In a wild part of western Virginia there lived a poor old widow in a roughly made log hut on the edge of a valley,miles away from any neighbors. The railroad track ran close by on a wooden bridge across the steep valley.
She lived hard life of her own-without any help from the closest neighbors thirty miles away. Poor as she was,she made a great sacrifice.
One windy day in March,the snow was melting on the mountain,and the river that flowed through the valley was filled with an icy flood of melted snow. As the wind continued, the waters grew noisier, and their ceaseless roar made the woman and her daughter uneasy. They went to bed at last in fear and trembling.