The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1889-03-21
ONE TOO MANY.
A BOYS ADVENTURE IN A FDOOD.
~ ]. c. HANNoSD.

and saw their lanterns flashing in
every direction, I did not know at
tirst what u all meant.
I rushed out and found the whole
camp In an uprOar. Rain was fall
ing ia torrents, and the river, not
far away, had become a swollen tide
81 angry waters, the roar Of which
filed the whole forest.
We expected to be inundated, but
not rendered homeless, and all the
men worked To remOvetheir perish
able property 10 q place of safety.
All was confusion.
A boy Of twelve, I had little 10
move. My sleeping room In the attic
al the cabin did not contain an arm
full uG gOOds. However, when We
had taken sill our goods tO a spot out
of reach Of the water, suddenly re-
Hembered that had left u mouth
organ or harmonica ON a wooden
shelf above my cot.
Let u go, said the lumbermRn
Ia whom I told my Inss. III the
cabin sIands, you'll find IL when you
20 back, IL not, you eau get another"
But this did not satisfy me. The
nIuuth-nrgEn had been too dear u
companion not tu risk something in
us bfliulls anu ! war Ubl Euluk To
give IL up without a struggle
Alter awhile took Jack NOlan'S
lantern aud started back after 10. He
promised To say nothing To the men
about my trip.
I found the flood all around the
slIAnty As I approached; but a tree
that had fallen since our departure
enabled lite to reach the gable win
MI 4 ls.sl In 81 ls..
mouth organ.
The lower room Was already half
filled with water. and when I went
forward fell over a block la the
h01T, breaking my lantern aud put
ting out the light.
This was mn unexpected misfor-
tune, aud for mumrnI stood
frightened In the dark. Thought,
however, that I could ret dSrn over
the tree, even without the light aud
thus encouraged, I CROPPED about un-
Ill found the prrriOuS haruIunira,
where I had left ID uu the shelf.
l put IL sway with au exclamation
Of delight, aud ia a little while I WAS
nj the window, with the rushing
flood brneAth aud the tree the only
Way To safety.
Climbing down Ia the limbs Mss
no easy task, hut I sci about Il with
all the resolution ! possessed.
The limbs were wet aud the wafer
wss cold, aud a chill seemed tO pen
citrate To my hunt-. More than once
Thought at the men, high aud safe
an the hill To which they had lied.
aud heartily srOldrd myself for com
ing back after such common toy.
When I was half way down the
fallen tree ID gave a sudden luTch
that nearly threw me into the water.
Then, To my fear aud horror. I found
that ID had been shaken from its
mOuriugs by the Hood and WAS a.
tually moving away.
I cannot describe the feelings that
took full pu-SrssiUn uG Ine al this
juuctuTe. The tree, which WAS not
large, seemed Ia get along very
we'll, missing the ghUstly forms of
the cabins aud drifting toward the
middle uf the main tide, where eX-
p-cted il Ia rush along at rapid speed.
| could do nothing tut cling ten
arinusly tU tEe fork in which ] had
rnscOnced myself, aud trust To for
tune to get me out of the scrHpe.
On, ON, | went toward the real eur
rent Of the iOOd. and when the tree
" U
held fast, aud barely saved my life.
For some time drifted down
stream, passing larger trees and
great logs, aud at last stopped with
jar, as IL my strange buat had sud
denly grounded.
had now a chance To improve nv
hold, which all the time had been |
nothing of the best. II the tree |
should careen entirely, | would he |
thrown into the Hood, with every |
chance against me, and had made |
up my mind that ! was la for n night |
ON the tree.
BY this time the rain had ceased aud |
the clouds had broken. Myriads Of |
stars were out overhead. aud could |
see the waters by which | was sur
rounded rs well as the great pines /
Ou the nearest bank.
My own tree had grounded on an
obstruction under the water, aud
now successfully resisted the tide
that tried To break IL loose.
All at once | discovered that |
was not the only occupant of the
tree. This sent a thrill through my
body and nearly broke my hold. To
Ice alone on q drifting tree was peril
Gus enough; but tO have for q COM
pAnlOn an animal with two flash
Ing and wEtchTul eyes was an addi-
tIOnai danger.
found that my wreck fellow WAS
snugIy fixed Ia a fork few feet be-
low ue. lie had an ugly head,
with staring ryeballs aud pointed
ears, aud I would have gwen NV
little store the mouth organ in
rluded-iG he had not chosen my
tree for shelter. There WAS one too
many In the trre-tOp, aud WAS will
ing Ia let the wilde at hunt another
place, which he did not seem likely
TO do.
For some time We looked nj each
other with much curiosity and APP
parent surprise. The wildcat
seemed to resent my presence la the
tree-tOp, Gnr he now Anh then thrust
his head closer aud would show ,
his teeth.
| had no weapon Of defense. My
knife had been lost for two days,
ard the limbs of the tree were too I
green to turn into club. nearly '
gave myself up for lost.
By-And-by the wildcat aud my
self got ON quite familiar terms
Dur joint misfoTtuues seemed tu
hhhN US ibkttntE. ne tfaN leu To- 4
ward me Till not more than three
iset INTERVIEWED, and I had backed J
along the tree till another move 4
would precipitats me into the boil +,
ing tide beneath.
At length thought Of the har- U
for which I had risked so q
much, aud with the recOllectIoh I q
recalled q story told by Jack Nolan
shout the influence of music on
animals
| took the instrument from nv q
IOcket aud put IL To- my lips. II :
9as with difficulty that I could :,
l0ld Il and retain my position on u
he tree nj the same time, but I
managed to do "a, though my feet
sung la the water.
At the first sound Of the har- r
monica the wildcat raised his ears
nd looked n the strangely. Then =.
Ie placed his head fat on the limb y"
nd showed .his teeth g. he gave me "a
grOwl In return. OF
l kept on playing, however, and y,
he wider aud more surprised looked 4.
ny companion, the faster played. &c
Presently the wildcat backed IA
ownths limb to the trunk of the tL
lee. l could see him moving away, In
18th his eyes still fastened upon me,
; IL the notes Of my harmonica were "