"Under God, you saved her; and I shall bless you as long as I live for the noble deed. It was hard to lose her who is gone; it would have been doubly hard to lose both of them."
"O, I don't think anything of what I did," I replied. "My poor little sister here has done a good deal more than I have for her."
Mr. Goodridge took the hand of Flora, and thanked her as he had thanked me. I told him the story of our voyage down the river after Emily joined us, as briefly as I could, giving my poor sister the credit for all her careful and devoted nursing of the invalid.
"I must go now, sir," I added, when the narrative was finished.
"Indeed, you must not," said the grateful father, decidedly.
"I left Sim Gwynn on the raft. He is rather simple, and I am afraid something will happen to him."
"Not yet; my sister's clothes and other things are in the house."
He called the servant and ordered a carriage, saying he would go with me himself to the raft, and employ a man to take charge of it. We drove to the levee, where Mr. Goodridge sent for one of the porters in his warehouse, who was ordered to sleep on board, and see that nothing was stolen. Sim was directed to get into the carriage with us, and we went back to the house of the merchant.
"Hookie!" almost screamed Sim, as we entered the elegant mansion.