The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1876-10-06


anxious. bat she trusted ny Judgment.
4 third wav across the water WIS over
the hub d: the wheels 4 little more
ard u wouid have reached the body OF
III. wagon | bcgan 20 be alarmed l
feared hal left the true track. PreS-
emily my horse stumbled aud stagg I'd.
having evidently stepped on :s.ovIa Z
stone The Wagon -wayei and tipped,
and the fool poured ia upon IA. Ny
wits slipped and in : moment more we
were III tie water With one hanI
grasped the harness upou the horse and
with the osher held my wife was
thus struggling n h-, i Wild cry from
her lips >;artl-d the air. Oar child was
washed away
e Oh, my -oal cannot tell yon what
suffered during those mo,aenss. I
could not help our darling II l left
my wife she was lost | clung 10 the
horse aud cluug ~ my shrieking wife
! shrieking To God Tor mercy for h'r
child La the distance, upon the bosom
of the surging food. could see. our
little one, her white dress cleaning in
the sun. being borne swiftly away. A
moment more aud l saw man plunge
from the bank into the river. | saw this
mgch, and then an intervening point of
land shut out the scene. The horse was
now rapidly nearing the shore. and ere
long my wife and | were ou dry land,
with the horse and wagon. As soon as
! was sure my wife WAS safe left her
to care for the horse, while / posted
down the river bank in quest of the
swimmer and the child.
You may we'll understand that all
this time | was frantic. | was "A ma
chine being operated upon by a surging
and agonlzing emotion. How long or
how far | wandered do not know but
al length | met man. wet and drip
ping, with my darling IN his arm my
darling safe and sound. He told me
that he had caught the Child within u
few rods of the falls. and that IL. land
ing he had cleared the fatal abyss by
not more than two yards. He was IA
young man, not more than %, handsome
and stalwart. He said he had seen nv
wagon tip, aud was coming TO my as
sistance when he saw the child washed
away. threw my life into the bal
ance, said he. with . genial smile. and
thank God both our lives were saved
Il asked him how l should ever re-
pay him. He stopped me with an im-
! ploring gesture:
III you talk of more pay than l
have already received, he said, If you
can rob me of the only solid reward /
can claim, mercy if saving the life OF
( such Cherub is net enough OF reward
. in itself, then hard is the heart that
+ Graves more And with moistened
1 eyes he told Inc that be had child OF
I his own Mt home--sn only child of very
nearly the same age.
- asked il he would toll me his
name. With smile he answered that
( his name did not matter-he was not
/ sure that he had name. then asked
/ hun il he knew me He nodded and
said he thought l might be Mr. Lur-
lington. OF Walbridge. When | told
/ him he was correct he SAID that he must
! hurry home. And with that he turned
away. l was too deeply moved To stop
him. and when he had disappeared
started to rejoin my wife with dawn
ing impression that the man might be
slightly dcranged. But my darling
WAS safe-her broad, fleecy cloak had
I iloatcd out aud kept her head
/ above water-and | went on my
my way rejoicing, resolved that the
preserver of my child should not be
forgotten.
=" / will not tell you Of the emotions
of my wife when she held her child
once more in her arms. We reached
Shireton before night, and found quar-
ters at comfortable tavern.
"On the following day Labau Sar-
iurt called upon me and was about TO
spread his evidence for my inspection,
when | interrupted hum. / told him |
could not accept his confidence until l
had made up MY mind to take his case
in hand Something seemed 10 whis-
per that there WAS danger ahead. l
did not feel comfortable in that man Z
presence Ifeit as though he was try
ing TO buy me. The Court would SIT
in four days. told him that l would
from that.
That evening made contidant OF
my wife, aud asked her what should
do. III take the case. | said, am
sure of $500 She bade me do what
! WAS right. God has been very kind
Ia us, she said let lis look to Him
for guidance
After this | called on the clergy
man of the place. whose son had been
nav class-mate in college and whom l
had once before visited. He received
me heartily, and by and by esked him
about William Acton. The result OF
all he told me was summed up N his
closing sentence Said he am sure
William Acton WAS Pbll,p Acton $
child IN fact, know it-and l think
the father and mother were married.
Betsy died very soon after her child
was torn, and We know that Phliip al
WAYS treated the boy - Legitimate
child and that be loved him As such
can Confidently affirm
"Ou the following morning after
breakfast. - | >it by the window IN
the bathrooms. l saw coming from the
street the mau who bad saved my
child He Was walking slowly, like
one Ia trouble. pointed him out 10
my host, and asked him who he Mas
=. That l. William Acton. Perhaps
you have heard of the trouble lie II
likely n have with Laban atfurt
L said had heard.
- hope hc may come out all night,
the host added bat am fearful. Tie
he has 20, hard ami heariless custom