Smyrna times., 1879-01-15
Fighting the Storm.
arful day, neighbor Shelter y

" A fearful day, neighbor Shetier"
You say truly, neighbor Balt; there
has been nothing like it since the great
storm of "a. Heaven have pity on us p
So muttered to each other the villagers
of Seckendorf, as they crouched behind
the rocks along the river bank in the gray
of that wild March morning, with a hurri
cane such as no living man could remember
rushing and roaring down the Valley.
Young and old, even babies and bedrid-
rem grandmOthers, were all gathered there;
for it was no time to linger within walls
which cracked and groaned at every blast,
and might at any moment come crashing
down in one mass of ruin.
Even in that sheltered spot the jackets
OF the men and the long hair of the
women Tapped in the wind like torn can
vas; 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 fying
through the air like straws; while OH the
unsheltered uplands, more than one shep
herds hut had been literally blown to
pieces, and lay strewn far and wide over
the hillside, a shapeleas wreck Of shattered
timbers.
But even more fearful was the sight of
the Hooded 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 seemed to
shake the very rocks that walled it in :
and, as the peasants stood gazing at it, one
of them, a stalwart herdsman from the up-
| land pastures, pointed, with sudden pale
ness on his sunhurned features, to the
little cottage that stood on an island in the
centre of the stream, at the window OF
which a human face had Just shown itself
"Its the terryman and his family" whis
pered one they haven't had time to es
cape"
"God help them, them" muttered
another; it's all over with them nowI'
AT that moment the clatter of h0ofs wa,
heard along the stony road, and a inglt
horseman came tearing down toward tht
bank, his white hair and his horses manC
streaming on the wind like pennon.
murmur ran through the crowd as he ap
preached It's our master-it's the Coun
of Hildesheim T.
Even before he reached the spot, tht
Count had evidently seen the danger O
the island family, for his first words were
1.-Two hundred thalers to the man VIII,
saves them. Who will go?"
llC AhSIl lOOhCl 1T GtACu OGilBI Ill NlltlCC
There were no faint hearts among them
but the bravest man might we'll hay
shrunk from that boiling whirl of foam, il
whose grasp the strongest boat would hav
been as nothing. More than one ey
lIindled, more than one hand clenche,
itself; but nobody stepped forward. An,
at that moment huge wave went roarin
up over the islet, and striking the cottag
wall tore it away, while the shrieks {
the children and their mother, who wer
, now plainly visible, were heard even abov
the bowling Of the storm.
"Will you let them perish before you
eyes,? roared the Count. eff | were te
years younger, I'd go myselfr'
Justthen, a solitary figure, which SCENE
to have risen through the earth, so su,
denly did it appear, was seen on the ver
brink of the river, launching a small boa
> In another instant boat and man vanshe
j, together into the whirlwind of spray tn,
: filled the air. The Count clutched h
. horses name, and his lips moved as if
j.. prayer; while more than one stihed CT
- broke from the peasants as the little bar
7 at length reappeared close to the isle
dancing like a feather amid the roariI
% waves that surged up around. But Il
ferryman had seen the coming help, al
B" prepared for it. In an instant his wife W
lowered down, with her baby in her arm
The two other children followed; but al;
there was no place for the father in Il
tiny skif, already overloaded.
Go The two brave men exchanged loo
u and understood each other. Off went t
lie boat, shooting down the foaming cure
~ like an arrow. More than once all seem
G. over; but the oarsman's hand was SUI
- lat F., 4 -, L L
II. his charge safe to land. Then, withO
OF halting a moment, he seized the tow re,
Al : and, dragging his boat to the point when
n he had started, shot out into the ragi
IL flood once more.
er- "God be with himr' cried the Cou
Dr. fervently. "No other man in Saxo
as would have dared such deed ~
III Stoutly did the gallant man strain at
ce task but he came only Just in time. 7
.iy ferryman had barely leaped into the b.
lly when the whole building came crash
down. In an instant the whole crowd
ht in motion, and, headed by the Count h
'in self, they rushed down the bank to m
cn the rescued man and his deliverer as Il
ed touched the shore.
Ivy "There, my brave fellow" cried the
IN IN noble, holding out his purse to the o.
nK man. Never was money better earned
on, "Not so, Sir Count" answered the otl
DuC "God has enabled me to keep myself
on the work of my own hands, and n
'er- nothing more. Give your gold to this p
c, ca, man and his family, who have lost Il
Us ALL"
'us- And without awaiting a reply, he tur
cry on his heel, and disappeared.-Sunday A
ltn noon.
, so --4ss-.-
lit The New York Times notes the fact
5 of 1878 was the most important year in
lied history of modern missions. In In
yest where more than half century of W
evy seemed to have made little impression
all the Hindoos, there has been the lar
ere movement toward Christianity that Pro
the antism has ever witnessed in heathend
The Society for the Propagation of
tier Gospel High Church Anglican) has ha
and accession of no less than 22,000 the D.
OF Reformed Mission one of 5000, the Ar
urge can Baptist Mission of nearly 10000,
and the Church Missionary Society Low CHI
way, Anglican) of 8l9 families. Thus in
g of wear about 10 000 HIndoos have renout