New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-02
LOVE IN A FLOOD.

heavy downpou',; Of nearly a month OF wet
,ot%cr Of the worst kind-dulI PCT, ali oHcr The
Mc.S nrs and the waters were put az 49, j.,
tuuous- ,,ch n flood had scarcely Deeh known IN
country hhoThood A slow-mOvlng river hennHeu
.lioitL IoW hills on either hand was leu Wy puiSf
III WIN WHITES n from the high gathering GROUNDS Oh
ent supPiIoS While the egress from the district
o stenped by the weir OF mn peioW mIiOm
damned back the water on the un,uiTl%S rocnrrinS
o''u. ,ts course 1t was perpetuaiIy recurring
Vns INT as hopeless IN the eyes OF Inc helg
glS'"I os The weather itself 1t had been SO al
yvovs and always would ne .. 49,, .o,.or tho
VI, 90 lines of level bright water had taken inc
, ho - The plain of daTk-green meadows; IL COW
ICED t6e roads the bitches. the lower part OF the
hedges smoothing over the rougn PCoS ,1 at an
lite surface rejecting the duh leadcn SkN ana
thc dull drifting clouds which hung heavily or
were driven 10y the wind. as the only change ior
'ls i sotarg old farmhouse backed by "a group of
+oll Gins stood not far from what III ordinary Ies
Hvos the river. but which now looked Ike q l!ISo
loIo The dcep purple shadows OF the req DITCH
ne roofs hipped at the end, and vauegated WIN
Yellow hchcn the little dormeT gables on tue sluoS'
iookiur warm and comfortable IN ordinary tIIncS,
lint now up 10 Ms knees III wafer tSTFo 1OitS
and soakcn and sodden 70 no end as on fslu .ae nc
carter observed with the usual alterallNc Ting VI
T ooI itrInoon wssbernnng to close in; there had
been lun in the rain, but now the "ll|ze seolncu
10 increase. o,+ %. NIGHT , said their
vonng master. Gilbert Shcraid, looking doiGluIy
I'm nj fine sky: there's more ram III yoh VioEuS'
.nd po
lnarnn' Where's ESau lie hoiloaed a-aln nnu
acojn. Lut no Esau was TO be seen, and no answer
came to his repeated calls An oId Iascu. NJ 1;,1
stopped at the Lone Tree ana been ONcr,ahcn' u
he bound and we in such straits WI scarce
,mo>Sel o. coal left l. the house. he mutteLed .
Maybe father couldna get through ne ioru WI
waiter rsin this fashion, SAID the carriers p0N
bright opcn-faCed. peasant-lookDg Iau aVouJ
twelve wears old. hut small OF MS aEe. lie IL DC
here Directly surely, he ADDED anAlot9{ ''ai,
dieting himself rs he watched the nlI Oh IunTy
road which was in sight over the low Ilsc but his
tone was not a hopeful one. I'll, H.,
C;il,crt did not answer. but SplaShlng ankle-dccp
ocr,,ss fine ward he opened stable door with some
JiGicnlty for il stood several inches III the wafer
took down a couple Of halers, and led ont the TWO
remaining raV-bOned, gaunt-IooAlhg, gray ciut-
horses one after the other ,.,
ing the boy by the legs he IileH mn n up mn
enough to enable Inn 10 scramble Oh 10 me neck ot
one OF the great ungalnly beasts. see, thee mum
1ramp of WI 'cm TO Farmer Booths up AZ Ashtree
Hill lie tcllcd me he'd tax horses IN to-hient II
we was druv hard wi the waiter. pretty fellow
thce fcvthcr is for to leave his work 70 niue chap
like thee and him knowing bow al IS exact ana
gone sin 9 o'clock this marnln. and how we should
I've put to it TO send oft the nags and lettie tie
beasts aud a.
The boy disappeared in the thick ioggy air; rid
ing one OF his charge, and LEADING the other, look
ing like a ly on an elephants but the desWsed agr-
cultural laborcr Is shrewd enough To do his own
work well he has an instinct for horses from his
earliest years and he trusted TO guide aud care
for them at AZ age when he looks hardly able TO DO
moro than to himself. The BIG beasts piasheq
their rough heels al though they rather enjoyed H.
and Gilbert stood for a moment looking after them
and their boy rider, and then turned INTO the TICK
VaId, where his brother was cutting LOCKS OF nay
ont of the drcnchcd rick to carry TO some wretched
COWS who were starving On higher bit OF ground
now an island in the lake, which had once been the
meadow by the river
.IGlt's to 90 on like this. what air we to do? and
a that nice hay we should ha sold Just cuitln
up to keep them beasts alive as Gamma Gct lnelI own
fiyin' OIL the land under waiter It's inst ruin
starin Us i tn face. said George when having
'suppcrcd mp the cows the two brothers walked
drearily into the old farmhouse kitchen. The ilO0r
was scarcely now above the lcve' of the Hood and
so muddy with the wet which was ooZing III that
coal from the low fire on the hearth Missed when it
fell out on the uneven bricN pavement Us Il in'o
pool
Gilbert thrust his hands deep into his pockets in
silence lut he grOaned lnwardly rs lie stood looking
at the dun CRATE. There was more dependent tor
linn than for his brother the success OF the farm
They had both embarked all their small .capital III
If after the death OF their father knowing but little
about farming. and Gilbert had hoped 10 bring
home wife as soon their fortunes permitted 1t.
But III that pocket lay a tier he had Just
received from the father OF his lady-ioNe, thirty
ing tradesman, some what clOse-sted. belonging to
q little town some twenty miles distant, which was
to break of the engagement. 1T dld not seem
likely Mr.. Cloves wrote. that Mr.. Gilbert would
be able 10 win through such a season. he was IN
debt already, and MI Cloves did not choose that
his Rosy, brought up as she had been To all sorts OF
comfort should risk such ways; besides the Low
Lees was "a dairy farm, and she q always sad as
how she woullut marry into butter, pcttckar after
MT.
scnnit. Gilbert had had sharp quarrel with Rosy
the last time they had met; he had been very
angry at her open Irritation with hnen-draper
rival, in very geutcel way as was perpetually
thrown in his teeth by her relations, and she had
been exceedingly cool in her replies to his invcc-
tives The Consciousness OF the state OF ms AFFAIRS
and not little touchy as to any sign ol a desire 10
throw HIM overheard 80 .
Rosy at last angry, and I'll talk to him DIS long
ever I've mind to. And if you're for 10 come
tl.ct f.wa tsft,fva
master. pretty times there'd be when you is! so
we'd best have done WI II now while there's time
Mr.. Gilbert that's what | seem TO Think
lie had replied angrIy, and they had parted with
no softcning either side. Old ClOwes's letter
was only WHIT he felt he might have expected, but
il was none the less bitter Tor that.
Rosy's got her way in it, thought he: them
girls is all allkc-ycry pretty n the sunshine and
as sweet as honey when alls on the smooth but
they can't stand storm nor wniry weather. No.
thank you, ST" says they them'S not my bar
Calns''
His dismal reyerie was interrupted by his
brother who dropped into the lie in the great ola
chimney corner with a grim laugh. | tell zee
what, the weathcrs enow to wash the very heart
out Of man, that's what it is; we Gamma put ought
Until the land wi the ground sodden, and 1t
stands to reason We shanna get nOught out o it,
and rent and taxes and Twin and a TO come with
crops that amt to be had, and that's pretty look
out! say. Molly, you'd best make haste be halt
clemmed, and wet up 10 tn knees all day like.
Don't We set II out there, girl" he called to a sat
ternly maid, who began 10 serve up some exceed
ingly i-cooked bacon aud greens on the three
legged round table without table CLOTH thanking
it with hard lump Of cheese and harder bread
Gilbert stood looking at the unsavory mess with
much disaste while his hungry brother disposed OF
a large platelul.
If We donna cat, We Gamma work man 50 we'd
best set to- said George at length, with his mouth
full.
Haven't ye got sup O milk p inquired Gilbert
OF the rcd-haired, heavy handed Molly
Ihe muks all gone sonr and the cows didn't |
give scarce none. and it's been all took up for the
butter replied Molly ungracousy. ANY contra |
ueIofy reasons did for Nh. Gilbert in her opinion
=, things wouldn't ha' been so wIetched if I'd cot |
hosy here, thought Gilbert TO himself But il |
Sn e snSt the sort o place fer to bring her to- as
Her iaiher and she's in the right maybe, TO break