Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-09-11
4 Dream.

A Dream.
In July, 10. Y, the water lljad ed tn
lands on the h.'lrsouri bottU,hs so Il
to destroy great deal of the cE Ups.
was at that time resident nf tn,
flooded district, and l. .coming des pond
ent decided to leave he country: &C
cnrdingly got everythi lgln readil 'es'
to try my fortune in the ar west. Or
the night of July 90 VT ut to bed III
tending to start early the next morn.
ing After a restless night arose ard
gathering my family around me We
started on our long journey, having
secured transportation to n INLAND,
Oregon. After long and /, ,dious
journey we arrived at our destina ton.
Here, after years experience, fo und
that had jumped out of the ry.Ng
pan into the fire, that INSTEAD of I, .
much moisture there was too little,
and al. the end of five years | found
myself IN worse condition financially
then when left Iowa, so concluded 70
return. Accordingly, on June -,
1907, l arrived at Missouri Valley.
Here l was told that the two bitches
that were contemplated before my de-
par'ure had been completed in 1909,
and the crops along and between the
bitches would make your eyes dance
with admlration. But during those
few years since the bitches had been
completed, the rain fall had been but
normal aud the bitches had performed
their part WELL
AS was viewing this beautiful
scene and upbraidlng myself for my
lack OF courage i'll leaving such q
lovely country as did, the sky sud-
denly became overcast, the lightning
flashed, the thunder roared and the
rain began to descend in torrents. For
ten days the sun was almost constantly
obscured from view by dark, angry
clouds, and the rain fall was some
thing terrible. The water began to
rise, each valley contributing its quota
to the rushing torrent, till alas! the
two bitches that had been the admira-
ton of the planner and constructor
looked like two wagon tracks in frog
pond.
AS | stood upon an eminence view
ing the ruin which had been wrought.
the clouds suddenly rolled away end
halo OF light, dazzling to the eye, over
spread the valley below. The ligh,
was so intense that l turned my face
away to rest my eyes on the hill behind
me. AS turned again to look saw
that great light had begun to rise, and
rs it arose, as If by magic, the two
bitches were drawn gradually toward
each other, until but narrow strip
separated them. The extraordinary
light had now entirely disappeared
and Us / stood looking around in
astonlshment saw something np-
preaching .rom the northwest at a |
terrific rate. l watched 1t until II
came opposite to where l stood, when
discovered that 1t was monster
half-mole, half fish, with back fin
resembling an immense plow-share
Its route 10y down Tie space wnlcn
separated the two bitches, and as II
bored Its way along the share-like
back fin split 1t and threw half on each
side, thus forming q dixie of regular
hight on either side. In its wake fol |
lowed the turbulent waters which were
gathered into the great ditch by some
unseen power. AS my eyes followed
the monster in his headlong course, ]
d scoyered that another ditch had been
constructed by what power l knew
not. This ditch had its head we'll up
in the Boyer Valley; but its head
resembied tail-the tail of swallow
One fork running to the right and
the other to the left, the material from
the one on the right being thrown to
the right, and that from the left being
thrown to the left, thus forcing all the
water that ran down the valley into
the ditch proper. And thus the waters
of the greatest flood the Boyer Valley
had ever known were under perfect
control, and rolled down this great
ditch with its dixie on either side to its
junction with the ditch from the
northwest, where the waters of the
Boyer mingled with the waters of the