Year: 1876

4
yes. Yes--and / sat down and wrote
a reply, saying that I would take the
case. But did not mail it at once.
That night put it under my pillow
and slept over it and on the follow.
ing morning / threw it into the Gre.
! would not make up my mind until I
had Seen other parties-until 1 had
been on the grounds. And 1 wrote to
Laban Sarfnrt to wait.


"Two weeks later I harnessed NV
horse to the wagon, and with my wife
and child started for Shireton. / had
been married two years, and our little
babe, girl, was year old, our pride,
our pet, and our darling. Shireton
was at a distance of about thirty miles.
We had been having rainy weather for
week or so, and it had now cleared
OF bright and beautiful. We stopped
and took dinner at wayside inn, four
miles beyond which was stream which
must be forded. The inn.keeper told
me that the stream was somewhat
swollen from the late rains, but that if
my horse was trusty there could be no
danger. m


ARRIVED at the stream, the Wan.
patuck river, ! found the water indeed
Tisens and the current strong, but /
saw that others had recently gone over
and l resolved to venture. knew
my horse, and had faith in him. My
wife was anxious, but she trusted my
Judgment. A third of the way across
the water was over the hub of the
wheels. A little more, and it would
haze reached the body of the wagon.
| began to be alarmed; feared I had
left the true track. Presently my
horse stumbled and staggered, having
evidently stepped on moving stone.
The wagon swayed and tipped, and tho
food poured in upon US. My wife
slipped, and in moments we were
struggling in the water. With one
hand / grasped the harness upon the
horse and with the other 1 held my
wife. ] was thus struggling when
wild cry from her lips startled the air.
Our child was washed away.


"Oh, my soul cannot tell you
what ! 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. In the distance, upon the
bosom of the surging food could see
our liStle one, her white dress cleaning
in the sun, being borne swiftly away.
A moment more and / saw a man
plunge from the bank into the river.
l saw this much, and then an inter.
vening point of land shut out the
scene. The horse was now rapidly
nearing the shore, and ere long my
wife and / were on dry land, with the
horse and wagon. AS soon as l was
sure my wife was safe l left her TO
care for the horse while / posted off
down the river bank in quest of the
swimmer and the child.


"YOu may well understand that all
this time | was frantic. / was ma.
chine being operated upon by surg
log and agonizing emotion. How long
or how far wandered l do not know,
but at lengh l met a man, wet and
dripping, with my darling in his arms,
my darling safe and sound. He told
me that he had caught the child with
in few rods of the falls, and that in
landing he had cleared the fatal abyss
by not more than two yards. He was
a young man, not more than twenty
FIVE, handsome and stalwart. He said
he had seen my wagon tip, and was
coming to my assistance when he saw
the child washed away. I threw my
life into the balance, said he, with a
genial smile, and, thank God both
the lives were savedr


al asked him how / should ever re.
pay him. He stopped me with an i'm
ploring gesture:


elf you talk of more pay than l
have already received" he said, eff
you can rob me of the only solid
reward l can claim, mercyl if saving
the life of such cherub is not enough
of reward in itself, then hard is the
heart that Graves more" And with
mOistened eyes he told that he had a
child Of bis own at home -an only
child Of very nearly the same age.


! 81 asked if be YQnld tell me his
name. With a smile, he answered
that his name did not matter-he was
not sure that he had a name. l then
asked him if he knew me. be nodded
and said he thought might be Mr..
darlington of Walbridge. When /
told him he was correct he said that
he must hurry home. And with that
= t,...,.A o,,o~, I Svao too daaDlv