West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1877-10-13
A STORY OF A FRESHET.

STORY OF A FRESHET.
On small plot of ground on the
bank of one of the dashing tributaries
of the Connecticut stood n neat two
story frame dwelling. The stream.
though not large, came foaming and
plungng iii tiny cataracts through a
deep ravine; and about quarter of a
mile fIom its mouth, where il was
intersected by the public road, it was
spanned by a wooden bridge. Above
stood mill, whose ponderous overshot
wheel, dripping with spray, ceaselessly
turned in the depths of the ravine, and
lulled the senses with its monotonous
2lash. Below, on one side, birches, hem
locks and stunted pines shrouded the
steep banks; and on the other was the
tableland on which stood the dwelling
already mentioned.
The house had been built by the
united contributions Of the neighbors
Tor the widow Wakefield and her daugh-
ter. Mrs. Wakefield was agood-a very
good-woman; thrifty, headstrong and
religious. Mary, her daughter, with
taultless beauty of features and great
comeliness OF person.. combined her
fathers intellect and gentleness of
been the gentler of the two. She had
already attained her eighteenth wear,
and had two suitors--what girl worth
having ever had fewer? Cyrus Tomp-
kins, the substantial son of "A substantial
farmer-well-to-do shrewd, selfish and
thirty-five, if not upwards, was the
choice of the mother, while Charles
Seaburn, a young mechanic, poor,
intelligent, whole-souled, industrious,
and two-and-twenty, was quite as
decidedly preferred by the daughter
Mrs Wakefield, who in her own girl
hood would have been the last person on
earth to have yielded to parental
coercion, now in the meridian of life
was the last to look with allowance on
the slightest approach to- rebellion
against parental authority. The differ
ence OF opinion between mother and
daughter, as invariably happens in such
cases, was widened by discussion; and
at the period at which our narrative
opens, it had reached the point of render
ing both supremely unhappy. Mary's
allectionate disposition equally revolted
at the thought of flial disobedience.
and that of bestowing her hand without
her heart; while the idea of daughter,
by any possibility, being better Judge
OF the means of securing her own hap
piness than mother, with all her advan-
tages OF experience, was, in Mrs. Wake
fields estimation, perfectly ridiculous.
The house, we have already stated.
was two stories high. On the lower floor
were two rooms. One served for a
kitchen and parlor (for under Mary's
administration her kitchen was neat
enough to be called a parlor,) the other
for school-room, in which she taught
some twenty scholars every day, Satur-
days and Sundays excepted
While lying awake one night Mary
resolved to consult the minister. her
old and tried friend, in reference TO the
question of duty involved in her unhappy
difference wit her mother. 1t rained All
night, hard and steadily. She had dc
termined to walk over to the minister.
before schOol-time i'm the morning. but
it continued to pour without inter.
mission, and she could not leave the
house. She had no pupils that day. 50
her loneliness and agitation were unre
lieved by her accustomed employment
All day and the following night the
storm ragged unabated and the river
swollen to torrent by day and two
nights lncessant rain, rOared angrily as
n plunged and dashed along its rocky
channel. Still, the second day il wa,
raining as hard as ever; again no pupil,
again dreary day-and no abatement
OF the storm. Throughout the night
its violence was unchecked but i'm the
morning the sun rose in splendor i'm an
almost cloudless sky, and the birds aeair
sang jOyously in the trees.
Ii was strange forgetfulness on tho
part OF some of Mary's patrons to send
their children 10 school that day. for ,
moments reflection would have served
to convince them that when sufficient
time had elapsed for the surchargef
rivulets TO pour their contents into In,
larger streams, fearful freshets must h,
the result. Strange. too, that Charlie,
Seaburn did not dream Of the possibilit,
OF danger to her whose safety was sc
much dcarer than his own.
The running stream poured over tn,
mill-dam IN fierce and muddy cata
ract; and being compressed into a mar
row compass by the jutting rocks whicl
supported the bridge, IL fOamed anC
surged between them, causing the bridg,
and its seemingly immovable founda
tons fairly to tremble
Mary stood ut the window. and couI,
not keep her eyes from the river. !,
majesticinits resistless course. At Ienotl
her attention became occupied by he
duties, and half an hour passed Wher
again she looked upon the food, IL ba,
risen TO the floor Of the bridge, its turbi,
surface covered with logs and timbe
borne down by the mighty current. Tn
mill was half submerged in the boilinI
gulf, and as she looked upon IL,
tottered and wavered, and the main sur