Year: 1875

larly to do with that LII l. accepted
client / must serve him. / had no bust
ness but to serve his interest. / finally
told Mr.. Sarfurt that l would think the
matter over. / should probably have
business in Shireton during the season OF
the court, and / would call upon him
there, and examine more fully. could
not take his retainer until had further
light.


"But, said he, will you promise
not to take up for the other side?'


Z" 1 told him would do nothing with
out further consultation with him.


" Because, he added, if you are for
me, L am sure to win. Acton can't find
lawyer that can hold candle to you.
know 'em ALL.


"No matter whether believed him
or not-I did not feel fattered.


"Two weeks later / received letter
from Sarfurt, promising me five thousand
dollars if / won.


"The five thousand dollars was a
strong argument. Was not law really a
game of chance, in which the strongest
hand and longest purse must win? l
told myself, Yes-and sat down and
wrote reply, saying that 1 would take
the case. But did not mail it at once.
That night 1 put the letter under my
pillow, and slept over it; and on the fol-
lowing morning L threw it into the fire.
1 would not make up my mind until L
had seen other parties-until l had been
on the ground. And / wrote to Laban
Sarfurt to wait.


"Two weeks later / harnessed my
horse to the wagon, and, with my wife
and child, started for Shireton. / had
been married two years, and our little
one, a girl, was a year old, our pride,
our pet, and our darling. Shireton was
distant thirty miles. We had been hav-
ing rainy weather for week or so, but
it had now cleared off bright and beauti-
full. We stopped and took dinner at a
wayside inn, four miles beyond which
was stream which must be forded.
The innkeeper told me that the stream
was somewhat swollen from the late
rains, but that if my horse was trusty
there could be no danger.


"Arrived at the stream-the Wampa-
tuck river-I found the water indeed
risen, and the current strong; but saw
that others had recently gone over, and
l resolved to venture. 1 knew my horse,
and had faith in him. My wife was anx-
ious, but she trusted my Judgment A
third of the way across the water was over
the hubs of the wheels A little more, and
it would reach the body of the wagon.
l began to be alarmed. l feared l had
left the true track. Presently my horse
stumbled and staggered, having evi-
IDENTIFY stepped upon "a moving stone.
The wagon swayed and tipped, and the
flood poured in upon us. My wife
slipped, and in moment more we were
in the water. With one hand L grasped
the harness upon the horse, and with the
other held my wife. was thus strug-
Cling when a wild cry from her lips
startled the air. Our child was washed
away!


"Oh my soul! / cannot tell you
what 1 suffered during those moments.
could not help our darling If / left
my wife she was lost. / clung to the
horse and clung to my shrieking wife
shrieking to God for mercy for her child.
The horse was struggling for the shore.
In the distance, upon the bosom of the
surging food, could see our little one,



ing borne swiftly away. A moment
more, and l saw man plunge from the
bank into the river. 1 saw him strike
out boldly; saw thus much, and then
an intervening point of land shut out the
scene. The horse was now rapidly near
ing the shore, and ere long my wife and
i were upon dry land, with the horse
and wagon. AS soon as / was sure my
wife was safe, / left her to care for the
horse, while Iposted off down the rivers
bank in quest of the swimmer and the
child.


"You may well understand that all
this time [ was frantic. / was as q ma
chine being operated upon by surging
and agonizing emotion. How long or
how far L had wandered do not know;
but at length | met man, wet and drip
ping, with my darling in his arms-my
darling safe and sound He told me he
had caught the child within few rods
of the falls, and that in landing he had
cleared the fatal abyss by not more than
two yards He was young man--not
more than nd-twenty-handsome
and stalwart. He said he had seen my
wagon tip, and was coming to my assist
ance when he saw the child washed away.
Il threw my life into the balance, said
he, with genial smile, and, thank
God both the lives are saved'


9" asked him how should ever repay
him. He stopped me with an imploring
gesture.


"'If you talk of more pay than l have
already received he said, you will rob
me of the only solid reward can claim.
Mercy if saving tie life of such cherub
is not enough of reward in itself, then
hard is the heart that can crave more.
And, with moistrued eyes, he told me he
had child of his own at home-an ouly
child-of nearly the same age.


"I asked him if he would tell me his
name. With another smile, he answered
that his name did not matter--he was
not sure that he had a name. / then
asked him if he knew me. He nodded,
and said he thought i might be Mr.. Lur-
lington, of Waldbridge. When l told
him he was correct he said that / must
excuse him. He was wet, and must
hurry home. And with that he turned
away. was too deeply moved to stop
him, and when he had disappeared L
started to rcjoin my wife, with dawn


IL i