Year: 1871

part OF the day, dark clouds would
gather and cover the SUBMITS of the
mountains, and we would think that it
must rain, but by noon they would all
clear away, without as much as send
ing down few drops upon the parch-
cd earth.


And so the month wore away until
the morning of the twenty-ffth, the
one before that on which the food
came.


That day | had been over the noun
tains to fathers, doing some work for
him as he was not very well, and /
promised to come back the next morn
ing and complete the job. The sky,
as usual, had given signs of rain, but
we put no confidence in it, thinking
that we should be disappointed, as we
had been along though an old Indian
woman, who dwelt in lodge on the
side of the mountains, far up the val
ley, and who Glanced along, and paus-
cd in the doorway to rest, declared
that we should have the greatest storm
within two days that we had ever
known. But we put little confidence
in this, for we considered her half
crazed, and if she had not been, we
thought it was little that she could
know of what was to come.


The next morning when we arose,
we found that it had rained very lit
tie some time during the night; but
the sky and clouds did not look so
threatening as they had done for days
previous. We had an early breakfast,
and when it way over l sat out over
the mountain to do my days work,
telling my wife that 1 should not be
back before dark, but should surely
return sometime in the evening.
1 found when | reached fathers,
that he was not as well as he had been
the day before, and that mother was
much worried about him. He declared
that it was nothing only one of his

attacks to which he was subject, and
that he would soon be over it. Moth
er shook her head, and hoped that he
was right, and went out into the
field to work, and did not come back
again to the cabin till noon.


Instead of being better, he was
much worse, and mother declared that
| must saddle the horse, and 90 down
to Conway for Doctor Bugly; but
father would not hear to this yet SO
after dinner, l went back to my work,
and in the course of couple of hours,
my sister came running out to call me-
Father was growing worse fast, and
had given his consent that I should 60
for the doctor. l was not long in
making ready. The horse was in the
pasture close at hand, and it took but
a few moments to catch it, and throw
on the saddle and bride. L lost lit
tie time in the house, and then set
out on a swift gallop.


had ten miles to 60 over rough
road, before reaching the doctors, and
knew that unless made good time,
I should not get back till after night
fall, and then L should have to cross
the mountain to my own cabin, which
would make me late home. I had
promised Mary that / would return,
and knew that she would pass a sleep
less night, if I did not, as she had
never remained alone through the
night. IiIS


Long before I reached Conway, my
eyes were fixed upon the clouds which
seemed to be gathering from all di.
rections, and piling themselves upon
the mountains behind me, until the sky
in that direction had the appearance
of the deepest midnight. They had
gathered there every day for a month
past but nothing like the way they
were doing now. Great black masses
that seemed to cover the sky, would
roll swiftly along and pile themselves
upon those already resting there, and
as 1 turned my head and watched
them, / could not help thinking Of
what the old Indian woman had said
the day before, of the great storm
which was coming.


hurried on, and reached the doc
tors who | found was sick himself, and
not able to ride the distance he would
have to 60 that night. described as
near as could the symptoms of faith
er's complaint, and he fixed some med
icine, which he gave me, with direc-
tions for using, and then / went out
and mounted my horse to return.


The doctor followed me to the door,
and we talked for a minute or two of
the strange appearance of the sky to the
northward. He was of the opinion