Year: 1873

covered it with tears and kisses. But
suddenly, with strength that was
supernatural, she sat erect and in a
clear, firm tone cried out:


Boy! Rene! my child! Flyi
There is danger at hand! A cloud is
hanging over our house! Danger is
approachingl fly! hear thunder in
the mountains!-Harkl a crash, too!
1t is coming nearerl Quick! Fly!
fly! or you are lost! God help you!
my child, my childp


Wondering and astonished, the
boy sprang to his feet. A new hope
filled his heart-his grandmother had
received new strength. Poor child!
it was but for moment. One look
of unutterable love, one smile and
again she closed her eyes as she sank
back upon the pillow. She was dead
he could no longer doubt.


The child was now, as he himself
had said, 'alone in the world His
parents had died long before and he
had not, as far as he knew, relative
on the earth. He sat down on the
side of the bed, the tears rolling down
his cheeks and the last words of his
grandmother passing through his
mind. Then he got up to go to the
pastor of the village church-the
father as well as the minister of his
people. He must ask his help to
bury the dead. But his steps were
arrested by strange sound-a fear
full roll of thunder among the noun
tains. Then there came a crash-a
crash that shook the hut and made
the window frame rattle. Then the
sun was darkened by a stormcloud-
that rolled down the sides of the
mountains and there came thick
darkness over the whole valley.
Nearer, nearer-thunder, and crash,
and darkness and storm-clOud, all
came on together.


AN avalanchen exclaimed the
terrified child, clasping his hands.
Dear God. savel Dear grandmother,
that was what you were warning me
of You heard it coming! How
strange! God take care of me! l
cannot fly now


Louder and yet more fearful came
the mighty mass of snow in it's thun-
dering leap. He heard it approach ;
he heard the roof crash beneath it;
he heard the glass splinter into frag-
ments; he gave one cry, and para
lyzed by fear, fell senselesS upon the
floor.


1t must have been for hours that
he lay there. When he opened his
eyes he was in thick darkness and
everything was still as death. He
could not see, but he humbly thanked
God that he lived.


How strange!' he murmured
what a mercy it is that | am saved.
The roof crushed in, everything about
me crushed and broken and | saved
All! you dear, good grandmother !!
1t was for your prayers for me that
the good God did itr


Raising himself, he felt around
him as far as his hand would reach,
but all was a mass of ruin. The
broken roof and the fallen rafters
had formed a sort of shed over him
which kept off the snow. He felt his
way to the bed; he took the cold
hand of his grandmother and then
Law down on the floor beside her, for
the whole room was clear of snow.


He said to himself, We'll, if l must
die here, it will be with her; and if
the good people of the village-if any
of them are left-ever come to look
for us, they will put us in the same
grave. That is comfort


He was not at all frightened or
anxious. He thought quietly over
the past and made plans for the fH-
ture, if he should get out. Most
strange of all, it seemed to him, that
his grandmother should have known
of its coming so long before, for it
was nearly an hour.


Truly he thought, lit is even as
the good pastor said the other day,
"The dying see things we do not
dream of And she warned me,
too! Dear, good grandmother! But
| didn't understand her, so it was of
no use. Maybe God will make the
neighbors think Of me and come to
help me-that is if the avalanche has
not buried them ALL


Again he lay still for long, long
time; then he began to feel hungry.