Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1901-12-05
A Little
! Derelict
A Bit OF Flotsam From the
Galveston Flood
By GABRIELLE E. JACKSON
Cnpuyiubt 1Q0l hu EabvialIa = JacLeo,
-
| w
eos
A Bit OF F1otsam
Galveston Flood
By GABRIELLE z. JACKSON
opyright 1901, by Gabrielle E. Jackson

ii ter everywhere and filled with
E;7ZTY5I floating wreckage of every
lSZA&y description, as though some
| giant had picked up city, crushed 1t
in his mighty hand and dropped it in
to the bay. An awesome sight for old
| er eyes, but 1t evidently filed one little
being with delight, for she clapped her
hands joyously and bobbed up and
| down in her strange boat as 1t rose and
| fell upon the waves.
What story that boat told! Little
had its designer dreamed that it would
| ever venture upon such a voyage. A
houseboat indeed, it's very perfection
rendering it pathetic, for not an article
| In 1t but testified to a woman's gentle
touch. The world knows the story only
too well, and Galveston will never for
get it,
Amid all the horrors that one house
| hoated, perfect except for the loss Of
its roof. In second story room, utter
| ly unaware of her peril and happy as
bird, sat a sunny haired little maid,
laughing and singing to herself as the
house swayed up and down.
A queer, ramshackle boat drew near.
| 1t looked as though it must swamp the
| next moment, but it was no more for
lorn than the half clad boy who pad
| died 1t with a board. The boat was
nearly on level with the second story
windows, and as the boy heard the
sound of the child's voice he cried:
"Lawdy me! Who's a-singin' out I'm
this awful placer
"Faye's a-tingin'! Faye's a-tingin'
cause the house dance so"
But you mustn't stay in there. Will
you come along in the boat with me?
I'll take good care Of you. little lady.
Is your ma in there too?"
mo: mothers dom wild big man. Her
went to sleep wight So" throwing out
downward upon the floor, little realiz-
ing all she was revealing. Faye run
ned into the nursery to find Juno. and
| den big man weached wight In the
| windie and picked little mother wight
up. He didn't see Faye. He looked
| little mother off In the boat and Juno
| jumped wight out the wipdie and
| swimmed away after the boat In all
| the vain and left Faye all alone. But
| Faye not 'fwaid. Little mother often
leave Faye and Juno and say, Faye.
| be dood dirl till little mother tum back.
And Fayes been veal dood, but she is
| so hungwy."
The boy looked at the little beauty
as though she were a being from an
other world and said again:
"Come with me, and we'll try to find
your ma"
"'Ess. Fayell tum, but must get Je-
NINA first. Touldn't leave my pwe-
cious child" And, running into the
nursery, she took a tattered rag doll
| from her crib.
At last all was ready, and, pushing
Off the boat, the boy took up his pad
die to paddle--where? He had no home
| In this great world and hers would
| soon find an anchorage in the bottom
Of Galveston bay.
The search for poor Jimmy's friends
was soon ended, for when questioned
| by those who had taken the little voy-
| ayers in charge after they came ashore
| he answered: Never had none as l
knows on. lived along somehow, and
| when the flood come | got into the old
| boat and paddled around to see what l