New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-06-19
A MESSAGE FROM THE FLOOD.

II was a curious sight to Portside eyes, such
sight as the younger generation had never seen
before Three miles below lay Portsde itself the
cathedral tower looming misty through the hazy
January afternoon, while black, cold night crept
up from the stern, frosty east For five weeks
the earth had lain under canopy Of snow; for
five weeks work had been at standstill and now
the river Swirle had frozen over and for three
miles @ solid sheet of ice stretched away and the
ring of Gteel blades echoed in the bare woods
For thirty seven years the Swrle had defed the
grip of King Frost, and even in the terrible winter
OF 1854 there had only been some few hundred
yards OF firm ice; whilst now the river seemed
to ne frozen solid. Where the current ran little
more freely, the ice had been tested at fourteen
inc.es that the thousands of skaters passed
ever the swift food in perfect safety. The dark
ncss began TO fall, and the moon grew
brighter in the clear sky, while on either bank
Eshts began to fash in the windows of the cloth
mills along the valley there was some little
work in progress, though even the vale folks were
feeling the terrible weather For ten miles the
Swrle Valley was curious mixture of town and
Country rural enough bnt for the clusters of
wcrknens cottages, and the smoke from tall
cIn,aeys drifting over the cornields.
Watcirg tl,c skaters. now fast disappearing i'll
tie misty gloom like joval demons skimming
roiselcsely along the frozen stretch, were Two
toun,rymcn, Swirle valleymen, their slow
speech and broad, keen faces denoted They were
both comfortably clad and each after the manner
OF his kind smoked his pipe with the solid, grave
silence often observed between old friends. when
lack of speech does noe necessarily mean cmbar-
BASEMENT from lack Of ideas.
Il mind such sight as this, and man and
hoy. I've worked in Swirle Valley for nigh
fifty year. remarked the elder II length. Fifty
io.r YVES pretty hard, but thcu the ice only bore
from ior'sdt Stone Bridge up TO the old boat
house That was half mile as near us no matter
Aad when the food down, it earned var
OF the bridge away. A sudden thaw now, with
all that the hills, would sweep all the
bridges away if they were made of card
loard"
Jacob Strahan nodded soennly. All the
cottages and mills whereat Jacob and his
COMPANION, benjamin Atwood, acted as 1orernen,
were situated far above range of any food, and
the notion OF disaster for those below not
:tliout comfortable sense of personal satisfac-
Tia.
Il went up last week far Maindee, ;"
Strahnn replied deliberately and there's ice,
ice nothing but ice, 'ceptin on tic streams, for
cose on thirty mile. Ii Portside Stone Bridge
ehould stand the breakup therell bc a flood
along the upper valley such man ever see
before"
Like the one mind my grandfather speak Of
in '97" said Atwood. The ice formed dam at
Porisde, and the water burst the cmtxlnkment at
Waieham, close by Foljambes mill, and made q
new course down the valley; Right behind us 1t
ran in u stream bigger'n the Swire is now, as
ycu see By looking behind you at these ruined
cottages
The speaker indicated the course Of the dis
astroas flood the memory Of which still lives in
above them the Swire turned suddenly to the
right, The bank being strengthened artilcially;
and below this bank was broad ravine running
for some miles in the direction OF Portside, the
roadway from that place to Mandee traversing
the gorge halfway up its side. 1t was wild and
dcsoate spot, filled with bracken and bramees
terrible flood while at the head of it stood
Foljambc's factory, almost within rifie-shot of
the house of the great manufacturer IN question.
Very few people passed that way at night, since
it was a place Of evil rcpate, though Atwood
traversed IL frequently, as the ravine was short
cut from the factory to his own house on the
other side Of the dip
I'VE should be safe enough, if anything was
to happen" strahan remarked with the same .nas
valley. Ben, especially this time of year, when
the enow lies so deep in places ! don't know
why ! shoud think so. but feel main certain
that when the frost goes, we shall find your old
master somewhere in the ravine."
q wish we could find him." Atwood replied
with an impatient sigh: He left my house that
night Just as il was coming on thick, and
laughed at me when warned him against cross
ing the gorge When morning came, he
nowhere to be found, and the snow lying twenty
feet deep In some places down there. And when
he is found. my Georges name will be cleared"
Let's hope So" Strahan replied more cheer
fully. Hes good lad; and though appear
ances are against him, firmly believe he'll come
out right yet. And now, unless were going to
stay here all night, it's time to think about a
cup Of tea Another hard frost, | see"
The two old turned away together. parting
finally on the brow OF the hill. With the con-
fdence of one who knows his locality, Atwood
crossed the ravine and slowly climbed upward
10 the summit, where the cheerful lights shone
out from his own comfortable cottage A weird
feeling came upon him as he carefully sxirted the
great heaps Of snow below one of which. for all
lie knew lay the body Of his missing employer.
Godfrey Foljambe concerning whose disappear
ance every POrtsde individual was still talking
though the mysterious event was five weeks old
II there was trouble at the great house on the
mans more humble abode. The missing manu-
fecturcr was a Just and kind employer. with
keen eye for merit; and that keen eye had looked
favorably upon young George Atwood, with
the result that ak years with Fofianbc d
Co. saw him cashier 10 the firm. Az this time
however, certain strange defalcations had taken
place: there had been series Of investigations.
with the result that the younger Atwood had
lost his situation. 1t was q keen blow 10 en-
ployer and employed alike; but the evidence WAS
terribly clear and the manufacturer had no IL
tentative, though he declined to prosecute.
So things had drifted on till the night before
the great snow, when Mr.. FoIjambc hal pre-
aentad himself at Attwood's cottage in @ state OF