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

would have had a very different
ending; but just at that moment
there was a hasty knock at the
door, and without waiting for any
one to answer a man opened it and
stepped in. He was badly excited,
and very much out of breath.
"Do you hear the noise 2 he
asked.-'There has something ter
rible happened?
"He held the door open as he
spoke, and the noise we had
not noticed before suddenly filled
all the house with a roaring, surg
ing sound. We rushed to the door
to look out. 1t was a dark night,
very dark for summer, for there
was a thunder storm gathering.
| had noticed the clouds as / came
up.
"'What is itg we all asked.
Listen = said the man.
ave did so, and could hear a
rumbling as of thunder, but longer
and steadier, and through it mems
voices calling for help, and the
screams of women and children.
"It's the day O. judgement =
cried the old man, in great terror,
its the day o judgement 7
"Make for the bluffs said the
other man /; its water from some
where, that's my opinion. Make
for the bluffs, aud he went out OF
doors and disappeared in the dark
ness.
"'I'll 60 and see,' l said, think
ing if there was trouble in the town,
| ought to be there to take care OF
the papers which had been entrust-
ed to me. The old mans house was
farther down the ravine than the
main part of the city, that is, farth'
er toward the Platte river, into
which Cherry Creek must have
flowed when there was any creek
to flow.
81 started for my Office, but in
the thick darkness l could sc,
nothing at first The rushing ant
roaring came nearer and nearer
| could not understand it. | ha(
come over that very way not two
hours before, and all was quite a:
usual, but | ran on, getting every
moment more and more excited a,
the tumult became greater anC
greater.
ga moment more, and | coulC
see looming up between me ant
the sky a great bulk of some
thing which could not understand
at first, but which in a momen
more / knew to be water, as tn,
stranger said. l could save NJ
ones papers; l would try to saw,
my own life and that of the dea
girl back there, with the feeble ole
man for her only companion.
turned and ran as | never ran be
fore or since, feeling that the waite
was not more than a minute be
hind me.
II reached the house to fnt
Susie wailing over the prostrat
form of her husband.
"'It has killed him. she cried
Cant you do something for him
This is terrible. Can't you d.
something's
Hastily kneeling beside the fall
en- old man, l felt his pulse, an
saw that his heart had ceased t
beat. SUSIE / said, 'he is dead
We must save our own lives if W
can.'
"I heard the water close upo,
! us, and knew there was not me
ment to lose. Catching the fai
creature in my arms, l ran up stair
and out through a window on I
the roof. We were barely ther
when the food struck the hous,
sweeping it from its foundatio
with terrible force, and coverin
us with a shock that rendere
Susie quite unconscious.
"The water swept on with its g
gantic strength.
"When Susie recovered he
senses, she was terribly frightened
| but after / had told her where W
were, and reminded her of wha
had happened, she grew quiet, an
clung to me and Bruno, her grea
\
Newfoundland, who had followe
| us on the roof.
at was q wonder the water ha
! not swept US from the roof, but
, large dormer window to which
| L. la .l -. Tko..a ...o