The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-04-23

OF the nag was simply an invitation that
our friends should come across the river
to a cup of tea. Probably the hunters
had brought in q deer out of season, or
perhaps a stray wild turkey.
Cephas Titcomb hesitated about accept
ing the invitation, but the boys were
eager to go, and after some hesitancy he
gave his consent that they and Mary
might go, as Sarah said she would go
with them and take care of them. For
Sarah was accredited the best boatman of
the party, as well she might be, knowing
all the ~intricacies Of Salem and Marble
head harbor, and we'll able to pull a dory
through the surf on any beach in the Bay.
To be sure, she knew, and Cephas Tit
comb knew, that all this had nothing to
do with the management of a dug-out,
but at the same time he would have been
ashamed of his own boys, if they could
not paddle the dug-out across the river
and back at any time of the day or night,
and the presence of Sarah was rather a
precaution of prudence that all persons
would be home early enough, than it was
a compliment to her powers of navigation.
So the boys hair was brushed, their Sun
day hats were put on, Mary was properly
arrayed for a visit, and the four started
in the rude canoe, Sarah in the stern and
the two boys padding. When they came
into the proper current of the river, they
found it faster than they had expected.
1t happened that at the same moment, al
unexpected squat struck them from the
northwest, so that they found that they
could not take their course so perfectly
direct to the other ark as they had pro-
posed. Sarah babe the boys let the head
fall off a little, and told them that they
would easily enough work up in the eddy
of the southern shore. So in fact they
would have done; she was rightly man
euvring her little vessel, and was passing
one of the little islands on the south side
of the river, when Cephas, by some acct
dent or carelessness, lost his stroke. The
boat swerved a little too near the shore,
and struck into the top of a fallen tree
which projected veral rods into the
water. On the instant she rolled over
and all of them were swimming. The
current ran very fast, and they found the
bottom of the boat "fearfully slippery"
as Mary Titcomb said afterwards.
They could get no hold upon it, and
Sarah herself said afterwards that she
doubted whether it helped them or him
dered them most. But, as the younger
Cephas said, he did not want to lose the
boat. He seemed to be Indifferent, even
to careleSsness, to any risk OF his own
life, but seeing in a moment that neither
his sister nor Sarah were in any fear of
sinking, he babe them shelter themselves
on the island, and said that he would go
down with the boat, turn it over at the
first chance, and bring it back to them.
His brother determined to hold on in the
same adventure, and the girls, thus losing
their escort, looked about for some means
of working their way in under the willows
to the shore.
"Never fear, Mary. Come with me,
come with me- and turning on her back,
Sarah struck out boldly to the point
which stretched below them. The fright
ened child obeyed her, and in less than a
minute they found themselves clutching
to the arms of a fallen willow. Of course
the branches tangled themselves in their
dresses, but after a little dragging and
pulling and tearing, they dragged them
selves along till their feet struck the sand,
and in an instant more were out of the
water upon the shore.
At such a time, the first feeling, to a
person who has never undergone the ex-
perience before, is surprise at the possible
wetness of clothing. After that, comes
gratitude or Indignation or hope or fear.
In the present case, Sarah laughed, and
poor little Mary cried. But the elder girl
took possession of the other in an instant,
pulled off the outer wraps which were not
very heavy on that July evening, and be-
gan to wiring the water from them. The
sun was already down, and she was doubt
full how their night would take care of it
self, but she pushed along under the
bushes and through the tangle as we'll as
she might, to see what sort of an island
had changed her into a Robinson Crusoe.
A minute more, and her questions were
all answered. There were evident signs
Of human presence, logs had been cut,
and she could see the stumps of fallen
trees. She pressed on with her little
charge, and, in a moment more came out
upon what was half a tent and half a
cabin, with a little smoke rising behind it,
full in the face of the first Indian women
whom she had ever seen in her life.
Once more the interview had not the
terror which she would have said would
have attached to it, had one asked her that
morning how she would like to meet two
squaws. The consciousness that there
wa a bit of fire where that wet child
could be dried, quite overcome her fear
of tomahawk or scalping knife. And
while she was inwardly aware that she
ought to be c~onciliating these queens of
the soil, if such they were, Sarah once
more broke out into uncomfortable
laughter
To tell the truth, the queens of the soil
had not much of the aspect either of
Boadicea or of any other mistress Of man
kind. They were very dirty, their faces
were very heavy and stupid, the black
hair which fell around their very dark
faces was tangled and matted, each of
them was wrapped in a blanket which
seemed never to have been white or vel
low, and each of them was smoking a
corn-cob pipe. The first thought, of
which the girl was really conscious was