Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1883-01-19

bSUlDbb tuc uOOT u'OuSeu MIN. 2 .HUN.
Young rs he was he realized that the
house m ist soon be swept away IL tho
water continued 10 rsc, and almost
fiercely wiping away Ii s tears, he tried
TO think of some means by which he
might save his little sisters and himself
Through the kitchen W ndow he saw
the trunk OF the great elm beneath
which stcod tho grindstone, only few
feet from the broad doorsteps--a huge
tree, four or five feot in diameter. The
waters we're dnshing against its massive
trunk. L ut, at least, seemed proof
against their utmost strength.
The old elml The old elm!' he cried.
elf we could only get up among the
big limbs" And then ho 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 corner the kitchen
roof, which was nearly Hat and easy OF
access from n window in the second
story of the house. Henry had often
l.climbed out the and mounted tho
b anch, from which he could ascend
nearly to the top of the tree "A dizzy
hCiRhV hoNCNSl, Whltl llt bcluOth ~
tempted. HNnt :
"Tlc flood can't dig the old elm
out" he thought ''It's stood there too
long" N .ar.t.l .. b.,
But little l .ah 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 dizzy
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. 'A4s s''''' '''
Wading through the water on the
kitchen, DOR, he reached the wood
shell and there procured his mother's s
clothes-line. also coil of larger rope
and an old door, besides number of
loose boards which stood in q corner.
/ Carrying these upstairs, where the lit
tie girls stood crying and calling for
F"papa and mamma, he put them out
on the kitchen roof. T.IE| -3FG5sEsl
",Stop crying, girls" he exclaimed,
cheerily; g stop your crying. Pa and
ma will be here rs soon as they can get a
boat, and | ii take care of you till they
come. We're going to get up in the
big elm and build us u house up there
and take up victuals. The water never
will take that old tree away, and we
can live up, there like squirrels. ~
The energetic lad now sped about the
house to. complete hs preparation for
their 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
they could.
Some loaves of bread, q bNckct of
doughnuts, together with dried beef, q
smoked ham, and several woolen
BLANKETS were laid out on the kitchen
roof. Then Henry bound the clothes
line about his waist and climbed on the
great branch, and thence UP to the
large limbs above, to height OF some
twenty feet above the rush ng waters.
Selecting q spot where two limbs
branched o parallel with each other,
he now lowered one end of his rope to
the sisters, for the old door and boards
Before climbing up he had instructed
them what to do and how to do it; and
in q very short time the boards, the
door and the coils of rope were hauled
up one after another, and securely
fastened.
The door and boards were then placed
on the parallel branches and tied with
the rope; and in this manner small
floor, or platform, six or eight feet
square, was laid, large enough for all
three to sit or lie on. .n
1t d ID not take long now to draw up
the food and blankets; but there still re-
manned for the lad the harder and more
perilous task of noisting up the little
girls to his airy plat orm.
He had reserved the longest and strong
est rope for this purpose, and looping
1t in the middle over u limb and letting
the two ends all to the roof, he, de-
scended and tied an end firmly beneath
the arms OF both ILah and Jennie in
turn.
TO climb back tohis old position was
but the work of n moment. Then came
the real work. Izah was q plump little
girl. and Jennie was still heavier,
though not as old. They were fright
ened and screamed cons iderably, but he
hauled them up, one after the other,
safely on to the platform. .-.
Meanwh lie The wild rushing waters
were stead ly rising andh had now nearly
reached the kitchen window sills. Still
larger cakes OF ice were driv ng ponder
ously along among the trees; OCCASION
ally one ground against the elm, givin :
it n heavy, iarring bump, or struck the
walls of the house with q force that
made the timbers crack.
The little girls trembled with fear;
and now that the excitement OF cl NIB
ing into the tree was over, despair
again seized upon them. In vain Henry
tried to quiet Their fears. Great sobs
would wei up in spite of their childish
efforts to be brave.
Ii was in truth an appalling situation.
Faster poured the ever-rising flood; and
now the ice-cakes anl great drift logs
We're smashing in the lower windows.
Nothing was left of the stock yards,
sheds and barn; but here and the g
some of the wretched cattle still kept
their heads above water; and moro d s.
heartening than everything else were
the poor creatures mournful lowings.
There was, no help for them. Theil
drowning was but the question of an
hour or two; everything was going
down beneath the black rolling torrent.
And well might the children feel thank.
iui IL eNch tne great elIn WltnStOOu INT
battering of the ponderous ice-cake,
which came grinding in among the
scattered trees of the grove. : M
Henry's heart almost failed him. II
required his best efforts to keep from
breaking completely down and giving
way to his fright and grief. But mas
tering these terrors at length. he
earnestly set to work to make every.
thing upon the platform secure. He
felt, too. that he ought to save the bed
ding and tho most valuable of the
/ household furniture; for he saw that the
most of it might be hung upon the limbi
of the elm, if only he had dared to de
scend after It into the shattered ant
rocking building, F
But the creaking and groaning of tn,
tinbers, commingling with the hoars,
gnrglings of the water, appalled, him
The house seemed on the point of being
swept away; and sadly he watched
heaye and sway as each fresh mass o
ice came plunging against it.
Fearing to trust the little sisters upoi