The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-06-04

a good deal more than half way across
the pond! He had walked right over
the place where that mysterious depth
was supposed to be, and the water had
not reached his shoulders. The gradual
rise in the bottom, which he supposed to
be mound, was the rise toward the OPP
posite shore!
When Curtis Blake had finished
laughing, he pushed through the water
as fast as he could go-he almost ran
and in very few minutes he stood on
the bank, at the other side of the pond.
He turned and looked back over the wa
ter. He had crossed over the very mid
die of the pond!
Then he laughed and laughed again,
forgetting his wet clothes, forgetting
everything but the fact that he, without
ropes or leads or boat or raft, or even
arms, had found the bottom of this
dreaded piece of water, that he had act
ually put his foot upon the great mystery
of the Black Pondi
When his merriment and delight be-
gan to quiet down a little, he waded into
the water again, at different point
from that where he came out, and
crossed the pond in another direction,
this time walking freely, and as rapidly
as he could go. Then he ran in again,
and walked about near the middle. In
no place was it much above his waist.
When Curtis was fully convinced that
this was the case, and that he had
walked pretty nearly all over the bottom
of Black Pond-at least, that part of the
bottom where the water was deepest
he came out and went back to the town.
Curtis met no one as he hurried along
the road from the woods, but as soon as
he reached the town he went into a
large store, where he was well acquaint-
ed. There were good many people
there, waiting for the afternoon mail,
for, at one end of the store was the post
office.
Why, Curtis Blake!' exclaimed a
man, as he entered. "You look as if
you had been half drowned"
"I ought to look that way" said
Curtis, "for I've been to the bottom of
the Black Pond"
No one made any response to this as
founding assertion. The people Just
stood and looked at one another. Then
Mr.. Faulkner, the owner of the store,
exclaimed:
"Curtis, am ashamed of you! You
must be tipsy."
"No man ever saw me tipsy," said
Curtis, without getting in the least an
cry. He had expected to astonish peo-
pie and make them say strange things.
"Then you are crazy" replied Mr..
Faulkner, "for no man could go to the
bottom of Black Pond and come back
alive"
"There isn't any bottom!" cried one
of the little crowd. elbow could he go
to the bottom when there is no bottom
there?"
This made the people laugh, but Cur
tbs still persisted that what he had told
them was entirely correct. Not soul,
however, believed him, and everybody
began to try to prove to him, or to the
rest, that what he had said could not
possibly be true, and that it was all stuff
and nonsense. There was SO much in
terest in the discussion that no one
thought of going to see if any letters
had come for him. There could be no
more exciting news in any letter or news
paper than that a man avowed he had
gone to the bottom of Black Pond.
"Wen," said Curtis, at last, "these
clothes are getting to feel unpleasant,
now that I'm out of the sun, and don't
want to stay here any longer to talk
about this thing. But I'll tell you all,
and you can tell anybody you choose,
that tomorrow morning at nine O'Clock
I'm going again to the bottom of Black
Pond, and any one who has a mind to
can come and see me do it."
And with these words, he walked off.
There was a great deal of talk that
evening in Danford about Curtis Blake,s
strange statement and about what he
had said he would do the next day.
Most persons thought that he intended
some hoax or practical joke; for man
without arms, and who, therefore, could
not swim, could not 90 to the bottom of
an ordinary river and expect to come
back again alive. OF course, ANYBODY
could go to the bottom and stay there.
There was certainly some trick about it.
Curtis was known to be fond of a Joke.
But whatever people thought on the SUBJ
JNNo3 "hu ohOiO WOiO gnu Llduy ullIcr-
ent opinions, every man and boy who
could manage to do it made up his mind
to 60 the next day at nine O'Clock and
see what Curtis Blake intended to do at
Black Pond. Even if it should turn out
to be all a hoax, this would be a good
opportunity TO visit the famous pond,
for, with so many people about, there
could not be much danger. Quite a
crowd of interested towns-folk assem-
bled on the shore of the Black Pond the
next day, and Curtis did not disappoint
them.
About nine o'clock he walked in
among them, wearing the same boots
and clothes which he had worn the day
before, and then, after looking around,
as if to see that everybody was paying
attention, he deliberately walked into the
pond.
At this, everybody held his breath,
but in moment there arose calls to
him to come back, and not make fool
of himself. He had no board, no life
preserver, nor anything with which he
could save himself when he should be-
gin to sink. But, fearful as the people
were for his safety, not one dared to run
in and pull him back.
On he went, as he had gone before,
only walking good deal faster this time,
and the people now stood still, without