New-York tribune., 1841-10-08
From the Gift for l54!.
THE TOUGH YARN:
Or IRE CAUSE Or JACK KoBISsos's LAsESEss.
BY SEBA SMITH
fCrncuded1

Then ne called the captain and asked him II
ne knew Us. The captain said ne didn't ne
man looked az US mighty sharp, hrst 70 father, and
then 70 me- and eyed Us from top 10 toe W
wasn't neither OF ia dressed very slick, AID we
could tell bv his looks pretty well what ne was was
thinking A. last ne said he would leave II TO 'he
passengers whether, under ell the Circumstance
he should pay the boy the ten dollars OF no..
looked at father and ms face was as red a' J:1,
and | see his daader begun to r'e. ne
wait for auy of the passengers to gi'e me-. ,,
about 1t, but says ne to the maH' 80 s,,
money, if vou've gotany more than you want !o@
;bro,, :, ;n,o tho sea for what care; but II
YOU offer any ct it to my boy Il setu 70" ""e.7
:, s,roaI of l;gbtning wouldn't reach you IN SIX
"Tba, seemed 10 settle the business; the man
a;dn,, any no more TO father and OF the pas
sapgers begun TO look "a II ,hey didn't believe
fefber wa, guilty. But number Of ume. after
that on the passage, | see the man that lost the
pocketbooh whisper ts sone OF the passengers,
and then turn and look at father. Ans then luther
would lool; gritty enough TO bite boardnall Oh.
When wc got ashore, rs soon as we got little out
of sight Of folks, father cached hold of ny arm
and gave it a mos, awful Jerk, and says he Jack
YOU blockhead, don't you never tell where any
thing is again, unless YOU can hrst tel hcw IL
come here.
Now it would be about IS difficult, continued
Mr. Robinson after a slight pause, which ne en-
ployed in taking sip from nj tumDier, tor me TO
tell 10 certainty how come by tuis lamenes', as
II was to tell how the pocke-book come in father
berth There was hundred folks abroad, and.we
knew some OF EN- must a nut tia; but winch one
twas. il would have puzzled u Phadelphia law
yer to tell. Well, it's pretty much so with my
iarneness This poor cg Of nine has gone through
some most ayyiul sieges, and it s wonder there
an inch OF it left. But II : pretty good leg yet;
I can almost Dear my weight upon IT; and with the
hello of crutch YOU d be surprised to see how
fast can get over the ground.
Then YOUR lameness is in the leg rather than in
1he foorr said Major Grant taking advantage Of
n short pause in Mr.. Robinson's speech.
Well, Twas going on TO tell you all the partcu-
lars. said Mr. Robinson. You've no idea what
terrible narrow chances I've gone through with
lhis leg.
Then the diilisuIty is in the leg is it not ? said
MAJOR Grant
Well. after l tell you the particulars, snid
Mr.. Robinson you can Judge for yourself. The
way it first got hurt was going in a swimming,
when | was about twelve ycars old. could swim
like a duck, and ue4 to be in Uncle Johns mill
pond along with his Stephen half the time. Uncle
John he always used to keep scoiding at us and
telling OF Us we should get sucked into the come
bme-by and break plaguy nccks under the
yyater-whccl. Bot we knew better. We d tried
it so much we could tell jest how near we could
90 to the gate and get away again without being
drawn through. But ono day Sleeve lest 10 plague
me. threw my straw hat into the pond between me
and the gate. was swimming about two rods
from the gate and the hat almost as near Us
we dared to 90 and the stream was sucking 1t
down pretty fast; so | sprung with ali NY might
10 catch the hat before it should go through and
get smashed under the water-wheel. When got
within about half my length OF ii, found was
as near the gate Us we ever dared to GO But
hated to lose the hat and thought might ven
1ure to 20 u little nearer, ! fetched spring
with all my might, and grabbed the hat and put 1t
on my head, AID turned back and pulled for my
life. A, first ! though | gained little, ana
made my hands aud feet fly as tight as | could
spring. In abeut minute | found didn gam
:, bit one way nor tother; and then | sprung rs !.
! would a tore my arms off, and II seemed as II
could feel the sweat star; all over ne night there
in the water begun to feel all at once as II
death had me by the heels. and | screamed for
help. Stephen was on The shore watching me, buI .
he condnt get near enough 10 help me. When
ne see / coudut gam aay, and heard me scream.
he was about ns scared as was, aad turned and
run towards the mill, and screamed tol uncle a.
loud - ne could baw In minute uncle come
unning to the ml-pond, and got there Jest time
,nouch 10 see me zoing through the gaze feet fore
most. Uncle said il he should I've to be- as old
lIethuselah. he shoAld never Iorgo' what be-
.eching look my ewes had As lifted up my hands
owards him and then sunk gusglng into the
loome He knew should be smashed all 10
lieces under tl.e great water-wheel but ne run
ound Us fast a< lie could to the tail OF the mill to
" ready to pick up my manslrd body when 1t got
through, 81 | might be carried home and buried.
'resenty he see me drifting along in the white
oam that came out from under the mill, and ne
,ot 4 pole with a hoo, to 1t and drawed me to the
more. la found | was not jammcd all TO pieces
Is he expected, t,oush he couldn't see any Signs
,f lilt But having considerable docto'. skull he
yest to work upon me, ans rolled me over, and I
-ubl;cd me. and worked upon me, till bime-by |
began 10 groan and breathe. And AT last | come I
to SO could speak. They carried me home and
sen, for doctor to examine me. My left foot and
eg was terribly bruised and one OF the bones broke,
and thnt was all the hurt there was on me. must
have gone lensthways right in between two buck
cts OF the waier-wheel, and that saved ny lie.
But this poor lex and foot got such bruisng l
wasn't able 10 90 u step on It for thee months,
and never got entirely over it to this day.
Then YOUR Iamcness Is in the leg ana foot both,
is j, not said Major Grant, hepng at this iayoga-
bic point to get an answer te this question.
On, il wasn't that brui>ing under the Mill
wheel said Mr. Jack Robinson, that caused tins
lameuess. though We no doubt it caused a part
OF it and helps TO make II worse; bu; 1t wasn't the
principal cause We had tougher scrapes than
that in my day, and was going on 10 tell YOU
what l s'pose hurt my leg more than any thing
else ever happened 10 ii. When was about
eighteen years old was the greatest hunter there
was withia twenty miles round had frst-rate
little fewlios-piecc ; she would carry as true as
hair. could hi squirrel fifty yards twenty
titn,s rlnnnr. Ani nj I'll ~. .ri,i,,- shnnt-