St. Landry democrat., 1889-11-02
THE BIG FRESHET
e. the Time of the Weave1s' Strike.

AEcu Ou6 Sue Ol Lie bhFlS uOuSS COulu
M heard the loud clamorous talk of the
Meavers who had struck in the old brick
&ill, and now discussed the condition of
Ayhe strike out there In the street.
~ On the other side of the house could be
xseard the chafng and rushing of the
Taters of Mad Stream, now of freshet
dimensions.
M Which sounded more angry-the strik-
A&rs' clamor, or the rivers fury?
ooh, dear p said Joe Davis's mother !;
II shall be glad when the strike and the
~rreshet are over They make q good deal
of trouble. You know if the freshes should
run little harder, and burst the dam, the
loss would be serious"
. "Well, why don't they tell the agent?'
A "Ah, Joe, that's the thing of it! They
ssay he don't help them, and they won't
gtell him. They are outside, you know,
talking about it; and they mean to stop
nybody going down the road with the
- news"
''Things are all mixed up, mother"
''Getting worse and worse. Jos"
cit don't seem Christian"
Anything but that, joe"
By the fading light of the afternoon
hours, Ann Davis, as had always been her
custom Ger since Joe was old enough to
pick out his letters from the Bible AID
frame them into words had read a chapter
from the Psalms or the New Testament,
and together, mother and child in little
prayer, had crept under the shelter of
the Divine wings Ann Davis chose the
hour before supper, rather than after, as
her husband, John Davis, had only scorn
for the supplcants he might find kneeling
in his little yellow cottage when he re-
turned home at night.
cit don't sound like the verse we just
read, Therefore, if thine enemy hunger,
feed him if he thirst, give him drink !;
for in so doing, thou shalt heap Goals of
fire on his head"
"No, mother. Now, | should think
that if they told the agent, MacMullin,
it would make him feel better toward
them"
.sAh, the agent and the strikers all have
got their backs up, and they don't want to
have anything k'do with one another,
: If it can't be done on their own terms
Hank p
A rough, angry voice shouted "Let the
old dam bustl We won't tell him, and
nobody else shall tell him !"
Ann Davis, and Joe also, knew the voice.
It was John Davis, the father voicing the
Fevengeful sentiment of the crowd out on
the sidewalk.
Mother, I've good mind to get ahead
of them. could just slip down through
the garden, unite our boat, and row
down to the agents before anyone knows
it,"
ooh, Joe It's mile, and the food is
angry"
"But you come out and see p
They stole out into the yard, and then
into the garden, whose lower edge was
drowned under three feet of water
s'See how high the water is, joe p
"But my boat is good for it. l could
60 down as easy as not and tell MacMullin
and it might make him feel better and do
lots of good.
The rain had been beating down violently
all day, but just now it had diminished to
fine mist, whose curtain half draped the
river.
"You see, mother, they won't know it.
They can't see and stop me. Oh, let me go
1t will be fun p cried the adventurous boy.
"And think it will make the agent feel
first rate.
stBut you can't row back"
mo and | shant need to. | can slip
under the bridge, and leave my boat
In sister Sally's garden. She won't OBJ
ject."
aWeli-LL."
Joe did not wait longer, but pushed off.
His mother ran into the house, and then
climbed the stairway leading to Joe's little
chamber under the roof. Here, from
window, she could watch the boat as far
MS the mist would permit her. But did
those in front of the house suspect that
plucky little fellow was rowing boat
down the swollen streams
ssLook out for the road !" they were
shouting. .sDon't let any one go down to
tae tyrant's r. -,
And all the while Joe's boat was rapidly
gliding bridge ward.
Yes. there was the bridge, stout stone
structure through whose arches ran rapidly
the angry stream. -,
CHOW high the water is, thought joe
turning his head round toward the bridge
"Wonder if can go under that arch! III
try it, e..a. -.
for the gaping arch, and slipped snos
darted under.
..Who is that, - said the agent, just then
crossing the bridge with two workmen:
sswho is that trying to go under thas arcn -
Guess he don't know how little room Is
there. That is folly. Watch MIN, men,
when he comes through.
land Joe. he was rushing into the dark-
,.ass Of that diminished space under the
bridge. borne rapidly by the driving stream
.han carelessly turning to examine ms
! aa,rsa i projecting piece of stoneWork
= 9. = him b Ard. cruel blow in the side OF
Pc head. and down he dropped into SUD
An T black stupor, PROSTATE in the bottom
of the boat o-s,,an
- L.. oo,na mt and there is q