The Red Cloud chief., 1885-08-07

pressing against that hastily buit
structure. swept j. ava. and wen;
po,.E n 81 the valley =aI farm lands
b,.lp,s.
TIE led 81 the creek was ~ once
filed with sand AMI g'av"L. Eru-h and
timb-r> from the broken lam. toy ther
with whole trees washed down Dy he
operations IL the miuc-. were swept
ai0ng WITH the current aud, finding
lDdgmeut. formed : barrier which IN
turn banked UP the water and ear n
/ benin i. Until over Who'll" farms the
worthlc-s sol from he mountains ro>-
,o 4 dcp'h Of ten or twelve feet, bury
I NJ orchards AMI ,.ncy RE. aud ever.
. some -mail buildings b-E"aIh tie a.
| cUmula:cd mas
Ho~c~le-- - -tay it. curse. John
and Martin, rar-oHs saw the flood #
degtn r.-c about them. "a" First th-E
lower field, Hooded and made va.u".n-~
Ihen SAN the food Ti~c about the
grape. in, until they were buried
from ,.gbt. and tie mass Of earth and
wafer. rising more -lo|.v now. rcachet
the orchard and the higher grounds
upon which stood tn cottage with IL
out'ying farm buildings.
Day hy day iley watched the horri-
BIZ mas C.o-c IA about them.
Now tGc t"pIuO-t lint, oi the peach
trees a,On" appeared IN sight, AMI then
disappeared entirely.
VI night the Garden fence had been
reached; IN tn. morning It waS a foot
deep within the ne o,Ure and was rap
idly apurotc IN ia, door yard from
three >I!--.
Now il reaches the front gaie. crecps
through the latticcd fence and up the
Gravel walk. One b. one the lower
b IL dlsapp,ar. -wallpwcd up 10y th.
horrible anaconda that j, winding -
fold abouG III" doomed c":ta"c, who's
inmates watch II, approach IN helpless
agpn,. knowing that no human power
en- prevent the total destruction al All
that YEAR, Of toll and economy. had en-
allci them Ia accumulate.
What j. II bc done
Already a do en- Of til. nei"hbOr-
have been drive from Their houses and
~. dom Cl."l II thU, more remote
from the scene # the overflow. or are
camping pat among tac hills UErrlOoH-
in" the I dr,o'atc homes.
4 few more ,ia,s and the ocean OF
mud an! water viii enter their own
cotta-c: where shall they seek for ref
ugc?
There j no one in the c0ttaCc now
but John and Martha Parsons and the
cripple boy: the young gIrl who was
vita them FIR a time having returned
To her own home, and Jennie and Lucy
being still in san francisco.
Evidently the griS could not long re-
main al school now, for their parents
had no longer any mean, Of paying
their expenses. Every dollar Of The IN
come OF the past year had been cX.
pended in paving for work upon the
dam and in the effort To obtain the
Injunction. and but Fifty dollars re-
manned IN bank Of that once laid aside
to ail Erasius. now upon his OWN
claim At the S'ough.
The @irIls ~ come home Mrs.
P.rsons had sail when word camc
that the dam had broken and all was
lost.
I'VE must send for them. father. II
We are to lose everything We can not
pay their expenses in ;he city any long
cr. and if Won Will take ii 90 the Ollie |
viii writ a letter at nee. telling them
t o come by the first boat
But her husband pointed 10 the lake
of mud and water. already six or eight
feet ,cCp. over the road across the
creek bottom.
Eve can't cit TO tie landing he
said. ~ horse would mirc IN that
s.utf fore ne cot halfway Ia the bridge
Then We must 20 to the landing
above Can't YOU let sore OF the
neighho.s to % for You? Mr.. Riches
lIcnry will 20, | think. You know
they are not in Il mucn danger yet IS
We are.
Il KIN cit some one 10 90. | s'pcct.
Marry" replied her husband; Il Kin
1t ONE II 10 20. | reckon, but there
an t no home fc the girls t. come to;
e. Their won't b. by the time they nd
:. the letter and ct here
Oh. John joan. is Il possible that
We have lost cvcrything..' Sobbcd Mrs
Parsons. dropping into a chair and
bur, NJ h.r face in her apron
John Parsons made no reply. and
after 4 few moments his wife checked
her SobS IN n : n her head asked:
is there no WAY? Can not the dam
he rebuilt and made strong enough and
high enough To- stop tins awful de-
>trur,ion of the homes Of honest pco.
plc?.'
II reckon we've did everything that
kin he done. he returned. '-cNcept ID
i to push for the injunction on the
comp mes. and that amt any Use
that the damage : done; and As fer the
dam. why the hull "ulch is c~hock-full
% SlicArnS and staff. and there amt no
possible chance Of doin' anything.
NO. WIFE. he al led in a hopeless.
tone o! voice. ''thcrc can noinin be
done. We re- driv cut a~in by them as
cares nothln for Others. or who think
tina; uothin l. wrong that the law cant
punish en- for. and we have got &c
work hard in our old age and NAV be
die IN a poor-hou>c at the end. Ii i
wasn't for YOU and johnny | >houlc
wish | Were dead a'rcalv. and | don't
see IS there : any u,e n my Twin any
longer ANYWAY. for | can, seem To per
tect them rs il dependent on me. though
the Lori knows I've tired Il do it
Mrs. Parsons arose ard cam. and put
her arms around his neck and laid her
head upon his shout Ter.
You have done all o could. John.
and Al ANYBODY could have done she
sad. and you muS not feel So. dear.
IL l. better for us 3 thousand times tC
lose the place and everything on it than
Il lose You. And then. seeing the
teas start in MS ewes. III aided: Don't
cry. dear. We have each other Vet.
and TIL children. AMI Will ana
some WAY. Thr girls viii probably
marry soon. 50 that they WI no: sui
fer grnatlv ~ the los OF The ranch. and
we shall then have only ourselves and
/ JOHNNY To- provide fnr and If va ltp &C