alive to-day to . dream
,er his wife, the other night, that he '
81 killed by having his head struck by
, rock in the mine The other day WI
3 signal was given that blast was
be fred, Scott and Nj. Foote, both
la' ,N whom were holding the hydraulic n
rev zle, retired to a distance Of $50 feet, 1
an' Scott became uneasy, and tried to
q Foote to go still further away, conc'
be- ling himself behind tree, instead
the standing beside Foote, as usuah WI
ron sba hloet mont off AviuO atone etr,