The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-01-29
Fighting the Storm.

| has been nothing like 1t since the great
! storm Of IA, Heaven have pity on us !!
So muttered to each other the villagers
of Seckondof, as they cIouched behind
the rocks along the river bank in the
gray of that wild March morning, with d
hurricane such as no living man could
remember rushing and roaring down the
valley. Young and old, even babies and
bedridden grandmothers, were all gath
cred there; for it was no time to linger
within walls which cracked and groaned
with every blast, and might at any mo-
ment come crashing down in one mass oi
ruin. u.s. Isl a4 3 3F4
Even III that sheltered spot The jackets
of the men and the long hair of the won.
en- tapped in the wind like torn canvas
| but out in the open ground the fury OF
/ the storm was fearful to look at. Tall
trees were bending like whips. huge
stones crashing down the surrounding
ridges, twigs and even large branches
flying through the air like straws; while
on the unsheltered nplands more than
| one shepherds hut had been literally
| blown to pieces, and lay streWn far and
wide over the hillside, q shapeless wreck
of shattered timbers. .58.
But even more fearful was the sight OF
! the flooded river below, which, swollen
| by weeks Of rain, and lashed into fury by
| the tremendous gale, went foaming down
the narrow valley with a roar that seem
ed to shake the very rocks that walled il
in; and as the peasants stood gazing at it,
one Of them, a stalwart herdsman FROM
the upland pastures, pointed, with a sud-
den paleness on his sunburned features,
/ to the little cottage that stood on an
! island in the centre Of the stream, at the
window of which human face had lust
shown itself
| ''Its the ferryman and his family
whispered one; ''they haven't had time
to escape"
| God help them, then!' muttered an
| other; sits all over with them now
At that moment the clatters Of hoofs
was heard along the stony road, and a
| single horseman came tearing down to-
| ward the bank, his white hair and his
horses name streaming on the wind like
| q pennon. A murmur ran through the
crowd as he approached :: Its our mas
! ter-it's the Count of Hildeshein!''
| Even before he reached the spot. The
| Count had eyidentiysseen the danger 81
! the island faailys for his frs. words
! were: #H II
"Two hundred thalers 10 the man ygho
saves them Vho will go?'
| The men looked at each other in 81.
! lance. There we're no faint hearts among
/ them; but the bravest man might we'll
have shrunk from that boiling whirl Of
foam, in whose grasp the strongest boat
! would have been nothing More than
one eye kindled, more than one hand
.clenched itself; but nobody stepped for
| ward. And at that moment huge wave
went roaring up over the lslet, and strik-
| ing the cottage wall. tour it away like
| paper, while the shrieks of the children
and their mother. who were now plainly
visibly, were heard even above the howl
ing storm. , Il, 45
will you let them perish before youl
eyess" roared the Count. "If were ten
years younger, I'd 60 myself!''
Just then solitary figure, which
seemed to have risen through the earth
SO suddenly did it appear, was seen on
the very brink Of the river, launching q
small boat. In an other instant boat and
man vanished together into the. whirl-
wind of spray that filled the ai.s The
! Count ciutched his horses name, and his
lips moved as il in PRAYER, while more
than one stl1ied cry broke from the peas
ants as the little bark at length reap
peared close to the islet, dancing like
a feather amid the roaring waves that
surged up around. But the farrynlan
had seen the coming help, and prepared
for it. In an instant his wife was low.
cred down with her baby in her arms
| The two other children followed; but
! alas there was no place for The father in
the tiny skiff, aheady overloaded.
| The two brave men exchanged 4 look
and understood each other. Off mertthe
boat, shooting down the foanning curren,
like an arrow. More than once all seemed
over, but the oarsman's hand was sure
and at last. far down the stream, he
| brought his charge safe to land. Their
without hating q moment, he seized The
tow rope, and dragging his boat up to the
point whence he had started, shot out
into the raging flood once more.
! 'sGod be with hinll'' cried the Count
! fervently; tho other man in Saxeny would
have dared such deed p
Stoutly did the gallant man strain al
his task, but he came only just in time
| The ferryman had barely leaped into the
boat when the whole building came down
In an instant the whole crowd was in
motion, and, headed by the Count himself
! they rushed down tho bank to meet the
rescued man and his deliver as they
touched the shore.
#'' There, my brave fellow cried the
noble, holding out his parse TO the oars,
man; never was money better earned I
| ''Not SO, Sir Counr!'' answered the
/ other; "Goa has enabled me to keep nv
1 self by the work OF my own hands, and |
need nothing more. Give your gold ID
1 this poor man and his family, who have
| lost there all. n
And without awaiting a reply, he turned
on his heel and disappeared. Sunday
/ .Afte,5aoon. 5..4 Il. \. 1. b IN.
! After presenting our bill for last years
subscription to one Of our citizens, seven
times, he remarked /: a'YVhy don t|you gt
j for these slippery fellowsfrstY I'm gooG
| enough - Reynold soills Hesald.