Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-09-23
NO. 226.

A"iu "a si2n( ~ LOrd!' slgb)
she shouted to him brandishing her clinch-
ed fist in the air-"wait till get We oot O.
that, ye young limb o. the dell. an III
teach ye maunners Altman"
"Mither, hoo dye like the crawlin'
things aboot your stockings? Haud DOT
your dnds" (apron) land yen mavbe KEEP
a gaze (pike), was the aggras ating re-
ioinder.
IL ,ddie, I'll droon yer screamed the
exasperated dame, and advanced to the
tray. In four Or five superhuman strides
she was beside him, he up to the neck. she
TO the shouiders-ior she had the advan-
tage IN stature as We'll as by virtue of the
friendly hoe, whose broad, flat extremity
sank bnt little under the pressure brought
TO bear upon it. Storing her wrath till
some moie favorable occasion, she crisply
told him to "lay haud o the middle y the
hoe WI his richt haun'," and to start off
with his lett foot, while she herself seized
the hoe with her left hand close under his
right, and led off on the return Journey
with her right loot timing with his left, and
thus' alter extraordinary exerlion and sun
dry slips. they safely regained land.
No sooner. however, had they taken
breath than, bedragged and besmear ed as
she was. his mother, instead of embrac-
my her beloved son with tears OF CRATE
tul JOY AT his deliverance, for once con-
quered womanly weakness, and proceed
ed to belabor her darling nightly, all the
while seasoning the performance with
cries OF "fll gar ye LAUGH, my Gallant"
and "Ill make sailor o. ye," until he
was fairly PROSTATE, and every aching
bone In his body bore testimony to her
prowess. Thus far courage. skill, and de-
Hotion, averted danger but calamity Of
ten treads on the very heels of success,
often appearing IN direction from which
rs least expected, and turning merriment
and rejoicing into CONSERVATION and
mourning Where was AlecP
The poor lad, after first giving the
alarm, had rushed madly to bring the
boat round, but finding it half full of wa
ter. and knowing it would take too much
Tune to bale 1t out, he did not carry the
attempt further, but, after wading quickly
through the wide, shallow strait connect
ing the two bodies of water. he plunged
into the smaller one on the side opposite
to Quentin. with the view of reaching the
spot where the thrashing floor lay drying
in the sun, and then, by pushing it before
him IN the water, to bring suceor to his
friend.
but the best laid plans of mice and
men gang aft aglee," we are informed.
and 1t was so in poor Alec's case. He was
bold and practiced swimmer for his
years. but he little knew the nature of
that deadly circle, small as it was, through
which we must pass before effecting his
object. Heated and excited he plunged
into the grassy water, and had Just reach
ed the clearing when he perceived that
Pryse, who had only just learned how
things were, had iorestalled him. and
was pushing his way on the thrashing-
hoor, with long pole, toward the moth
er aud son. who, engrossed with their own
diiilcultles, and unobservant of everything
else, were now making way to land.
Pryse, glad to discover that the "portentr
could not, under the circumstances. have
forboded any calamity to him at any rate.
was now anxious to have the glory of
lalsllylng its predictions utterly bv snatch
in5 from the jaws Of death those whom
he now confidently considered to be the
parties aimed at.
Alec, with shout of appreciation and
to the old tDan was SWIM
ming braveiy on. and had nearly reached
the opposite grassy part when he came
upon one OF those cold "springs" which
are common in water of this nature. and
was sudd, My seized with craDp." Sill
he struggled without ultering a cry. but
in vain, after few agonizing spasms. and
yielding gentle, plaintiff moan of "Mith-
er milher"' he sank IN the deepest part
OF the lake, never to rise again.
lie was heard only by the terrified
Pryse, who's seeing the imminence of the
greater danger, turned away from the
lesser, aud pushed toward the fatal spot.
But he was now completely demoralized
with dread and anxiety at the suddenness
OF the catastrophe, and rs soon as he
urged the trail, light planking with an un-
measured Jerk into the clearing it over
turned, and he was thrown into the water.
He was no swimmer but, after giving
utterance to some piercing yells, he man
aged to catch the side OF the thrashing-
floor again, and luckily for him, he did
not attempt TO remount it. but supported
himself by it, with his chin above water.
Still. however, it would yield to his great
weight, and he had to make the best use
OF bis legs he could to keep himself afloat.
Meanwhile, he was paralyzed with terror
he forgot poor Alec, forgot everything but
the ''portent" and his own doomed condi-
ton, and uttered such walls as had never
been heard in that quarter before.
No one but him had seen poor Alec 90
down. Quentin and his mothers atten-
ton were first attracted 10 his own cir
by his horrible screams, but
they could do nothing for him but wait for
the blacksmith, who hearing the awful
yells, fastened with few neighbors to the
scene. While they were wearing the boat
round, Pryse, whose strength was giving
way more from mental agitation than bod
lily exertion, and who thought his last hour
was come, kept on shrieking the most aw-
ful implorations to the Almighty for his
salvation, freezing the very souls of the
listeners with horror. At last the poor,
berett blacksmith-who was as yet un-
C )nscious of his cruel loss--managed to
bring the boat round to and rescue Pryse.
just as he was sinking. There he lay, as
they rowed to the land, PROSTATE at the
bottom of the boat, limp and cold. with
eyes fixed and hands clinehed, and trem-
birg. scarcely realizing that he was saved.
1t was u iul hour before he was restored
to reason and memory, and then, with all
of them standing roi1nd him. sc.rcalv bo