The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-12-18

masses of whicn l frequently clutched
when thought I was going over, l be-
lieve 1 should have fallen down and
come to my death in that horrible
marsh. When I reached the boat, l
stood up to my hips in water and saw
no way of climbing up. The gang
plank had undoubtedly foated away,
and if it had not, it would have been of
no use to me in my position.
But was desperate. I clasped the
post that they put in the bow of canal
boats; / stuck my toes and my finger
nails in the cracks between the boards
/ how glad l was that the boat was old
and had cracks!-and so, painfully and
slowly, slipping part way down once or
twice, and besliming myself from chin
/ to.foot, l climbed up that post and scram-
bled upon deck. In an other instant, l
reached the top of the stairs, and in an
other instant rushed below.
! There sat my wife and our boarder,
/ one on each side of the dining-table,
complacently playing checkers!
/ My sudden entrance startled them.
Ny appearance startled them still more.
/ Euphemia sprang to her feet and tot
tered toward me.
Mercy she exclaimed: "has any
thing happened?"
"Happenedp' I gasped.
"Look here" cried the boarder,
clutching me by the arm, "what con-
dition you're in. Did you fall in?"
"Fall in" said /.
| Euphemia and the boarder looked at
each other. looked at them. Then
| opened my mouth in earnest.
81 suppose you don't know" yelled,
"that you have drifted away"
"By George" cried the boarder, and
/ in two bounds he was on deck.
Dirty rs was, Euphemia fell into my
a bit of it,
The boat had so gently drifted off,
and had so gently grounded among the
reeds, that the voyage had never so
much as disturbed their games of check
/ ers.
"He plays such splendid game" Eu-
phemia sobbed, "and just as you came, l
thought l was going to beat him. | had
two kings and two pieces on the next to
last row, and you are nearly drowned.
You'll get your death of cold-and- and
he had only one king,
She led me away and 1 undressed and
washed myself and put on my Sunday
clothes.
When I reappeared, I went out on
deck with Euphemia. The boarder was
standing by the petunia bed. His arms
were folded and he was thinking pro-
foundly. AS we approached, he turned
toward US.
"You were right about that anchor"
he said, 81 should not have hawled it in;
but it was such a little anchor that 1
thought it would be of more use on
board as a garden hoe"
"a very little anchor will sometimes
do very WELL" said l, cuttingly, "when
it is hooked around a tree"
eyes, there is somthing in that" said
he
1t was now growing late, and as our
agitation subsided we began to grow
hungry. Fortunately, We had every
thing necessary on board, and, as it real
ly didn't make any difference in our
household economy, where we happened
to be located, we had supper quite as
usual. In fact, the kettle had been put
on to boil during the checker-playing.
Early the next morning I arose and
went up stairs to consider what had bet
ter be done, when 1 saw the boarder
standing on shore near by.
"Hello!" he cried, "the tides down and
and I got ashore without any trouble.
You stay where you are. I've hired a
couple of mules to tow the boat back.
They'll be here presently. And, hello!
I've found the gang-plank. 1t Aoated
ashore about a quarter of mile below"
; In about ten minutes the mules and
two men with long rope appeared, and
then one of the men and the boarder
came on board (they didn't seem to have
any difficulty in SO doing). Then we
carried the ironing-table on deck and
shipped it into its place as rudder.
We were then towed back to where we
belonged.
And We are there yet. Our bo4rder
remains with US, as the weather is still
fine, and the coldness between us is grad
ually diminishing. But the boat is moor.
ed at both ends, and twice day look
&, to see if the ropes are all right.
The petunias are growing beautifully
but the geraniums do not seem to -four
ish. Perhaps there is not sufficient
depth of earth for them. Several time,
our boarder has been on the point of sug
gesting something in regard to them, but
for some reason or other, he says moth.
, ing.