The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1885-10-01

| lay against the sky, still and sharp as if
craven on the sold heavens. The berett
parents sat in the door of the hut. hold
| ing each others hands, speechless and
hopeless.
"Let us 60 back to Maine," said Mar
garat. II cannot bear the sound of the
brook"
"les, darling; you shall g.
December the twenty fifth is Christmas
on the San Joaquin, even if there are no
SHOWS, in which we'll mittened and over
coated little boys stand while they sing
carols into a frosty air. Christmas is
Christmas in California though the hills
are green with growing grain and the
fields yellow with escholtZas
Farmer Thomas, whose gratitude on
this Christmas morning was considerably
augmented by the heavy rains that had
fallen on his wheat fields that stretched
along the river nearly as far as the eye
could reach was also specially happy in
the fact that the tram of the previous
evening had brought home his daughter
| Miriam from San Jose, where she had
attended the Normal School, and his son
Aaron who was clerk in grain-hou
in San Francisco, with promise of pro
motion, aided, perhaps, by the broad
| fields of his father.
"Come, Miriam come, Aaron let's
take walk and see how the wheat
| looks
"Gou must get some color into your
cheeks girl, fore you 90 back to San
Jose and you, my boy, must have some
thing to say to the Frisco folks about
the crops"
Bruno bounded 10y their side as they
trod the soft soil that had already sucked
into its thirsty depths the recent rains.
Miriam kept her eyes on the distant and
yet seemingly near Sierras, white and
sharp, wondering at the snow she had
| never touched and never seen nearer.
"What is it like, father Is ii like
wool or cotton How does it feel
BLESS you, child, | can't tell 'zackly
| how it feels, except it's cold, | only
know that left old Berkshire and came
out here cause didn't want to feel and
shovel it any longer Next summer,
after the Wheat'o cut Wen all 90 UP to
| Yosemite and then you'll know all about
it,"
Aaron and his father discussed the
market and the prospect of the crop,
walking almost aimlessly in the broad,
uuieucel fields. unconSciously following
the dog, that, Of course, AIMED straight
| tor the river.
IAN uncommon sight of water sure
| crop this season all along The valley
~ they watched the swoolCn Hood,
| fall but steady and not very rapid, bear
/ ing along uplootcd trees and drift wood
| Aaron shouted;
.,What's rhat Father As Hyp. 4
raft with cradle on il -
Bruno was already in tie water bring
! ing iH surl pieres of boards and timber
fl. ", could manage. Hearing the shout,
tbr doc turned his intelligent face toward
the ratt. and in moment was beside il,
s,ruggIjnr with the unwipldy mass. hnt
hardly able to direct its novcment All
at once. relaxing his hold. lie lifted lis
head NIGH above the water and uttered
Il lon.. pitcous howl thcn seized pro-
j,5.i,.g tmnacr and strove with frantic
| tutrly 10 briur the ratt sliofeward.
70 Father! there's Il baby in the cradle.
| Hear it cry. 10 tIv to save ii.
Before fine words had PASSED her Inns
Aar0ns coat Vas off, ana in 4 moment
more he WAS aiding Bruno in landing his
! precious freight. is the raft slowly
| sWilug to the shore. the farmer dtspite
| his wears and rheumatism. plunged in ::
and soon Miriam was holding in her
arms a wailing infant. somewhat chilled,
and doubtless very hungry, but not
otherwise the worse for its al-night ride
on the wild waters of the Stanislaus and
| San JOAQUIN. Gently the rough waves
who holds the waters in His hand had
guided the frail floor of the house be-
tween the steep banks and uprising
rocks in the current Miriam flew to the
house, pressing to her breast the infant
that ceased to wall as it felt the warm
pressure of her arms. Bruno bounded
b] her side, filling the air with yelpings
Of ineXpressible delight.
"AIother, quick Some tlannels and
warm milk y
The first delay in these interesting
events was occasioned bv the necessity
of explaining to Mrs. Thomas that a liv-
inc babe had been rescued from the
river. and must be instantly warmed and
fed. This fact, once established as
reality in her mind, it was not long be-
tlrc the infant was swarthcd in warm
h4nues, and soon the obstinacy of in
stnct was so far overcome by sundry
devices known to nurses and mothers.
mat the babe was in no danger of starva-
zion, and it sank into its usual morning
nap after one wild look into the strange
faces about it and one little sob Of soon
Quellod fear Miriam sat uu one side
happy as her namesake Of old who tend
ed The bulrush cradle and Bruno on the
other, refusing for the first time in his
whole dog-life to obey orders, evidently
reasoning that whatever duties he might
owe to his master, higher obligations
were now resting on him, which his con
science would not permit him to disre-
gard Having found the child, it was
his duty to take care of it, This was
logic and morals; and he was no dog
that would turn his tail on either.
50 remarkable an event was not TO be
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