The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-06-21

l
"But,' said he, will you promise not
to take up for the other side?
81 told him I would do nothing
without further consultation with him.
Because he added, if you are for
me 1 am sure to win. Acton can't find a
lawyer that can hold candle to you. I
know them ALL
"No matter whether I believed him or
not, did not feel fattered.
1.-TWO weeks later / received letter
from Sarfurt, promising five thousand
dollars if won.
"The five thousand dollars was strong
argument. Was not law really game
of chance, which the strongest hand and
longest purse must win? l told myself
yes. Yes-aud sat down and wrote re-
ply, saying that l would take the case.
But did not mail it at once. That night
] put it under my pillow and slept over
it, and on the following morning threw
it into the fire. / would Bot make up
my mind until 1 had seen other parties
until had been on the grounds. AndI
wrote to Laban Sarfurt to wait.
1.-TWO weeks later l harnessed my
horse to the wagon, and with my wife
and child started for Shireton. I had
been married two years, and our little
babe, girl, was year old, our pride,
our pet aud our darling. Shireton was
distance of about thirty miles. We had
been having rainy weather for a week or
so, and it had now cleared off bright and
beautiful. We stopped and took dinner
at q wayside inn, four miles beyond
which was stream which must be forded.
The innkeeper told me that the stream
was somewhat swollen from the late
rains, but that if my horse was trusty
there could be no danger.
Arriving at the stream, the Wampa-
tuck River, 1 found the water indeed
risen and the current strong, but saw
that others had recently gone over, aid
1 resolved to venture. Iknew my horse
and had faith in him. My wife was
anxious, but she trusted to- my judg-
ment. A third of the way across the
water was over the hub of the wheels.
A little more and it would have reached
the body of the wagon. began to be
alarmed; 1 feared l had left the true
track. Presently my horse stumbled
and staggered, having evidently stepped
on a moving stone. The wagon swayed
and tipped, and the food poured in upon
us. My wife slipped, and in a moment
more we were in the water. With one
hand / grasped the harness upon the
horse, and with the other held my wife.
1 was thus struggling when wild cry
from her lips startled the air. Our child
was washed away.
ooh, my soul I cannot tell you what
/ suffered during those moments. could
not help our darling. If left my wife
she was lost. 1 clung to the horse and
clung to my shrieking wife-shrieking to
God for mercy for her child. In the dis
tance, upon the bosom of the surging
food, l could see our little one, her white
dress cleaning in the sun, being borne
swiftly away. A moment more and saw
a man plunge from the bank into the
river. / saw this much, and then an in
tervening point of land shut out the
scene. The horse was now rapidly near
ing the shore, and ere long my wife and
1 were on 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 in quest
of the swimmer and the child.
"You may well understand that all
this time was frantic. was a machine
being operated upon by surging and
agonizing emotion. How long or how
far wandered 1 do not know, but al
length met man, wet and dripping
with my darling in his arms-my dar.
ling, safe and sound. He told me that
he had caught the child within few
rods of the falls, and that in landing he
had cleared tine fatal abyss by not more
than two yards. He was young man
not more than twenty-five, handsome
and stalwart. He said he had seen my
wagon tip, and was coming to my assist
ance when he saw the child washed away
Il threw my life into the balance sale
he, with genial smile, and, thank God
both the lives were saved
"I asked him how I could ever repa,
him. He stopped me with an implorinl
gesture:
, "If you talk of more pay than Ihav
| already received he said, if you cal
, rob me of the only solid reward 1 ca
claim, mercy! if saving the life of sue
: cherub is not enough of reward il
: itself, then hard is the heart that crave
: more And with moistened eyes he tol
: me that he had a child of his own a
home-an only child of nearly the sam
a age.
q 81 asked if he would tell me his name
d With smile he answered that his nam
q did not matter-he was not sure that b
n had name. l then asked him if b
v knew me. He nodded and said b
8 thought 1 might be Mr.. burlington, {
v Walbridge. When 1 told him he W,
IS correct, he said that he must hurry hom
o And with that he turned away. 1 WI
O too deeply moved to stop him, and whe
n he had disappeared I started to rejoi
my wife with a dawning impressio
70 that the man might be slightly derange
"a But my darling was safe-her broa
7 feecy cloak had foated out and kept b.
"a head above water-and l went on m
J. way rejoicing, resolved that the prese
w yer of my child should not be forgotte
# 81 will not tell you of the emotion
A. my wife when she held her chi
once more in her arms. We reach'
ID Shireton before night, and found qua
,e ters at comfortable tavern.
i'd "On the following day Laban Sarfu
IN called upon me and was about to spre'
ct his evidence for my inspection, when
l interrupted him. told him could n