Year: 1869

Lauy anu Her oeffdhts 80 Z
l !Y19iGs. 10 III 9lsi 0t A9g
sl Our home was on the Louisiana
or western shore of the great river
and the mansion was a mile Of


more from the negro quarters of thu


large plantation.


My husband was absent on bust
ness in New Orleans, and had moi


returned when the prolonged rains


Of that autumn began. AS the rain


storm was a general one, extending


through the States far to the north,


the Father of Waters began to rise


with more than ordinary rapidity.


From the upper porches and win


dows of the house / could plainly


see the vast volume of yellow


water as it widened over the oppo-


site Mississippi flats, where there


was no levee. The quantities of


drift wood coming down, and the
peculiar way in which the river


seemed convex and clear of drift


in the middle, while the apparently


lower margins were thick with the
spoils of the forest, showed me that


it was still swelling to a higher rise,


and was a Eeritable food When


the stream is falling the suck of the


lower current draws the drift to the


middle, and keeps the portion next
the bank quite clear. But at the
time the main channel was only
marked by the smooth, waveless
rush Of the muddy tide, and the ear
caught only that low growl Of the
relentless giant asking for its ocean
bride. 1 at once summoned every
available person on the estate, and
made the details to build fires at
intervals on our levee, so as to keep
watch all night. Also directed the
gangs with spades and axes to be
ready for any break on our front,
or any call for aid from neighbor-
ing plantations. Every precaution
seemed TO have been taken which
was necessary for safety. Low
places had been elevated, washed
places mended, and points where
the current set with great power
had been strengthened by felled
timber. AT one point, just above
the house, which seemed to have
been the old channel, the river
made great bend, and the sullen
water met the obstructing shore
with a defiant lash of its yellow,
CLASSY rollers, and then turned |
away to its open course. This
point had been strengthened by
double thickness of embankment
and by piles lined with heavy |
timber. . aa 3


Two days went by, and all
seemed so secure that the night
fires and watchers at every quarter
of mile were discontinued, and l |
felt serenely confident of the ap-
proval of my husband, and that he
would call me his "brave little
wife" for possessing nerve and
Judgment to manage great plan
tation in the face of the highest |
food of many years.


One of the planters, three miles
above, had not been so careful as
we, and small crevasse had been
made On his line. 1t was not dan
gerOus, as it was on the side of a
straight shoot or current of the
river, and not in the face of one.
Still, we did what was usual, and
sent large force to prevent posi- |
bic danger and inundatlon Of some |
of our lands. That night there was
a bright moonlight, and the most
of the house servants had asked
and received permission to attend
a dance at the quarters" Thus it |
was thatI went to bed with no one
in the house save my old colored
servant, who had once been my
nurse, and was now fifty years old.
1t is customary with US to give tt
ties of affection to these faithful old
servants, and we called her Aunt
Sarah. r


1t must have been about mid
night that l was awakened by a
harsh, grinding sound. 1t was not
loud but deep, as if some Titanic
mill of the gods had chosen to
grind up a forest for a grist. l
arose in my bed and listened, and
at first thought my husband had
come, and it was the sound of |
wheels on the gravel. But it was
too deep and heavy tor that; and
then he could not easily land with
the water SO high. Then began
to distinguish more gentle sound,
like the half subdued wash of wa
ter, or the soft lap of tide upon a
beach. As the horn had not been
blown as signal of danger, and l
could not hear the loud negro cho-
rus, which betokened battle with
the river, | concluded that the most
of it was imagination, and lay
down again, intending to dismiss
the mystery in sleep. Just then [
heard the feet of Aunt Sarah On
the stairs, not as usual, but as if her
shoes had water in them.


As she came into the room |
detected the drip, drip, on the car
pet. sprang up and exclaimed,
"What does this mean +" Her
voice was soothing as when l was
a fretful child, as she replied:
"'Fore gracious, rs sorry to come
on de nice carpet wild my wet
close but scuse me dis time"


AS she lighted the burners l saw
that she was wet and dripping to
the vast. / was out of bed in a
moment, and asked anxiously,
"Why, my dear old nurse, where
have you been? Did yon go to the
levee and slip in the water2 "


She proceeded to stir up the fire
and arrange my clothes for me to
dress, as she said, "Jest look out
the window, mistress" a7E.


As / threw up the sash, and
stepped out into the wide open YER
anda, l thought l saw what had
happened in a moment. 1t was
evident that the swollen stream
had received some new accession OF
volume from some of its great
upper feeders-perhaps from the
Missouri, with its springs under the
arches of the sunset. Then, COM
ing down like vast tidal wave, it
had overleaped all artificial barriers,
L. rnos the crushing and snlinterinp