Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-03-24

lone of us boys was obliged to 90 tc
the old we'll every day" Walt began
,gain. Well.-"
II strikes me there are n great many
wells in this story" said Charley Bennett
You're right, old man. said Ray
It's all well; and what's more to the
purpose. it ends well. Well one noon
mother says to me. Walter, run as quick
rs possible and bring me some water; I've
none to boil the potatoes and the pudding
in. | do hope it will rain soon. If il
don't the old we'll will give out too, and
then don't know what we shall do Sc
of l started; and when got there, and
| began a-drawing the bucket up. my heart
jumped right into my mouth, for | heard
u faint little cry coming up with the buck.
ct. Thinks |, "A poor cat has fallen in !;
and leaned over and called, 'puss, poor
puss;' but, boys, very nearly tumbled in
myself, when II faint baby voice answered,
Me- You'd better believe wasn't long
in dropping over the side of that well.
Lucky for me it was made of big, uneven
stones, and managed to half slide. hall
climb down-cut my hands some. but |
never knew it till afterwards-till |
splashed in the water and touched bottom.
And there | found n little girl, the water
up to her chin. Oh dear, how glad | was
it hadn't rained in such long time
'Fraid, said she, holding out her dripping
little hands to me, and shvering with cold.
'Fraid!' | should think so, all alone in
that deep, dark well! took her up in
my arms-I could see she had shining
hair-and kissed her, and began to tell
her stores-'pon my word l did - Old
Mother Hubbard and such things, you
know. and she laid her head on my shoul-
der, and stopped and never said another
word but Dark, dark in IL frightened
little whisper, till we got out. Well,
friends and fellow citizens, stayed in that
slightly damp and not very agreeable
underground hotel for over an hour, and
it seemed like twenty-four hours to me-
BY that time our folks wanted their din
ner bad, and my mother sent Artie-that'S
the next boy to me-with another pail to
the well. 4 guess Walters gone to Jacks,
she says; and if he has, no pudding does
he get to-day That's the way mother
used to punish us; but, good gracious
she gave us so much of the pudding sauce
on our bread and butter we scarcely
missed the pudding. So Artie he comes
along, and begins to pull at the we'll rope.
Hello! calls l. He dropped the rope as
though he'd been shot. It's me, Walt
Ray yelled, afraid he was going to run
away. I'm in the WELL Why don't
you come out?' he screams, hanging over.
: Can't. And don't you come in, says / :;
rwo's company in WE'LL 'Twor says
he. Yes says l. i've found little
sister down here; and | couldn't leave her
to 60 for help; and l couldn't climb up
with her. Leg it home, old chap. and
bring some one to take us out And he
did leg it. Mother says it didn't seem as
though he had been gone more than five
minutes, when he flew into the kitchen
again. Down trooped the whole family
when they'd heard what Artie had to tell
with ropes and ladders and things, and in
II twinkling after they arrived on the spot
was on top of the earth again instead of
under it,and that shining haired baby was
being kissed all around. had touch of
the rheumatism for II couple of weeks,
and a few blacks and blues, and the baby
had n bad cold; but except that, we were
all right. And from that day 20 this we
have never been able to find out how that
child came in that well. But mother
thinks IL poor, crazy looking woman who,
Jacks folks said, had been wandering up
and down the shore that morning and who
was afterwards found drowned on the
beach near Jacks house, must bave low.
cred her into it, for some crazy reason or
other. before she drowned herself ANY,
way, she's our sister now; and | named
her Truth, cause they say truth is found
at the bottom of we'll. She's darling,
and us pretty as picture; and she and
Jack Young's sister, who came ashore
from II wreck in box, with Il cat, are the
best of friends. And that's the end. 1t
isn't much Of IL story, after all, is t?"
"Oh! isn't it?'' said Roy Orson Ursa
Minor Wheeler. " It's good enough to be
printed"
And somebody else Thought so too.-
Madge Elliot, IN BaldWin's AOnthly.