The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1878-09-25

| DHIOu6bs
ooh, Sir William oh, my lady-oh,
my dear, good Lady"
And then Emily shrieked three or four
times running, and, turning white as
death, fell back into the chair in fit.
Heavens and earth |" exclaimed Sir
William; "what is the meaning of all
this Chambers, do you knowP'
"Only, Sir William" said Chambers,
very slowly, and selecting her words
with precision which showed that she
was resolved neither to under or over
state what she had heard from Emily;
"only, Sir William, this much. Emily
Carter came to the door, as were look
ing out of the lawn, and with an awful
countenanoe-and every one knows what
Emily's eountenance is when Emily's in
one of her"
"Confound it, woman come to the
point |" cried Sir William.
$50, sir, she says to me-" said Cham
bers, suddenly quickening her pace
the children, says she; the boat, says
she; where's my lady?' And when 1
told her, sir, where you and my lady
was, she rushes in, and as my names
Sarah's Chambers, that's all as Emily
Garter said to me-"
Though Chambers information was
neither copious nor distinct, it conveyed
forcibly enough that the children were
in danger, and that the boat had some
thing to do with it.
It is impossible to describe the ghastly
hue which spread over Sir Williams
face, as the thought flashed across his
mind that his children had been drowned.
But he had hardly time to realize the
possibility of such calamity, when in
stole the curate, with soft step and
smiling face.
"There is no imminent danger" he
said, at once. "There is yet half an
hour, during which it is quite possible
to save them. But lose not q moment
in sending a messenger on horseback to
the nearest fisherman, and bid him bring
round his boat directly. If you'll lend
me one Of your horses, I'll go myself"
Orders were given for the immediate
saddling of horse, and meanwhile Sir
William learned from Mr.. Ling that
Master William had run his boat upon
a sunken rock; that she had filled and
gone down and that the boy, with his
sister, were now upon point of rock a
quarter of a mile from the shore from
which they were cut off by the flowing
tide. In half an hour the point on
which they stood would be foot below
water, and unless q boat could be pro-
cured by that time they would be in
peril.
In a few seconds more the saddled
horse stood at the door. Mr.. Ling
mounted it, and rode off.
"8y this time, however, Lady Win
,1Y1c ha,. 10, Io aI, l,a
moment she Leard of the boat, she
guessed all the rest.
The truth, however, was that Emily
and Miss Joan had been sent out in the
phaeton, under the charge of the page,
for a drive; that William, seeing the
equipage. ran his boat in shore !; and
that, as Emily declined to venture on
account of her tendency to bile and her
dislike of sharks, he took his sister, of
his own lordly will and authority, under
his protection. The boat struck, filed
and went down and, by the greatest
good fortune, William, with Joan in his
arms, was able to reach the point of rock
on which he now stood.
What were the feelings of Lady Win
dus when she reached the shore and be-
held her children on a small spot of rock,
with the sea all around them-smooth |
almost as glass, it is true, but with the
tide flowing, and every minute covering
fresh portion of the rock on which her
babes were standing.
But in vain did her mothers heart |
swell within her till it was well-nigh |
bursting, as she saw the little dimpled |
hands of her Joan stretched out toward
her, and her brave boy take off his cap
and wave it cheeringly to her with a
manly courage, which he drew from her
own generous blood much more than
from his sire's.
But could nothing be done?
Sir William now appeared on the road |
which ran along the shore. He was fol-
lowed by the old gamekeeper, by Emily |
Garter, who had recovered, by Sarah |
Chambers, who wished to see with her
own eyes what the precise extent of the
danger was, by the housekeeper, the |
stable boy, and a rat-catcher who hap |
pened to be passing along the road at
the time and was drawn to the beach by
that love of the terrible which kings, |
philosopher RS, high damsels and low,
noble marquises, baronets and rat |
catchers share. equally among them.
Well, was there no one there who |
could swim9
Unhappily Sir William could not, nor
the game-keeper. The rat-catcher be-
ing applied to by Emily Garter, looked |
at that young person solemnly for sew
eral seconds, and then quietly closed his
eyes, and thus addressed her:
Young woman, do you see this here
rat in this here cage ?"
"Well ?" demanded Emily, with much
dignity.
"Then, unless some on you can swim
furderer nor me, or unless a boat comes |
up, or unless sometbink else happens,
which 1 sees no promising sign on, 1 |
wouldn't give the life of this here rat for |
the lie Of thnr,n Arun nlilarnr, %