Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1877-10-24

the head. / don't know how it
was, or why l was not washed of,
but the first l knew Susie was gone
and l still floating on the roof.
81 could not remember where !
was at first or what had happened,
but when l did remember, it SEEM
ed to me l could not endure life
another moment. / shouted for
the loved one, i called her name
again and again, but I could hear
only the rushing and roaring of
the waters.
"a moment more, and / heard
the dog whine. / felt about for
Bruno; he was not there. called
him, and he answered me with a
whine again. He was somewhere
on the roof; perhaps he had Susie.
1t was risky work, venturing about
in the darkness, but / did it. ]
crept along on my hands and knees
cautiously as could. The water
was flowing on pretty steadily now
and it was like riding the current
of very rapid river.
81 called Bruno again, and he
answered me once more. l was
close beside him, and putting out
my hands, / touched Susie's wet
dress. She was unconscious, and
l don't know how long it was be-
fore she could speak. In times of
such terror and excitement we can
have no idea of time, but / had
given up, and never expected to
hear her voice again, when sudden
ly she moved little in my arms
and said: Fred"
My friend stopped a moment,
and could see the moisture gath
ering in his eyes. AS for myself,
there was a bunch in my throat
that wouldn't be swallowed.
81 tell you, Harry, if ever l
prayed, / prayed then. When a
man comes to some places, he finds
he needs a God, and l know there
was no one else to thank for the
life He had given back to me-
Why" he continued, "if / had
finished those papers little earlier
and gone up town, or if Bruno had
not followed-but never mind that I;
she was alive and after she got a
little warmer as | held her in my
arms, and Bruno sat up beside her
she told me how she had fallen of
the roof and became insensible, and
how Bruno had brought her out
though she knew very little about
that.
81 knew we were drifting on to-
ward the Platte river. l knew we
might lose even the slight craft we
had, or that one or both of Us
might be chilled or drowned, for
though it was summer season, the
water was terribly cold, and the
night air made us shiver.
"'Do you know where we are
driftings' asked.
"'No,' she said quietly.
"Then i told her, and that we
might never see the morning light
and / would tell her what / wanted
to do so long before, ages it seemed
then, that / had loved her.
} 81 won't enter into particulars
Harry. We talked it over, ant
she told me how she had loved me
all the time, but because / had mo-
} spoken, she had thought l did mo-
care for her, and she had married
, that old man because he was rich
and her folks wanted her to, and
well, the old story. l tell you, my
boy, when a man comes to such Q
: place as that, to tell his love, with
, eternity staring him in the face
, drifting on to almost certain death
, that may meet him before he has
, done talking, 1t is a solemn mo.
/ ment--there is no time for any
! nonsense.
| "We didn't care to talk much af.
ter that, but just foated on, will
: ing to live but contented to die
now that we knew we had eacl
: other.
Finally we struck something
, that held us, and then / felt sure
| we had hit the bar, but l did no
tell Susie, not wishing to awaken {
/ false hope, for perhaps | was mis-
taken, but waited, and at last dawr
began to creep slowly mp, and
saw we were on the bar. l begaI
4 to feel that we might be saved.
"Susie kept up bravely, and a
. iaet ua eoxv eou,o ,rop loolr;n,