Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1889-09-27


have worn it down to Weston.
By this time he did not feel himself SO
very much superior to the people there
as he had felt. They proved to be kind
hearted and intelligent, and he liked
them better the more he knew them.
He had found Nan a disturbing ele-
ment in his little dominion. Not that
she meant to do anything wrong; but
she had too much mischief in her nature
not to be at the bottom Of many pro-
ject which brought the new teacher into
disrepute. She never pretended that she
had no hand in these plots. There was
no deceit in Nan. Whatever she did
was so frank that Joel's reproof was
tempered by a strange feeling which
caused him to forgive the spirit which
prompted Mans action-a feeling he
knew not how to analyZe.
Once, when she had perpetrated some
especially annoying trick on him, and he
had met her out of school hours on the
way home, her pretty smile and look of
respect had driven every spark of anger
from his heart, and he broke out:
''Oh, Nan! Why will you"
But she had pulled her hand out of his,
and fed before the words were out of his
mouth.
And Nan-she was the same thought
less girl, as far as Joel could see, as the
weeks sped quickly by and brought them
nearer the end of the term. She led the
boys and girls in every game. She could
outskate them; not a boy dared to
challenge her to race on the ice for fear
of the defeat he knew would await him.
Her happy laugh rippled everywhere.
Not a boy but would have risked his
life for her. Not girl but fed to her
in time of trouble, for she was ever to
them champion equal to every emer-
gency. To all she was simply ''Nan"-
kind, loving, mirthful ''Nan."
About the time JOel's school closed,
the river, which had been frozen all
winter, began to break up, and the ice
gave signs of going out. Here and there
great seams appeared, and a warning
roar sounded through the valley.
Some of the older boys who had ex-
plored the stream higher up, very sagely
predicted that there would be trouble
before night; but this brought to Joel's
mind little fear. He thought the stream
might rise, and carry away the ice, but
that would be all. He knew nothing
about the fearful gorges which sometimes
damned the river, and flooded the entire
country for miles around.
At noon the report came that a gorge
was forming short distance above the
school house. There never before had
been such pile of ice crowded into that
part of the river, and water was be-
ginning to flow over the valley. A heavy
rain set it, falling for hours in torrents.
Still Joel had no idea what danger was
impending. This was his first experience
with the river, and when some of his
pupils begged to go home, he thought it
best for them to wait until the storm be-
came less terrible or their parents came
for them. This latter thing happened
sooner than he had thought likely, and
some of the sturdy yeomen came for their
little one quite while before the usual
time for their dismissal, and gravely adj
vised Joel to close for the day, as they
feared trouble from the gorge up the
river.
At length the young man, impressed
more by the anxious faces of the chill
dren than by any thought of real dan
ger, told them to go, and quietly pro-
ceeded to help them get started for
home
Night was dropping down over the
valley. The storm king was abroad in
all his fury. The night gave promise
of being a terrible one.
JOers heart reproved him for not let
ting the children go sooner when he
opened the door and heard the sullen
roar which came from the gorge.
He listened sharply.
Yonder came a man on horseback,
riding rapidly.
What was the matter.
The rush of waters smote his ear. The
truth flashed over him.
The ice gorge had given way!
The young mans face grew pale as he
drew the children back into the house
and shut the door. He could not let
them 60 now. 1t was too late.
A few minutes more and wide cur
rent of water swept around the build
ing, cutting off all hope of escape on
foot. 1t was now plain that they were
hemmed in.
The horseman waved his hand toward
them, and then wheeled away to seek
other means of reaching the school
house. 1t was a trying place for the
young teacher, and some courage was re-
quired to look calmly into the faces of
the awe-stricken children and try to
quiet them.