The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-05-29

ound himself very often, crossing the lit
lie bridge, and his excursions gradually |
grew shorter and shorter, till, at length,
his route would have been best described |
by bee-line from his own house 10 the |
widows cottage; and, finally, one morn |
ing, summoning up all his courage, he |
to ask Alice how she would like |
TO sit opposite him at the lbreakfast-table
differently, inserting the usual
amount of rapture and sentiment. When,
to his great astonishment, Alice, in the
midst OF tears and blushes, faltered out
ANom instead of "Yesr and, on demand
ing her reasons for this unexpected decis-
ION, declared, that although she loved him,
she would never enter q family in which
she should be so unwelcome guest as IN
his. Luke pleaded, demonstrated, and
finally stormed; but Alice only growing
colder and infiexible, he at once took
sullen leave. only stopping at the door to
hurl at her these bitter words:
"Alice Patrie, 1 am ashamed to have
loved you. You are this day false, both to
yourself and me, and have shown your
self unworthy of an honest mans regard"
From that day, Alice only caught an oc-
casional glimpse of his dark, stern face, as
he thundered. by on his black horse
Though If she saw but little, she heard
enough, for the whole village was rife with
gossip concerning the moody and altered
ways of Luke Derwent. Alice, of course,
high-minded young lady, and should, in
consequence, have been perfectly happy;
but her slow step and thin cheek hardly
spoke of unalloyed peace of mind, though
the mothers long and wasting illness. and
the increase of labor that thereby fell on
her already too heavily burdened shoul-
ders, might have accounted for this change
in her appearance. Then, perhaps, the
weather was hardly calculated to exercise
a cheering influence, for all through the
dreary month of March il had rained in
the thawing of the snow and ice, into a
black and impetuOus torrent, no longer
glided by with the soothing and gentle
murmur she so loved to listen to, but filled
the air with hoarse and prolonged roar,
that agitated her with q strange forboding
fear.
One morning, toward the last OF March,
she started for the village, in guest of a
physician, alarmed by the fast increasing
violence Of her mothers malady. The
stream had risen greatly during the night,
and the black water whirled and boiled
and foamed so fearfully, that sure-footed
and daring as she was, she almost hesitat-
ed to venture across the insecure bridge,
now scarcely q fo0t above the level of the
stream. But it was the shortest route, and
her mothers danger seemed imminent So
summoning up all her courage, she COM
menced the perilous passage, spite of the
warning shouts and signs of the people who
were gathered on the opposite bank watch.
ing the floating remnants OF the broken
dams and bridges above, as they whirled
past with dizzying rapidity. She advanc
ed with slow and painful steps, for. the
bridge vibrated so fearfully that she found
il difficult to keep her balance, and the
thunder and rush OF the torrent confused
and terrified her. She had reached in this
manner the centre of the old trunk, when
q shout from the bank and tremendous
and appalling roar told her that the dam
Immediately above had given way. She
| tried to call,alOud, but no cry escaped hel
parched lips. Her head SWAN. The short
and trees, all seemed mingling in a fantas
tic dance, and then, with q dull, thunder
ing sound, the black towering wall of wa
| ter precipitated itself upon her. wave upor
wave, boiling, foaming, eddying, carrying
off the stout trunk, as though it had beer
only straw.
A terrible cry went up from the shore
as Alice disappeared; and then came
shouts for ropes, and men running hastily
to and fro, and women shricking anG
moaning, and then shuddering and Shrek
ing osck Si tne PeoPle, as .ne convictiol t m
nn G ,.ssa s up1n .a' dasn.,,n, waS ~ :,
noip loI nS k.i Sins ~ s;pt: az" :.
SssI,. ae e,n .hn d - ma ,.,.,' n,,asaI MV "a
coljed rs BURSTING r;ght throi,gh the mids,
with q face mailer than the dead came Luke
Da~,,a,,t Hno sho,, as ho t3,,nc h;msol,
nc ,Sa .S;n1 ws,ar~.nd ,bcS5 Silence
NJ, hn,d;Tr ,6o;r hro,th and c,ench; in =
the;r hands convu,s;ve1v. won,en snbh;ns !
0nie,lv and some unon their knees nj
watching breathlessly the daring swim
mar. so sfoutlv breasting The strong cur
rent fiinginT the water aside with such
powerful sweeps Of his vigorous arm. max
mo his. wav 10 the drownipp girl with
sucb an intensity of purrose.
groan went nm from the multitude. a,
from ono man when a heavy loo struck
fnIl AGAINST h,s breast: then silence AGAIN
as close before him rose for the last fimt
that drifting. insensible figure. its hold re
water iIs features white and fixed: and
then ms Iuke selZed IL in his sinewy arms
and Turning SWAN strongly toward the
shore. rose such a shout as drowned even
the roar of the current-the yery women
cheering. and the children adding thci,
tiny yoices-and then a crowding to thu
hank and men. hard as steel. with tears
running down their cheeks. stretching on,
their strong arms to aid him. and womer
tenderlv receiving his living though insen
s;hle burden and one and ali nraving
a!osl hIesa him -,
d.. - a., ,,,,, ,;., - u,o :,
ie anu eihiy' uu. WIZ ~a s,,ilgS gaJ. 40 ~
nracass;on " as slowly and caTefi,,Iy the,