The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-06-12
HOW TOM ELLIS CHANGED HIS MIND.
BY MARY L. KIMBERLY.

BY MARY L. KIMMERLY.
''Say, Kate, don't you want a hen
to roast for dinner 7" inquired Tom
Ellis of his wife, as he stood on the
broad stone at the end of the kitchen
porch, stamping the mud from his
shoes after an early morning trip to
the barn.
mo, Tom" replied his wife, eve
some sewing want to finish today,
and I'd rather not take time to roast
anything"
There's an old speckled hen that
has been hanging around the barn
lately, and refuses to be driven away.
1 positively will not have the hens
around the barn the next thing the
whole flock will be there"
"All right, Tom," soothingly re-
piled his wife, "just wait until Satur-
day and I'll roast her good and
brown"
There had been a "cloud burst"
up the valley two days before; all the
creeks had emptied the water into the
river and it was overflowing Its banks.
A deep ravine between the house and
barn was bank full, and the bridge
across it looked shaky; but Tom had
crossed safely to feed his horses. AS
he threw two pieces Of brick at the
speckled hen, he said: "Only two
days more then your career of will
fulness will be cut Short" But the
hen lodged the brickbat and few
into an open window at the back of
the barn.
A rain which began in the morn
ing increased to almost deluge. The
bridge across the ravine was swept
away, and the water crept gradually
over the land toward the house. As
Tom and his wife ate their dinner,
they jested about the food and the
near approach of the water.
"Don't you wish the house was a
two story one, Kate?' asked Tom ;
"then we could move upstairs when
Tue WdICI SOuCS III DClOWs
eff the water comes into the house
we can move upstairs in the barn, "
replied the wife, but not for one mo-
ment did she think it at all probable
that the water would reach the house.
After dinner, Kate resumed her
sewing, paying little attention to the
rain, while Tom read the newspaper,
and the little boys played about the
house.
At two O'Clock Tom came in from
the kitchen, saying: "Kate, believe
we'd better set things up off the floor
and take up the carpets, for the water
is rising fast; it is up to the floor of
the kitchen porch now"
Kate dropped her sewing quickly,
took look around, then went to
work. The drawers were taken out
and piled on top of the dresser ; the
clothing was put in the clothes basket
and that set on top of the commode ;
provisions taken from low shelves in
the pantry and placed on higher ones
carpets folded the quickest way and
placed on the table, and the bedding
on top of the carpets; but before all
the goods were in positions that seem
ed out of reach of the water the floors
were being covered by streams COM
ing in under the doors.
The little boys laughed as they ran
back and forth through the fast
flowing streams that soon spread ovei
the floors but Tom quickly started
for his horses to take his family tc
the barn for safety. With difficulty
Tom swan the ravine, reached the
stable and returned with two horses
He placed his wife and the elder boy
on one of the horses, telling her te
hold fast to the horse, and the boy te
hold fast to his mamma, and they
would cross all right.
Kate was alarmed when she saw {
lake around the house, and the ravint
which they must cross a rushing
stream capable of taking anything
down that might come in its way
Trembling inwardly, she grasped I
strap fastened around the body of th'
horse with one hand, while the othel
hand held the child with a vice-lik'
grip. Tom tied the halter rope o
Kate's horse to the saddle of the hors'
he rode, took little Glen in his arms
and they started for the barn.
At the edge of the swift flowing
water the horses snorted, almost re
fusing to plunge into the seethinl
torrent. Bidding his wife "hold fast.
Tom shouted to his horses to go, ant
they obeyed. Kate was nearly swep
from the horses back as the anima
lost its footing and battled bravel,
with the flow of water in trying Il
reach the opposite bank.
Down, down the stream they wer
carried in spite of all Tom S urging t.
his horses, as he constantly assure'
his wife, if she held fast, they woul,
make it all right.
They were brushed by trees as the
were swept past them along the bank
as the horses tried to get foot-hold
and, failing, were carried farther dow
the stream, until they were a quartz
of a mile below the barn then,
Toms horse seemed to strike som
kind of footing, he shouted: "Coul
age, Kate, hold fast"
AS Toms horse gained footing
Kate's horse lost his on the slipper
bank and nearly fell to his knee:
throwing Kate forward into the water
Che ke0f har orir O,1 tha child an