Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1892-05-06

the house, from an upper window.
Mother here?" he anxiously in
quired.
'Yes"
"And the boys?"
eyes; but don't reckon none OF US
kin stay here long" said the neighbs'.
'sOf course not, ," replied Frank. Tell
them to hustle on their things and I'll
take them to the hills first and then
came back for the Others"
As the house was situated on rise
of ground the water had only risen to
the middle hinge of the door, and
Frank carefully pulled the Peerless in
side the room and up to the stairway,
from which his mothers and brothers
stepped into the boat.
She gave Frank silent kiss, placed
a hand on the head of each of her
younger lads and scarcely stirred or
spoke during the whole wild,ride to the
bluffs. 1t was a terrible night. The
whole valley was n vast black river,
filed with believing cattle, floating
cabins. despairing men, women and
children. From every part of the food
could be heard the booming of guns,
signaling for help; and occasionally a
despairing human cry could be heard
above the roar of the waters and the
confused noises of the drowning and
terrified animals.
Frank anticipated that his mother
would entreat him, because of his re-
cent illness, to stay with her and let
others take the boat and continue the
rescue, so he no sooner. saw her safely
landed, than he pushed the boat away
/ and darted out into the darkness with a
I lantern in her bow.
Before reaching the neighbor's house
again, he met boats bearing all its
former inmates This left him free to
drift down stream, as he colld make
more rapid progress with less expendi-
ture of strength. But some strong and
uaaccountable impulse seemed TO draw
him IL the opposite direction. He obeyed
the impulse and pushed up stream,
keeping out of the swiftest current
and occasionally pausing to listen for
cries of human distress. But he could
hear none-only the strange, wild, un-
natural cries Of mules, horses and cat
tie, floundering aimlessly about in the
mighty food, staring in wild-eyed Con
fusion at his glimmerfng lantern as he
pushed hurriedly past them. white
object became dimly visible and he
rowed up to it. It was a straw-stack.
lodged against the top of tall Usage
hedge It's only inhabitant was a set
ting hen, who scolded with hearty
domesticity, as he flashed his lantern
before her. Curiously enough, he after
wards learned that the stack became
dislodged and was carried far down the
stream where it landed ''right-side-up''
and the faithful old Dominique Matched
her eggs and reared her brood in tri-
umph.
Again Frank nearly determined to
turn down stream, but the blind i'm
pulse which had dictated his course at
first held him to its continuance.
He rowed steadily up stream for an
hour, as nearly as he could judge, and
almost despaired of rescuing anyone,
when a faint sobbing sound caused him
to stop instantly and listen. There
could be no doubt about it; some one
was crying out in despair.
Frank hallooed as loudly as he could
and swung his lantern.
He was answered from clump of
treetops, near the original banks of
Big Cana He hastened there and found
woman and two little boys clingng
IN the branches. Frank recognized
them at once as Rufe Miller's mother
and little brothers. No sooner were
they safely in the boat than Mrs. Miller
tainted and narrowly escaped falling
overheard and overturning the boat
But Frank dashed her face with cold
water and finally succeeded in reviving
her. She then began to cry hysteric ally
and pleaded with him to search for her
husband, whom she fancied she had
heard call He had become separated
from them some time before, she brief
ly explained.
They would call and then pause to
listen, from time to time, until nearly
ready to give up the search as hopeless
when at last feeble reply rewarded
their persistence. 1t came from across
the bed of the stream, and although the
current was very strong and his boat
well loaded, Frank realized that there
was no retreating and that he must pull
through in some way.
For time it seemed as though the
boat would either capsize or be carried
miles down the river, but by heroic
struggle he at last pulled into compar-
atively calm water. Repeated answers
to their calls brought them to a treetop
in which a man was clinging. 1t was
Mr.. Miller. Their experience, to which
Frank listened as he pulled for the
nearest signal fire, was as follows:
Rufe had gone in the morning to
visit cousins on the uplands and was un-
doubtedly safe. The valley at their
house was so narrow that when once
the creek had overfowed it's banks the
water rose with terrible rapidity. The
father, mother and youngest boy
jumped into the democrat wagon" and
the older lad, twelve years old, mounted
his pony and rode behind. As the
fields between them and town were
lined with barb-wire fences, they were
obliged to follow the road, which led
half mile mp stream before turning
towards the bluffs. They had gone but
a few rods when they saw wave
sweeping down upon them. The lad on
the pony instantly threw off his coat
This rare presence of mind saved his
life, for the waves swept the pony from
under him and it was only by fierce
struggle that he gained the wagon. The
father managed to turn the team about
and regain the house. From the upper
yxyip1cyxyc thau tahad the awful rise