Connecticut western news., 1875-06-11
TOO MUCH WATER.
e A Sketch for the Rows,

TOO MUCH MATER. .rrag a q" '..'' Sketch Sq for the Roy.,, 5.. .' . In the "t1Young Surveyor, v in St! ,Nicho7Gs, is given a sketch that will in- terest all the boys. " ....',,,...,.,,I! ,"
 Jack, the young surveyor, who had left the city to visit his friends in the country, found the boys at the lower end of the house, with the ,steeRs and wagon, and we will let the author give the sketch in his own worlds, ..-.. .:1y ?, .e
 "What' the news 2''' he asked ;" 1 i1 "The news with us is, that we're out ofgrain-water;n Rufe replied. O. '' II Al, | t"I-should think so, ,, said Jack, lOokt ing into dry, hogshead which stood un- der the caves -spout,r,-,, r.ca,1 2ag -,r all our water by the pailful. So we are going to fill these things at the river, and make the steers haul 'eahg'irf 99A 9o
 There were three gwash-tulos and 0 barrel, which the boys were putting upon the bottom boards of the wagon box, from which the sides had been re- moved. :" .'l't " "+. E'''. ..' '''' '
 When he went out he found the boys waiting, and accepted a seat with Wad and Link on a board placed across two of the tubs. Rufe walked by the cattle's horns; while in the third tub sat Chokie. ,''" You can't sit in that tub going back, you know, " said Link. a' 9151" gl !" Yes, I canl I will" And Ohokie clung fast to the handles. ,.. i.. t12 -- 70, eXXell, you can if you want to, I suppose,'' said Link; but it will be full of water" 2" '''' 7r'.'''
 They passed the potato-patch, crossed @ strip of meadow land below, and then rounded &. bend in the river, in the direction of a deep place the boys knew.
 Rufe backed the hind wheels of. the wagon into. the river, over the deep place, and asked Wad which he would do-dip the water and pass it up By the pailful, or stay ill the wagon and receive it. ..j -a,tre,ft9 ,-.. .,,rf -. ..,. ..,fs <, X, ., "sWhoever dips it up has got to stand in the river above his knees," said Wad; "and I don't mean to get wet to- day."
 "Very we'll; stay in the wagon, then. You'll get as wet as l shall; for I m going to, pull off my, shoes and roll up my trousers. Chokie, you keep in that tub, just where you are, till the tub is wanted. Link, you'd better go into the river with me, and dip the pails, while I pass em up to Wad. sl. .1 "I never can keep my trousers-legs rolled up, and sin't going to get wet" said Link. Then, whispering to Jack !" There's leeches in this river; they get right into fellows flesh and suck his blood like sixty" d Rufe went in bare-legged, and stood on the edge of the deep hole, where the water was hardly up to his knees. Much as he disliked, ordinarily, to set about any work, he was strong and active when once reused and the pails of water went up on the wagon about as fast as Wad cared to take them. s'',I' '', ,. E "Hullo! Don't slop SO You're wet ting my feetl'' cried Wad. .
 " I can't keep from spilling &. drop once in awhile. You might have taken of your shoes and rolled up your trou- sers, as I did" :H--' '"
 The barrel was soon two-thirds full, and Wad called upon Link to help him move it forward. Link left his seat by Jacks side, and walked back to the rear of the wagon. Wad, as we know, was already there So was the barrel of water, standing just back of the rear axletree! So also, was fresh pail of water, which Rufe had placed at the extreme end, because Wad was not ready to take it.
 At that moment the oxen, hungry for fresh grass, and having nipped all within reach of their noses, started up little. Jack, thinking to prevent mischief by running to their heads, leaped from the front of the wagon. 's -..i7 t~
 Thisabrupt removal of weight from one end, and large incfease of avoirdu- pois at the other, produced natural but very surprising result. lChokie ill his tub, though at the long end of the beam, so to speak (the rear axletree being the fulcrum), was not heavy enough to coun- terbalance two brothers and barrel of water at the short end.
 He suddenly felt himself rising ill the air, and sliding with the empty tubs. His brothers at the same moment felt themselves sinking and pitching. There was 0 chorus of shrieks, as they made desperate effort to save themselves. Too late; the wagon bottom reared, and away went barrel, boys, tubs, every thing. . The oxen, started at the alarm, helped to precipitate the catastrophe. For tunately, Jack was at hand to stop them, or the dismantled wagon might have gone. flying across the lot, even fast enough to suit Links notion of speed.
 Rufe made one quick effort to pre- vent the boards from tipping up, then leaped aside, while the discharged load shot past him. '5;.
 Chokie, screaming, held fast to the sides of his tub with both hands. Wad, intending to jump, plunged into the deepest part of the river Link made a snatch at the barrel, and, play ing at leap frog overit Every unwillingly), went headlong into the deep hole.
 Chokie met with wonderfully good fortune; his tub being launched so neatly, and baliasted so nicely by him sitting in the bottom, that it shipped but splash of water, and he foated away, unhurt and scarcely wet at all,