Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-11-23

'Ou OE IHe CONSTANT rolling over
which the torrent gave me. did
just manage to get finger hold in
a crack and to steady myself some
what; but the water was very deem,
Just here, and l could not lift mucb
more than my chin above it, whilst
a foothold of any sort was out of
the question.
Yet to remain where l was much
longer was impossible. Could | but
have raised myself some two feet l
should have been able to reach an
overhanging bough of one of the
thickly-growing young ash sap
lings, the roots of which projected
from the earthly top of the rock a
yard or two above.
Oh, how longed for giants
arm to touch that bough! Twice l
made futile effort to spring out of
the water at it, but only exhausted
myself, and had the greatest diff
Guilty in regaining my support.
Was | sinking and loosing con-
sciousness? and is this to be the end,
[ thonght, with that music still in
my ears? And 10! what vision is
that 1 behold? Surely an angels
face looking down from the leafy
roof above me. Yes; my life was
passing away in dream, of beauti-
full Sights and sounds. For a mo-
ment or two such was the vague
conclusion floating through my daz-
ed mind, nor was it once dispelled
by a perfectly andible aud silvery
voice saying:
Try to reach it now; l think you
can; quick, try. This can be no IL
lusion; that no phantom of drown
ing mans fancy; this is asweet real
ity; and in that bending branch,
now steadily descending to within
my grip, l see my life restored to
me and my hope renewed. 'J.-l
L have the delicate end of the
boughiin my hand; yes, automati-
cally 1 have seized it, and already it
helps to fftime higher out of the
water. a.. ,......--..-.
Be very cautious, says the voice
once more. Take great care or it
will snap. There, wait so whilst l
pull this strong one down, and that
will hold your weight better; now,
so; and in another minute | have
grasped this stronger one; l manage
to raise myself by it a little, and to
put the tips of my toes into the fs-
sure of the rocks by which l had so
long held with the tips OF my fin
gers. : -
Then. a soft firm hand is held out
to me, and taking it l finally, with
one supreme effort, pull myself
well up among the underwood and
twisted roots at the top of the cliff.
Too exhausted to speak or think
l threw myself down upon the steep
hillside among the long grass and
ferns between the trees. Then l
think l really did loose conscious
ness for while, for do not remem-
Der seeing the pretty, graceful girl
who had saved my life until / found
her kneeling at my side, endeavor-
ing to raise my head as she wiped
the streaming water from my fore
head and hair.
Wait here, she said, and l will run
to the inn for help; l wont be long.
There, lean against that tree trunk.
Pray stop, l stammered feebly; 1
shall soon be albright. am really
very much obliged to you.
Oh, never mind that she answered
brightly; if you can walk so much
the better. Get up and come along
at once; you must get your wet
clothes off.
| rose. and shook myself, feeling
very bewildered, sick and SCARED.
Here-up this way, she cried. |
think we can get through the wood
this way; follow me. 4 r.-
| had scarcely started after her,
as with firm, light step she sprang
up the slope among the trees, when
heard from the top a cry of: Hill
ly-o! Lucy, hilly o! where are you?
Here l am, she cried, all right,
Come down, papa, land give this gen
tleman a hand. l. have. just helped
him out of the water. He was nearly
WhatP Eh, my my deairrfF irfF' What IT. are re
you talking about? Gentleman out
of the water-nearly drowned? said
a CHEEKY voice; and looking up I
saw two or three figures coming
against the sky over the crest of the
hill. There was little hurried talk
as they met mypreserver, and presant-
ly my middle aged friend, who had
spoken to me about the weather at
The inn the day before, had a wise
like hold upon my arm, and was
lending me very material assistance
i'm my ascent. q [ J,
J What A-foftanateA thing Only to
think, he said, of Lucy happening to
see you. We were wandering about
and she had gone on ahead by her
self tolook at the fall; then all of a
sudden we missed her and wondered
what had become of her; 1and4tReh,
10 and behold! all the time she was
qualifying for the Royal Humane
Society's medal. You are not ac-
customed to mountsin rivers sir,
am afraid; they are very treacher-
Gus, and are often suddenly swollen
in this way when rain begins in the
hills after long drought; its what
they call spate in the Highlands.
We had stepped when a second
young lady, evidently a sister of my
guardian angel came running down
towards us, exclaiming: '
Oh papa do come up quick; Lucy
has fainted! She was just begin
ming to tell us all about it, when il
a moment she went quite off.
Whereupon, revived by the stimu
liant, hastened up, the remainder ol
the slope in company with my new
friends, to find the brave girl quite
lnsensible, her head resting in the
lap of iqdy, evidently her mother
Then the CHEEKY gentleman put I
little stimAlant to his daughter'i
lips, and all solicitude, very proper
ly, was turned from me to her; bu