Litchfield enquirer., 1874-10-29

steered in shore! Again and again con- founded-as far as mental eiacnIations could do it-his suggestions.
 I was. rapidly becoming frantic when I met person who hailed me.
 "Helloi" he said, "are you after canal boat adrift?"
 ''Yes.' I panted.
 ''1 thought you was," he said You looked that way. We'll. I can tell you, where she Is. She's stuck fast in the reeds at the lower end O Peter's Pint"
 Where's that?" said 1.
 "Oh, it's about a mile furder up' I seed her adriftin' up with the tide-big flood tide, to-day-and thought I'd see somebody after her, afore long. Any thing aboard?"
 Anything!
 l could not answer the man. Anything. indeed! I hurried on up the river with out a word. Was the boat wreck? I scarcely dared to think of it. I scarcely dared to think at all
 The man called after me and stopped. 1 could but stop, no matter what might hear.
 Hello, mister" he said, "got any to- 1 bacco?''
 walked up to him. I took hold of him by the lapel of his coat It was a dirty lapel, as I remember even now, but I didn't mind that
 Look here," said l. 'Tell me the truth, l can bear it. Was that vessel wrecked?"
 The man looked at me little aueerly. l could not exactly interpret his expres- sion.
 "1ou re snre you kin bear it?" said he.
 ''Yes." said I, my hand trembling as I held his coat.
 Well, then" said he. "It's morn kin. and he jerked his coat out of my hand and sprang away. When he reach ed the other side of the road, he turned and shouted at me, as though I had been deaf
 ''Do you know what think?" he yelled. ''l think you're darned lunatic, ' and with that he went his way
 hastened on to Peters Point. Long before l reached it, I saw the boat.
 It was apparently deserted But still I pressed on. must know the worst. When 1 reached the Point, 1 found that the boat had run aground, with her head in among the long reeds and mud and the rest of her hull lying at an angle from the | shore
 There was consequently no way for me to get on board, but to wade through the mud and reeds to her bow, and then climb up as we'll as conld.
 This did, but it was not easy to do. I'Wlce sank above my knees in mud and water, and had it not been for reeds. masses of which I frequently clutched when l thought was going over, I be- lieve l should have fallen dowr. and come to my death in that horrible marsh. When l reached the boat, I stood up to my hips ill water and saw no way of climb ing mp. The gang plank had undoubted- 1 ly t1oated away, and if it had not, it would have been of no use to me in my 1 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 was that the boat was an old one and had cracks!-and so, painfully and slowly, slipping part way down once or twice, and besliming myself from head to foot, l climbed up that post and scram. bled upon deck. In an instant, l reached the top of the stairs, and in another in- stant 1 rushed below.
 There sat my wife and our boarder. one on each side of the dining-room table, complacently playing checkers. x
 My sudden entrance startled them. My appearance startled them still more.
 Euphemia sprang to her feet and totter- cd toward me-
 ''Mercy!' she exclaimed: "has anything happened?'
 ''Happened!' gasped.
 Hook here, cried the boarde~, clutch ing me by the arm, "what a condition you're ill. Did you fall in?' Fall 1ni" said T. Euphemia and the boarder looked at each other. I looked at them. Then I opened my mouth ill earnest. II suppose you don. know" I yelled, that you have drifted away!
 By George!" cried the boarder, and In two bounds he was on deck. Dirty as was, Euphemia fell into my arms. l told her all. She hadn't known bit of itl
 The boat had so gently drifted off. and had so gently grounded among the reeds, that the voyage had never so much as dis turbed their game of checkers
 ''He plays such splendid game" Flu phemia sobbed, land just as you came, I thought was gong to beat him. I had two kings and two pieces on the next to the last row, and you are nearly drowned. You'll get your death of cold-and-and -iS AA"O OAAJ OAO A1uS.
 She led me away and undressed and washed myself and put on my Sunday clothes.
 When reappeared, went out on deck with Euphemia. The boarder was there, 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, D he said, T should not have hauled it in; but It vas such little anchor that I thought It would be Of more use on board as garden hoe"
 "A very little anchor will sometimes do very well, said cuttingly, ~when it is hooked around tree. :" ....
 s'Yes, there is something in that" said | be-.
 It was now growing late, and as our agi- tatlon subslded we began to grow hungry. Fortunately, we had everything necessary 1 on board, and, as it really 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 l had been put on to boil during the check | er-playing.
 Alter supper, we went on deck to smoke, as was our custom, but there was |
 A'An 0ooAneeS DetWeen me ana our 1 boarder.
 Early the next morning arose and went up stairs to consider what had better he done, when saw the boarder standing on shore, near by. -.-.4... - Hello" he cried, ''the tides down and 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. It floated ashore about | a quarter of mile below here" l 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 diff l cuHy in so doing:l Then we carried the lroning-table on deck and shipped it into |