The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1907-10-10
CONTINUED from last week.


When sister was fourteen and 1 was
about twelve years old, she and had
spent the night with couple of girl
friends of about our age. Between
their home and ours there was large
creek, SO low and shallow when we
went In the evening, that we could In
places have almost jumped over It,
but it rained that night very hard,
and much more than we knew of and
as 1t was raining some In the morning
they gave us an umbrella ard we
started home, but concluded to not go
back the way we came, over the
bridge, but we would shorten the dis
tance greatly, by cutting across the
fields and crossing over the creek on
a large tree that we knew of having
been washed out of It's roots in b gh
bank, and falling straight across the
creek, its bushy top reaching out over
the more shallow bank on the oppo
site side. We knew that the root end
of the tree was verv high above the
water, but what did sister, especially
care for that, as she was such good
foot log walker. But when we came
to the place we found the creek terri.
bly, high and muddy and rolling
swiftly by and though the root of
the tree was not nearly SO high above
the surface of the water as when we
saw it last, and looked less form dable
to me in consequence, yet begged
sister to not attempt to cross over on
1t, but for us to retrace our steps and
60 to the bridge, but as it was raining
some and turning very cold and we
were in sight of home and very near
an uncle's house on the other side of
the creek and she was not to be per.
suaded to 60 back, when she thought
II would be such an easy matter to
cross, to prove which, she started, and
walked over almost as much at her
ease as one could across a room, but
when she came to the limbs which In
low water had lain out on the dry
ground some distance, she found after
going just as far out on them as they
would bear her up out of the water,
that she had to jump think at least
three feet to reach the dry ground
but she leaped the distance easily,
and then began to urge me to come
over but insisted that could not do
1t. She happened to see that she had
left the umbrella on my side and she
said she would come back and get it
and take 1t over with her and then l
surely would not be too big calf to
do what she had done twice and with
the umbrella.
She made the second trip with ease
was finally persuaded to make the
effort but did 1t on my hands and
knees, my head swimming so dread.
fully all the while that could hardly
keep from rolling right of In spite of
all my brave efforts. At last reached
the branches of the tree when clutch
Ing them l arose and carefully made
my way as far as they would bear me
up, and then attempted to jump as
she had done, she standing at the
water edge to assist me If possible
but she could not reach me from where
she stood to give me her hand. told
her that with my head swimming as 1t
was, did not believe that could let
go of the limbs and jump as far as she
had with safety. But she argued with
me and I made the leap but fell short
of II and down went with the current
and no doubt would have been carried
on and drowned had l not grabbed
hold and held tightly onto the
branches until she sprang and caught
hold of me and by some means sue
ceeded In dragging me out.
AS have said 1t was turning very
cold and by the time we got to our
uncle's house near by my clothes
we're frozen, but aunt gave me dry
ones to put on and / was never any
the worse for my wetting. Our uncle
told us that we had both run an
awful risk of being drowned as the
creek at that time and place would
have swan a horse.
Sister was no coward as think you
will believe, and being only about
fourteen years of age her Judgement
was not very mature, and she had no
Idea Of the danger she was leading
me into and braving herself.
Mothers occasionally gave their
children-permission to 60 home with
their schoolmates and stay with them
over night. We had family living a |
mile or SO from us, who had little
girl about my age whom l liked very |
much but we had never visited, but |
persuaded mother and l finally went |
home with her one night. They were
good people but quite poor and lived |