Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-08-06
au1BAGE's WELL.

built upon the latter little house, and
and begun saving money for the
Centennial.
But there was one drawback to Cub
bage's felicity. He had no pump of
his own. Cob, the man over the way,
and his wife had, on the day of Cub
bage's arrival in the new house, resolv-
ed themselves into committee of two,
backed by six or eight Coblets, as the
young Cobs were styled by an uncle Of
thcirs who was of a pathological turn,
and rendered to Gubbage's the run of
their pump.
But when the novelty of Gubbage's
coming had worn away, the Cob com
! mittee began to allude, rather loudly
when Gubbage was around, to "him as
had left the gate open," and to 'them
No IA boots as hid tranpled down
them young grape vines near the pump.
Gubbage, sensitive spirit as he was,
construed these remarks into insinua,
tions rejecting on his punctuality in
closing gates behind him and deroga-
tory to the neatness of his boots. So
he resolved to dig a we'll OF his own,
and ''let Cob 60 to thunder with his
pump" not considering in his anger
the difficulties Mr.. Cob would have to
cope with in the latter attempt. Accor
dinghy, the well was commenced, and
went on, or rather down, prosperously,
until when about twenty feet had been
attained, vein of hard, slatish sub
stance rendered further digging i'm
possible.
The happy thoughts struck Cub
bage that blasting would be good.
Immediately that monotonous chron-
icle the ''store- book" was enlivened by
these interesting entries; giant powder,
$500; fuse, 25 cents. With these
materials Gubbage soon got a blast
ready.
But here new difficulty arose; how
was it to be ignited? To descend the
we'll, apply the match and he hauled
up by means Of rope would have
been just the thing for Gubbage's ro-
mantle nature, but there was Mrs. Cub
bage, he said, who might possibly be
left widow, and "what," he dis
interestedly added, sis this world to a
man when his wife is widder?"
After much cogitation he struck on
the plan of throwing lighted shavings
from above upon the fuse-a plan
having no possible bearing, he said, on
Mrs. Gubbages ''widowhood.' Having
performed this ingenious feat he ran,
with solicitous alacrity, to the back
kitchen to apprise Mrs. Gubbage of the
coming shock, lest it should take her
unawares. But as the shock seemed
in no wise in hurry to take place,
Gubbage got rather uncomfortable
crouching behind the kitchen stove,
and sailed out cautiously to reconnoitre
the scene of danger. With the utmost
GOODNESS he neared the we'll, lodging
from clothes-post to ash barrel, now
advancing on all tours, now crawling
to mind the symptoms of the Bald
Mountain rumblings, and expecting
every moment to her that blast 60 off.
When very near the aperture his vivid
imagination reveals to him unmistak-
able signs of an imminent eruption.
Quick as thought he starts back to
warn Mrs Gubbage mo doubt) in the
kitchen; but as that lady had, through
curiosity and uxorial solicitude,
stealthily followed her lord, he found
her so close in his wake that both
rolled over stray wheelbarrow to-
gether in mutual establishment.
1t happened that at this critical juno
ture, his wife's mother returned, in
happy ignorance of the blasting bust
ness, from a neighboring quilting
match, and taking in her daughters
situation at a glance, rushed to the
rescue with bombazine umbrella and
leather reticule.
Gubbage did not obtain the object
he had in view by yelling out-'the
blast! the blast! Mrs Sniggs!' as that
indignant old lady took this to be some
'new tangled" phrase of profanity
coupled with her name.
At length, matters were cleared up
which is more than could be said Of
Gnhbage's complexion, and she of the
leather reticule stamped off triumphant-
ly, muttering pungent sarcasms cons
corning "some as don't know to do
nothing right"
Stung to the quick by the pointed
ness Of these remarks, as we'll as by
that of the umbrella handle, Gubbage
declared reckless resolve tc eight
fuse. or leave Mrs. Gubbage wilder. I"
Swelling with these emotions, he de-
scended the well, while his brother-in-
law and his wifes uncle, who had been
called over, stood ready at the windlass
to haul him up, his mother-in-law
| haino nosted at the narret xindow fo