The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1897-06-09

nef hands III terror.
run up stairs" shouted Fred,
"and Polly and I'll bring all the stuff
we can with u.s."
Grandmother Melton waited no
longer. She crept up the narrow stair
way to the little attic. Fred ran to the
cupboard and began filing his arms
with dishes of food, while Polly in her
excitement seized the first thing that
came to hand-grandmother' rocking
chair-and struggled up the stairs
with it,
"We'll need clothing more'n any
thing else, called Grandmother Mel
ton.
Erred ran back. The floor of the
cottage was now entirely covered with
water, He splashed through it and
seized all the clothing, coats and jack
cts he could carry. Polly bravely
wiped away her tears, and when Fred
brought the loads to the stairway she
ran with them to the bedroom where
Grandmother Melton was sitting.
By this time the building had be-
gun to shake aud quiver as the water
beat against it.
She's going soon," shouted Fred.
I'm afraid the water will reach us
up here" suggested Grandmother
Melton,
Fred looked up. The ceiling was
low, and just above him there had been
an old trap-door, now nailed up. In
stantly Fred seized the ak and burst
it open. Above they could see the
dark sky and the rain coming down in
steady torrents. Fred piled trunk
on top of the table and climbed out on
the roof.
He couldn't see far, but he could
hear the roaring of the water from
every direction. His heart sunk; he
felt sure that they would all be
drowned. Suddenly something
thumped heavily against the side of
the building, and the next instant the
front end of the room went up and
grandmother and Polly slipped down
toward the rear end. Fred narrowly
escaped being hurled off the roof.
"We're goingl We're going!"
screamed Polly.
Were just off the foundation" an
swered Fred, as bravely as he could.
Then he swung back down into the
bedroom and helped GRANDMOTHER
Melton and Polly up through the trap
door to the roof He covered them up
as well as he could and told them to
cling to the ridgepole whatever might
happen. Then he ran down for a coil
of clothesline. This he tied firmly to
the window at one end of the bedroom,
carried the other end up through the
trap-door, along the roof and dropped
it over the caves. Down he went again
and fastened it to the other window
frame. 1t would do to hold to. Hardly
had he finished his work when the
building gave another great lurch.
"Hold onl" shouted Fred.
The words were hardly out of his
mouth when he found himself thrown
violently from his feet He caught a
glimpse of the water pouring up the
stairway, and then the lamp was cap
sized and went out. Next he found
himself pounding about in the water.
Fred! Fredp' came the agonized
| voice OF IOlly.
Here 1 ami" spluttered Fred. In
falling he had caught the edge of the
trap-door and Polly helped him to the
roof.
"We had all we could do to hold
on, gasped Grandmother Melton.
''We're moving" shouted Polly.
They rocked and scraped and
bumped along, with the water swirling
and crashing around them.
"It's our first voyage" said Fred,
with an effort to laugh; ''p'raps wen
wind up in the Gulf of Mexico"
But Polly didn't laugh, neither did
Grandmother Melton.
A few minutes later they heard some
one shouting far out ON the stream and
they saw the glimmer of lantern.
They shouted in return, but there was
no answer, and presently the lantern
was swallowed up in the darkness and
the three castaways were even more
lonesome and terrified than before.
They were compelled to cling firmly
to the rope and the ridgepole all the
time, for the house was continually
humping against distractions in the
stream and careening and jolting like a
boat in rough sea. Besides this,
they were wet to the skin and shiver-
ing with cold and fright. Occasionally
huge forms would loom up near them,
and they would see the outline of trees
or buildings floating down the river.
They were momentarily afraid lest their
boat should bump into something and
be broken up. If this happened they
knew they would have small hope of
escape.
Quite Suddenly they felt the build
ing grini on something, and then, with
a jolt, it came to a standstill. They
could hear the timbers strain and creak
and the current of the stream splashing
about it, but it did not move.
''Well, we're anchored" said Fred.
II suppose we're out somewhere on a
sandbar in the Mississippi"