The Opelousas courier., 1897-07-31

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 and culver 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 q trunk
on top of the table and climbed out Oh
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 going! We're coinnl"
screamed Polly.
"We're just off the foundation" an
swered Fred, as b%ravely 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 raj down for a coil
of clothesline. This he tied firmly to
the window at n 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 PM" 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.
Erred! Fred!" came the agcnized
voice of Polly.
"Here I ami" spluttered Fred. In
he had caught the edge of the
trap-door and Polly helped him to the
roof.
eve had all we could do to hold
IN" gasped Grandmother Melton.
"We're moving" shouted Polly.
They rocked and scraped and
pumped along, with the water swirling
crashing around them.
TITS our first voyage" said Fred,
With an effort to laugh; "p'raps we'll
Wind up in the Gulf of Mexico"
But Polly didn't laugh, neither did
Merton.
: A few minutes later they heard some
ne shouting far out on the stream and
hey saw the glimmer of a lantern.
hey shouted in return, but there was
% answer, and presently the lantern
7as swallowed up in the darkness and
ne three castaways were even more |
onesome and terrified than before.
They were compelled to cling firmly
, the rope and the r~idgepole all the
for the house was continually
umplng against distractions in the
and ~careening and iolting like a I
In q rough sea. Besides this, {
ley were wet to the skin and SILVER {
lg with cold and fright. Occasionally {
uge forms would loom up near them.
nd they would see the outline of trees I
buildings floating down the river. L
hey were m%omentarily afraid lest their
Dat should bump into something and +
broken up. If this happened thew n
new they would have small hope Of $
'cape. t
Qphte suddenly they felt the build !!
9 grlrr1'..a something, and then, with :.
JOLT, 1t Case to a standstill. They =
'uld hear til, ,timbers strain and creai d
the ~curre'It of the stream splashing L,
'out it, butit did not move. u
"Well, we~~e anchored" said Fred. u
| suppose we're out somewhere on a y
ndbar in the Mississippi" i,
do you think we have reached !. u
emphis?" askedsPolly, anxiously. u
70 Polly it seemed as if they had -
en- drifting for hours. &c
For a long time they remained al II
still. Occasionally they Joined 4
voices in a great shout, but there =
's~no answer. Fred said the water !.
ared SO loud that no one could hear =. "
anyway, but it eased their spirits to ~ u
doing something. u'
At last they started again with a Jerk y
! q SILVER, as if some of the timbers !"
The building had given away. They
mped on for what seemed an endless
he, and then, after scraping along a
some minutes, they again stopped. fir
this time the rain had ceased and At
moon shone out family through i,
clouds. -
There's lights" cried Polly, joy bl
". ~,
sure enough, on the hill, not such a CT,
at distance away; they could see tn
ny lights cleaning out over the
Jer. Nearer, there were other CT
ats moving about, as if in boats. 10
It's Memphis" said Polly, and Gu
n they all shouted at the top OF an
II voices. 40.
snt no one heard them. The water re,