The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-08-23
HISTORY OF A FLOOD.

ddCh bTdN lilncf ana mOjllcf lived
in New York eleven months in the
year, but the whole family almost in.
variably spent August at the scashore
or in the country.
Mr. and Mrs. Gray had purchased n
lot on Fifth avenue long before so
much wealth and fashion congregated
IN that particular section of the city,
and, although there were many more
pretentiouS homes than theirs on every
SIDE, still their house was handsome
without aud the books, pictures fur
nlture and carpets We're what might
ne expected in that locality, nOtwlth-
standing the fact that they regarded
themselves as plain people. who had
not pursued, but been overtakcn by
fashion.
y sultry morning. the last day OF
July, found the furniture covered up
and packed away for months nap,
and carriage ut the door ready to
take the Grays to the station.
As Mrs. Gray passed through the
hall she noticed that one piece of bag
gage was unmarked. "Jacky, dear"
sll" said. ''plcase run upstairs and
W. tc fathers name on card for the
! ither trunk; it has all our bathing
suits in it, and we must not risk
losing it,"
Jacky flew to the third story, his
especial property and he wrote
Jonathan Gray" with such flourish
he splashed ink all over his fingers.
He went to an upstairs bath room to
wash his hands: but the water would
not come. so he rushed down to the
second story bath room, made himself
presentablc, and was in the carriage
by the driver before his mother
thought 1t possible.
Mr.. Gray locked the front door. and
sending the key to his brothers by Il
servant, started on his summer hOli-
day with the comfortable feeling that
he was taking Il needed rest and leav-
ing everything safe in his absence.
About ten days later. two policemen
We're lounging by Il lamp post near the
house. 1t had been raining for twenty
four hours preceding, and, although
the sun was now shining brilliantly
the caves We're still dripping, and from
the marble steps ran Il steady little
Stream to the street
II say, Bill remarked one Of the
men to his comrade, Its Il monstrous
quare thing. but | b'lieve it r.lned
more on this one house yesterday than
any three in the city; every time I
passed there was reglar pond on the
pavement and it's still a-comln' down
them steps"
"You everlasting igiot." returned
Bill, ''lt's a-runnn' out of the house!
Where's your eyes-don't you see it
comm right under the doorV
And so ii was.
Fortunately, the first speaker knew
where Mr.. Grays brother lived, and,
Fastening to the place, he told Mr..
William Gray that there appeared to
be something the matter. Within an
hour the front door was unlocked and
a deplorable sight was revealed. The
beholdcrs might have said with the
Ancient Mariner, that there was
"water, water evcrywhere;" for it was
flowing gently down the front stair
way, dripping from the ceilings, and
each floor was full of little pools. All
the carpets had been left on the lower
story, and they had been saturated
to such an extent that the sensation
was that of walking on sponges; from
the parlor walls hung long festoons OF
rich ,'elvet paper.
Uncle William, almost raising an
umbrella in his excitement, rushed
up to the third story bath room, and
there was Il tub overhowing on every
side and a full head on in the spigot
.Tacky had forgotten to turn back.
Wen, they stopped it, you may be
sure, and "the long tongue" as the
Indians call the telegraph, said TO Mr..
Gray, down at Cape May; Come
at once. House damaged by water
lie came by the first train, and he sent
for women with cloths and buckets,
and for plumbers and carpenters and
painters and paper hangers, and up
holsterrrs, and he spent more than
$1,000 cleaning house that autumn.
Now, how old do you suppose Jacky
must have been TO have done all that
mischief: Ten, did you say? No, he
was more than that. "rwelveE No,
wrong again "rhirtccn" | see I
shall have TO help you gucss-he was
twcnty-siX years old, and weighed one
hundred and sixty pounds; and 1t was
Il good thing he was SO old and big,
for If he had been a small boy IT would
have seemed very careless trick IN
deed; but as It was, people only SAID;
"Dear. dear. dear! Wei, accidents
will happeuw-Mary Bentley Thomas
An St Nicholas.