The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1882-06-01

cart. We were assured the straw on the
bottom was clean and begged to .'Sit
right down, sit right down; it's all
clean" And after much laughing and
crowding, we six-grandma and baby,
mother and sister, Ruth and l, with
bundle of hay for the horse to eat, were
packed away and jolted along right
merrily. We drove beside the levee, but
the angry rush of the river and the ris-
ing wind seemed to occasion no uneasi-
ness in our companions.
The house to which we were going
stood on a point of land which the river
had encroached upon year after year
until it was almost an island, and it
seemed that soon the whole plantation
would be washed away. I could only
wonder at the gayety of my companions.
and to divert my mind from my own
fears, asked:
HAS Miss Dorm been long engagedp"
Eyes, five years. The wedding day
has been fixed twice before; the guests
invited, the cake ready, and the bridal
veil waiting 10 be put on. The first
ed impossible that she could live through
that day, but as soon as the hour for the
wedding was passed she began to i'm
prove. The next time the groom fell
and broke his leg an hour or two before
he should have been married.
''How stranger'
"Weil, Dora is the last one of an old,
old family. She had an cid nurse who
saw visions and foretold coming events,
who told Dora that she would never be
a wife or mother, and she almost began
10 believe it. She says if she fails this
time she viii never try again"
90 here we are! Back UP and dump
your load" And amid much noise and
chattering we scrambled to the ground
and shook out our cr,lmpled dresses.
We were received by a beautiful
white-haired old lady who kissed us all
and made US welcome. After glance
at the bare hands about us we slipped
our gloves into our pockets and were
ushered into the parlor and joined one
of the two lines that sat facing each 9th
er for the ceremonyto begin. The white
haired old lady sat beside Ruth. who
had evidently taken her fancy. / could
see that the sweet-faced matron was tell
ing my gentle girl the story OF her own
daughter misadventurou5 love that
WAS soon TO be crowned with happy
fruitioa. Had she OWNED that my
Ruth was heart-sore and sick because OF
love? / think SO.
The guests waited awkwardly as
country people gathered from far and
near are wont TO dc. The servant moved
oificiously about TO save the appearance
of delay. At length the hostess, with
the slightest flush Of annoyance on her
far face. left Ruth to devote herself to
others. Ruth came over where | Was
standing By an open window, and put
ting her haCd on my shoulder turned her
face from the light and said:
::.:Qh, Aunty. l am SO miserable. Why
and r.
There, there said soothingly. '.Do
not be SO weak" And then added in
g bartering tone, ''No doubt Frank will
come back
Too late" she said, 81 have pronis-
ed to marry Major Grant"
"Why, Rnthr'
] had no time to say moro.
The minister appeared; then came
the bridal party; the promises were
tons uttered, refreshments were eaten.
the tiddlers were called in and dancing
began.
Three hours had passed. The revel
was at its height. The fair bride, her
long delayed hopes fulfilled, the gloomy
prophecy exploded, floated in and out
in the nlszes of the dance, the gayest of
the gay. Ruth. her fair face flushed,
seemed to have forgotten her sorrow in
her enjoyment Of this suspicious occas-
ion. BY her grace and tact could see
that she was adding much to the enjoy
ment of others. The happy mother of
the bride moved about among the elder
guests. dispensing smiles and bringing
pleasure wherever she went. Presently
Ruth came and said with face beam
ing with JOY:
"Oh, Aunty, am so glad we came.
1 never knew it was such pleasure to
make others happy. l am not bit sad
now. l believe l could even meet Frank
with composure. Hark! What is that?'
she exclaimed, turning toward the open
window, through which came dull,
harsh murmur.
Before she had time to say more there
was an uproar ut the lower end of the
room, cry of ''Crevassen' from the af
frighted servants, and Frank Russell,
rushing through a crowd of dancers,
leaped upon chair not three steps from
Us and shouted:
The lev1e has broken; save your
selves at once. there is no time to lose"
There was an instant of awful silence;
every breath was hushed. and rosy
cheeks were blanched with terror; then
the voice of the despairing bride rang
out:
at has come true, 1t has come true"'
she cried. and as she fell into the arms
of her husband the guests fed in every
direction. The grayhaired mother sank
upon her knees, and we could see her
lips move in prayer.
Franks eyes wandered over the hur-
rying crowd ali instant in search of
some one he evidently expected to see.
Even in that terrible moment | could not
help thinking how brave and handsome
he was. did not wonder that Ruth had
lost her heart TO him. At length his sye
rested on Us. In an instant he was be-
side US. He put his arm about Ruth as
if they had parted with kisses but yes
terday, looked quickly back and said as
his face blanched and his lips shut close:
I'VE can only save ourselves. Come!"
He swung Ruth lightly through the case
nent, clasped ME by the arm, and We
fed away from the house of feastiug
with the brides heart-rending shrek in
our ears and the mothers blanched face
upturned in hopeless prayer ever before
our eyes as we dashed out into the night
and joined in the wild scramble for life.
The blaekneSs of the night, the roar
ing of the wind and the increasing thun-
der of the river were enough TO appall
the stoutest heart But we were hurried
on. stumbling over roots and stumps
caught and torn by vines and briars,
dashed against trees by the raging wind,
spattered by the spray of the rising wa
ter until We reached the place where
Frank had left his boat.
The river was full of floating trees.
the ruins Of houses, and all the debris
which the mad water had wrested from