St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-01-27

/
around us.
Goodness! b'lieve it isl he add
ed, after listening moment; and then
he ran to his window to look.
Stouter hearts than his might have
quailed at the scene which met his e, es.
Everywhere was water-a turbid, black,
tumultuous flood dashing up, against
the trunks of the great trees, flooding
the stock-yard fences completely out OF
sight. Logs. boards and great cold
looking cakes of white ice, even the
bodies of dead cattle, were swept
| furionsly on. The heads only the
heads and horns Of some of their own
cattle could be seen here and here, as
the poor creatures swan feebly to and
| fro.
Looking down in frightened awe from
| the open window, the lad saw that the
delving, guttering current had already
attacked the foundation OF the house,
which stood cons derably higher than
the cattle yards, and that The door
steps below were under. water.
| As the danger OF the situation daWned
upon him, the lads terror grew.
Again and again he shouted to Rudolph;
but there was no response save the
rush and roar OF the river
Then he ran to the room of little Jen-
ME and ah. who had already been
awakened by his shouts. With fright
ened sobs the children chung to their
brother, scarcely daring to look out up
on the fearful scene about them.
!" Where is Rudolph? Where is Ru-
dolphp" they sobbed.
Henry soothed them as best he could,
and leas ing them at the head of the
stairway he went below to see how
high the water had risen. III
To h S increased alarm he found that
the kitchen floor was already covered,
and that the muddy water was pouring
in through the cracks about the door.
It was r.sin fast-had risen even since
he first looked out upon it.
Then for lew moments the BOYS
courage almost deserted h m; he trem-
bled violently an / the tears came into
his eyes. O father! fatheri why amt
You here2'' he cried out.
Then the crash Of huge ice cake
against the door aroused him.
Young as he was he realized that the
honse m st soon be swept away if the.
water continued TO rse. AMI almost
fercely Wiping away h s tears, he tried
to think of some means by which he
might save his little sisters and h mself.
Through the kitchen W ndow he saw
the trunk OF the great elm beneath
which stood the grindstone, only a few
feet from the broad doorsteps huge
tree, tour or five feet in diameter. The
waters were dashing against its massive.
trunk. II at, at least. seemed proof
against their utmost strength.
The old elm! The old elm!'' he cried.
" If we could only get up among the
big limbs And then he formed his
heroic plan and proceeded to put it into
execution.
The elm had great outstretching
branches, one of the largest Of which
extended across a corner the kitchen
roo, which was nearly fiat and easy of
access from window in the second
story of the house. Henry had often
climbed out the and mounted the
b anch. from which he could ascend
nearly to the top of the tree "a dizzy
height however, which he seldom at
tempted.
.sThc food can't dig the old elm
out, : he thought. 1T stood there too
long,
But little I7ah and Jennie! he feared
for them. 1t was as much as he himself
dared do to climb the tree, and he
feared the little girls would grow di w
and fall into the rushing water beneath. /
The brave boy thought of all tn s, and /
solved the problem in manner that /
speaks well both for his courage and |
his invention
Wading through the water on the
kitchen DOR, he reached the wood
shell and there procured his mothers /
clothes-line. also a coil of larger rope
and an old door. besides number of |
loose boards which stood in corner.
Carrying these upstairs, where the lit
tie girls stood crying and calling for
papa and mamma he put them out |
on the kitchen roof
Z. Stop crying, girls he exclaimed.
cheerily: stop your crying. Pa and
ma will be here as soon as they can get a /
boat, and Ill take care Of you TIL they /
come. We're going to get up in the /
big elm and build us a house up there
and take up victuals. The water never
will take that old tree away, and we
ean live up there like squirrels. .
The energetic lad now sped about the
house to complete his preparation for
heir strange change of abode. Even
little Jennie, the younger sister, caught
something of his courage; and both the
girls ran about helping in whatever way
hey could.
/. Some loaves Of bread, q bucket Of
loughnuts, together with dried beef, a
smoked ham, and several wooden
blankets were laid out on the kitchen
'oof Then Henry bound the clothes
inc about his waist and climbed on the
,reat branch, and thence up to the
arge limbs above. to a height of some.