Sunday Washington globe., 1902-03-23

Wife and Mother OF His Large
Family of Children.
1t is the same old place. The ouly change
is in the trees, which have grown from
young timber to a splendid height The
pond, the dam, the mill. are all as they
were, except that the mill is dilapidated
and most of the roof gone and now the ma
chinery is silent This mill will surely
never grind again from waters that are
past, nor would have it carry me through
that scene so terrible of twenty years ago
when for hours / tramped, tramped az in
treadmil every moment thinking that I
must give up the struggle, sink down and
die
What a little daredevil Cecily was Light
as q feather on her feet, spry as a cat. she
would go anywhere, everywhere. What
pleased her most was TO climb where I
dreaded to follow her, where must follow
her to be near at hand in case she should
fall She called me odd Prudence and
would often seriously twit me on what she
considered more than prudence-timidity.
The leaves were yellow and scarlet about
the pond; there was an autumn mist in the
air; summer was ripening, like the fruit,
into winter Cecily and / were sitting on
the bank near the mill. There is the place,
though it is so grown over with brush that
we could not sit there now. We were
quareling. Cecily had spoken contemptu-
ously of MY lack of courage, ard for once
had resented her aspersons. Presently she
got up and went toward the mill 1 said
nothing, but watched her while she passed
over a platform and approached the wheel,
which was still. There saw her gather her
skirts preparatory to climbing on to it.
II wouldn't do that, " called.
She paid no heed to my caution, but
climbed out on to the uppermOst part, As
soon as she was on it the wheel began to
turn slowly and she sank out of sight.
got up went to the wheel and stood
looking down at her. She was sitting at
the lowest part, spattering with her hand
in the little stream that ran beneath her.
II will hold the wheel" 1 said, while
you climb up"
Don't trouble yourself Pm very com
Portable,
did't like to have her there The mill
might begin to grind at any moment.
begged her to come up but she would not,
and finally told me that 1 had not the
"spunk" to come down.
II 10 uGlAnCI OA Us can get OUT re-
piled, "for as we climb the wheel will
turn"
"Oh, yes, we can. can climb one side
and you the other"
IL am much heavier than you"
But, being big and strong, you can climb
faster, and that will make it evan"
Wishing to cut the matter short and get
her out as quickly as possible, / went down
to her The wheel turned slowly with my
increased weight, but after / reached her
soon became still again. Had she acCeded
to my pleading to go up at once we would
have had little trouble in reaching a safe
place, but she saw / was worried and made
the most of it by delay. Presently l heard
the we'll known sound of the opening of the
hoodgate above, and down came the water
1t took some time for the water to over
come our weight and turn the wheel, during
which Cecily aud looked at each other
appalled,. though l am free to confess / was
far more terror stricken than she Then
the wheel began to turn slowly, and we were
obliged to move with it. Cecily, plucky
girl that she was seeing the necessity of
keeping up a stout heart began TO hum
Tramp, tramp tramp, the boys are march
ingp' as though the affair was very funny
while l was thinking of some way to give
an alarm. II would be of no use to shout,
for the noise of the water would drown my
voice, and as it rose beneath us the noise
increased. It covered our ankles then our
knees aud only ceased to rise when near
our hips
Cecily toiled on beside me while the water
deepened and her strength waned, making
merry of it all till the last, when she gave
me look which said plainly: Il can go no
farther. Pm going to drop" / took her in
my arms and tramped on. / was a stout
fellow at twenty, but I knew that my
strength would give out in time. l cast a
despairng glance about for some means to
change the situation. Then for the FIRST
time I noticed broken piece of scantIing
which possibly might detach and use for
a lever TO stop the wheel.
Can you walk on for a few moments,
Cecily7" asked
Yes; ! have had good rest"
put her down and, clingiDg to the side
of the wheel, grasped the scantling Never
before or since have put forth such force
a force that no man can exert except to save
life. The timber yielded, and in another
minute / had thrust it through the side of
the wheel and rested its end against the
edge of a stone wall. The wheel was
stopped. Then Ceeily came to me- put her
arms about me and wept.
In a few moments the miller was looking
down upon us to discover what had stopped
his wheel. CecilY cried out through her
tears, 1T takes big FISH to stop mill
wheelp'
The astonished man gave her band, and
with me below to help she was soon on the
dry platform. followed, and there came
food Of gratitude that had been permitted
to save myself and Cecily from horrible
death
wanted Cecily to visit the old mill with
me, but she shuddered and said that the
children needed all her time.