The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-02-24
O. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY

never been in the stage before, and,
being the only passenger, she felt like q
lady of state rolling along in the great
vehicle.
She watched the blue sky dip down
to the earth, and the light fleecy clouds
arrange and rearrange themselves in
never-ending shapes. She counted the
different varieties of wild flowers, and
marked the flight of birds and flocks of
startled prairie chickens; the hiding OF
the timid quail in the tall grass and the
graceful bound Of the trembling deer.
So absorbed and delighted was she that
she hardly noted the passage of miles
until a farmer in q lumber-wagon
stopped abreast the stage and called
out, :. l say, driver, it ism t safe to cross
the Spoon this morning. I've been
down there. and the waters over the
banks on both sides"
1.-The BRIDGES all right, isn't itP"
asked the driver, in a thick voice that
startled Barbara, she scarcely knew
why. a-.-.---
"Yes, it's there; but the water is
booming all round it, and seems to be
still rising"
"Well, wen take look at it," said
the driver, starting on.
"My house is about mile back.
You can come there and stop. The
water II likely go down in few hours"
continued the farmer, pleasantly.
Barbara leaned out of the coach win
dow and could plainly hear the rush of
the torrent and see it in the distance
spread out like lake. As they ap-
preached the river, she called out:
Driver, stop! please dor
The horses were already in foot
deep in water.
Its all right. 1t isn't deep, as you
see." he replied, without stopping.
"Oh, I'm sure it isn't safer cried
Barbara, with clasped hands. 1.-The
bridge, the bridge! 1t is swayingr'
Nothing but the stage is swaying"
growled the driver, in the same thick
voice.
When the leaders touched the bridge,
they stopped.
"Oh, don't. don't. driver! Driver"
screamed Barbara, clutching at the
door. "let me get out! Stopr'
The driver did not or would not hear.
The water was rushing over the floor
of the bridge, and floating logs were
batteriug against the side of the struct-
ure. causing it to tremble like a thing
of life.
The driver, muttering his determine
ton to 60 on, gave the horses several
heavy blows with his whip. They
sprang forward upon the bridge, and, at
a rapid pace, splashed through the wa
ter that covered it.
Barbara shuddered with terror, and
could only gasp for breath as the bridge
rose and fell under the moving vehicle
as a boat in the trough of the sea. just
as the hind wheels touched land, the
timbers of the bridge snapped with q
loud report, and in a minute. every
board and beam seemed to separate,
and were swept away in the rushing
waters.
Barbara turned her white, terror
stricken face from the mad stream be-
hind, to meet dull gaze from the
driver that almost paralyzed her. With
q silly, sickening smile. as though an
swering her questioning look, he said:
1--WE made it-hic-didn't we?-hic
we're all right, now-hic."
Then Barbara knew that he was
drunk. In the hope that she might
guide the horses, she begged that he
would allow her to get upon the seat
with him.
"Oh no!-hic-my pretty miss-Pd
lIhC " udNc NOus VI COuISc " uO-ulC
wouldn't like pretty girl by his side?
But you see you-hic-you can't get
here for the-the water. When we get
through, you-hic-shall come up-yes
= so you shall-yes!'
Barbara felt his hot breath touch her
cheek as he leaned toward her, and un.
observed by him, a bottle fell from his
pocket into the water. On they went,
splashing and plowing through water
up to the hubs of the wheels, for nearly
q quarter of mile across the bottom.
Barbara had been over this part of
the road with her father. and knew that
before reaching the bluffs there was an
arm of the Spoon River, not wide, but
deep, bridged imper iectly with logs and
brush. Usually there was little or no
water in it. Approaching it, she saw
another roaring torrent. The poor girl
wrung her hands and screamed at the
driver, and tried to grasp his coat to
make him listen to her.
His only answer was a vigorous
crack of his whip. Then the stage
went down, down! Barbara knew the
horses were swimming. The stage
swayed and nearly turned over. She
thought of many, many things in that
moment of time. She cried, "Oh,
shall drown. Must diep" Then the
water swept in at the windows and
covered her.
She swooned, and remembered moth
ing more. When she came to herself,
all was still save the sound of water
Her clothes and hair were dripping,
and she shivered with cold.
She looked out of the coach. Still
water was all about, but it was not
deep. She called to the driver.
No answer.
She looked out the opposite side of
the coach. The reins lay in the water,
and the horses were prevented from
making further progress by fallen
tree. Her clothes were wet through.
She leaped from the stage. The driver
was no nowhere to be seen. 1t seemed
to her. as she glanced back upon the
flood, that for an instant, in the midst
of a mass of floating debris, she saw
that silly. smiling face. Then it was
gone. The man was never found. He
had been swept from his seat, and
probably Immediately drowned.
Barbara went to the horses. They
were quiet, and evidently almost worn
out by their fright and struggles. She
examined the ground as well as she
could, and found it would be safe to
drive around the tree. Then she un-
hitched the leaders, and tied them back
of the stage. She could drive two
horses. but thought that four would be
beyond her skill. Then she mounted
the box and started.
1t was three miles to the first house,
and although it was midday, and the
sun shone brightly. she was numb with
cold when she reached it. Her pretty
travelling dress and hat were spoiled;
but they were soon replaced by dry
clothing. Her trunk had probably been
under water, as she had been, but a few
moments, and the contents were, there
fore. but little wet.