performer whose polonaise had disappeared in the gulf. As all were in
different stages of _deshabille_, no gentleman could be called to
the rescue; so I lay down on my face and groped about with my hands till
I fished it up. But before I succeeded, two or three people were standing
on my skirts, and a pile of gipsy costumes was deposited on my legs. My
rising sent dismay to the owners' hearts, and they wailed that they would
"never be able to find their things again!"

When the great night arrived we, by means of jewellery constructed of
gold paper and glass buttons, and other ingenious devices, made a
brilliant show, and the general effect was pronounced excellent. We had
crowded houses for _two_ consecutive nights, and the only drawback
to the pleasure of our _tableaux_ was the sad and sudden death of
one of Captain H----'s children, which took place on the first night, and
aroused general sympathy.

Soon after our theatrical entertainments the snow almost entirely
disappeared, cricket was played on the prairie, and people began to look
forward to the reopening of navigation, and to bet actively on the day
and hour when the first steamboat would arrive; though the ice was still
so solid that horse-races were held on the river.

The 20th of April was a warm day, succeeding heavy rains, and it was
hoped that the ice would move next day. In the evening we were at our
assembly in the town-hall, which is built on the side of a broad, shallow
_coole_, or gully. About ten o'clock, seeing several people look
anxiously from the windows, we went to inquire the cause, and found the
"water was out." Freshets from the prairies were rushing down the
_coole_ beneath, carrying everything before them--dog-kennels, logs,
broken furniture, boxes, and all the usual _debris_ found scattered