The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-05-27

here, and he could not help thinking
what a pity it was that the towns-peo-
pie could not make a resort of these
woods, which were so convenient to the
town and so delightful in every way.
But, of course, he knew it would never
do for families, or for any one, in fact,
to frequent the vicinity of such dam
gerous piece of water as the Black Pond.
And, thinking of the Black Pond, he
walked on until he came to it and stood
upon its edge, gazing thoug htfully out
upon its smooth and sOmber surface.
"If I had arms" said Curtis to him
self, "I'd go to work and find out just
how deep this pond is. I'd have boat
carted over from Stevens's Inlet-it's
only four or five miles-and I'd row out
into the middle of the pond with all the
clothes-line could buy or borrow in the
town, and I'd let down a good, heavy
lead, that wouldn't be pulled about by
currents. I'd fasten on line after line,
and I think there would certainly be
enough rope in the whole town to reach
to the bottom. But, having no arms, I
couldn't lower a line, even if had a
boat. So can't do it, and I'm not go.
ing to advise any other folks to try it.,
for ten to one they'd get excited and
tumble overheard, and there would be
an end of them, and I'd get the blame
of it. But I'd like to know, anyway,
how soon the bottom begins to shelve
down steep. If we knew that, we could
tell if there'd be any danger to little
codger who might tumble in from the
shore. And if it does shelve sudden, the
town ought to put up high fence all
around it. I've mind to try how deep
it is near Shore"
If Curtis had been like other men, he
would have cut a long pole and tried the
depth of the pond short distance from
land. But he could not do that, and
there was only one way in which he
could carry cat his plan, and that he de-
termined to try. He would carefully
wade in and feel with his feet for the
place where the bottom began to shelve
down. This was a rash and bold pro-
ceeding, but Curtis was a bold fellow
and not very prudent, and he had be-
come very much interested in finding
out something about the bottom of this
pond. It was not often, now, that he
had anything to interest him.
He wore high boots, in which he had
often waded, and his clothes were thin
linen, of not very good quality, SO that
if they became blackened by the water
it would not much matter. As for TAX
ing cold when he came out, Curtis
never thought of that. He was a rough
fellow and could soon dry himself in the
sun.
Having made up his mind, he did not
further delay, but stepped cautiously in
to the water. Even near the shore he
could not see the bottom, and he moved
very slowly out, feeling his way care
fully with one foot before he made step.
He did not expect that the bottom would
begin to descend rapidly very near the
shore, but as he got out ten or fifteen
feet from land and found the water con-
siderably above his knees, he began to
take still greater precautions. He ad-
vanced sidewise, standing on one foot
and stretching the other one out as far
as he could, to make sure that he was
not on the edge of an unseen precipice.
In this way he went slowly on and on,
the water getting deeper and deeper,
until it was up to his waist. He now
felt q slight rise in the bottom before
him. This made him very cautious, for
he knew that where there was a great
opening down into the bowels of the
earth there was, almost always, a low
mound thrown up around it, and this
mound he had probably reached. II
sloped up very gently on the side where
he was, but on the other side it might
90 down almost perpendicularly.
So no man ever moved more slowly
through the water than did Curtis now
A few inches at a time, still feeling be-
fore him with one foot, he went eau
tiously on. He was very much excited,
and even little afraid that he might
unaware reach the edge of the preci-
pice, or that the ground might suddenly
crumble beneath him. He had not in
tended to venture in so far. But he did
not tnrn back. He must 60 q little
further. He had almost reached the
edge of the great mystery of the Black
Pond!
But he had not reached it yet. The
ground on which he stood still rose, al
though by slow degrees, so that he was
really hlgner OUT OF WAFER tnan ne na0
been ten minutes before.
Suddenly he looked up from the water,
down on which he had been gazing as if
he had expected to see some deeper
blackness beneath its black surface, and
glanced in front of him. Then he turned
and looked behind him. Then he stood
still, and gave great shout.
The shout echoed from the surround
ing woods; the birds and the insects,
and the rabbits, which few, and hum
med, and jumped about so freely in those
solitudes, must have been amazed!
Such shout had not been heard near
the Black Pond in the memory of any
living thing.
It was repeated again and again, and
It was shout of laughter!