The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-07-02
THE A. STEELES.


Iay in the fact that all their individual
naInes began with the letter A.
Anthony Steele lived on the hill that
stretched away from Mad River, in a
long, bare, lonely lift of land, that
looked, when you were below, as though
it might be the very topmost height in
the universe. His home was red,
roomy farmhouse, and he was veneer
able A. Steele, who had stood face to
face with the Indians on the same spot
years before. Under the hill, near the
river, was story-and .a-half cottage,
white and snug, where Albert Steele,
the miller, lived.
Lastly, there was, close to the river,
the brown grist-mill, with its biggest-in-
the-region water-wheel, to which all the
folk came, from far and from near,
fetching their rye, wheat, corn, oats, and
buckwheat to be ground.
March came, and the mill was full of
grain. The earth began to stir and
move uneasily beneath her snowy wraps,
as though weary of her attire, and anx-
ious for a change. First, she trimmed
her garments with icicle-fringe. But
that was stiff, and creaked and ratified
to pieces when the wind blew, and made
one feel as though things in general
were about to break up.
Nature has spasms, and one was COM
ing on.
The water-wheel had been out of or
der, and the winter had been so cold
that very little had been ground in the
mill but now the wheel was as good as
new, and so much grain was at hand
that the heart of Albert Steele, miller,
beat high with hope.
The miller had four children. An
drew Steele (sixteen) looked at the
length of wrist and arm below his coat
sleeve, and hoped that now a longer
sleeve in a new coat would soon cover
up his years growth. Ann Steele, pref
ty as the maytlower, made the spinning
wheel fly, and had visions of white
dress for the next Fourth of July. Au-
gustus Steele just hoped that now father
would feel rich enough to let him have
on his sled the iron runners that he had
been waiting for pretty much ever since
he could remember. Abby Steele, in
the cradle, wanted her dinner, and cried
for it, which cry drew Ann from her
vision and the wheel to lift up her
motherless little sister; for there was no
Mrs. Steele to hope or wish for anything
from the old mill on Mad River.
Natures spasm was very near now.
Sun, clouds, rain caused it.
eth be the biggest freshest that ever
was," said the sage of the red house,
when the rain began.
81 don't feel quite easy about the
mill, said the owner, when ten hours
rain had fallen. The snow could ac-
commodate ten hours rain very well, in
its many-crystalled chambers on thou
sand hillsides, and it did hold it without
moving.
The next morning everybody there
about thought of bridges and wash-outs
although there was not at that time
a railroad within ninety miles of Mad
River-and of taxes; for taxes began
when the "Mayfower " paid wharfage
to the Indians at Plymouth Rock and
have gone steadily on, beginning with
out ending, from that day to this.
Below the mill few hundred feet
there was foot-bridge, the delight of
boys and of daring girls, but the terror
OF persons with nerves, whether young
or old. 1t was like the half of an i'm
mense barrel-hoop rising over the river
with its ends set into the banks. The
rise and the round of this bridge were
such that innumerable cleats were
nailed up and down its sides and very
shaky hand-rail had been provided to
climb by. These cleats were constant
ly getting loose, helped oftentimes by
small lads.
And to think that on this rainy March
morning, of all mornings in that year,
Albert Steele should be taken down
with rheumatism THE effect of his
efforts of yesterday in getting home the
sheep from across the river in case of a
freshet, which now seemed inevitable.
He had driven them through the snow
water and around by the wagon bridge.
above the fall a half mile, and had
been out until after the night came
making things snug at the mill, and so,
as has been written, he was on this
morning helpless. Before any one was
up in the house there came a thunder
ing knock at the side door and a voice
sang out:
"Ho! iller!-Ho!''
"Ho yourself! Who's therePp re-
spohded Andrew.
Andrew spoke from the little four
paned window, just below the point
where the roofs joined.
"Call your father, quick! want to
get corn ground in hurry, before the
river breaks up. Must be done - an
swered breezy voice. -,'
But, as we know, Mr.. Albert Steele
could grind no corn that day; he had
been suffering terribly all night from
the pain of his rheumatism, and Andrew
so told the man. r
''Come along yourself, then, and I'll
help you, for my critters'll starve to
death, unless, indeed, should give 'em
whole corn,'' said the young man.