Sharp County record., 1881-05-05
THE BROKEN PEG.

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which shut in the waters of stream
that ran into the river a few miles be-
low. Quite a large body OF water was
thus held back by the dam, while below
it the stream was narrow and shallow.
In the dam was a sluice-gate, which
could be raised by a lever, and by
which the water could be let off, when
ever it was necessary. 1t was not a
very tight gate, and good deal of
water ran through its cracks; but that
did not matter, for there was plenty of
water left for the uses of the towns
people.
On the top of this dam, which was
wide enough to serve as a bridge, four
children were amusing themselves one
summer day Oscar, the largest boy,
had put on a bathing dress, which was
nothing more than pair of short
trousers, and had climbed down to the
stream, to see if he could take swim.
But he had found that the swimming
did not amount to much, for there was
only one place-a moderately deep pool
just under the sluice-gate-where he
could have any chance of striking out
with his arms and legs. So he soon
climbed up again to the top Of the
dam. He would have been glad to
bathe in the great pond above the dam,
but that was not allowed.
Little Lolita, the only girl in the
party, had been watching Oscar, and
had lost her cap, which had tumbled
off into some bushes below, at the side
of the stream. She had called to Oscar
to get it for her, but he was already
halfway up the face of the dam, and
he did not want to 90 back. He was
not related to Lolita, and she had two
brothers there. If she wanted her cap,
one of them could 90 down and get it.
He did not consider that it was not a
pleasant thing for boy, with his Or
dinary clothes on, to scramble down the
wet face of the dam.
Lotta began to cry, and her younger
brother, Peter, said he would roll up
his trousers and 90 down for her cap.
This, however, made Carl, her other
brother, laugh. He said he would try
to get the cap with a stick, and if he
could not reach it he would 90 down
himself. He was nearly as big as Oscar,
and could climb just as well.
So he got long stick, and, taking
this in one nand, he got over the edge
of the dam, holding with his other hand
to peg which was driven into beam
that ran along the top. Then he braced
his feet against the dam, and grasping
the peg very tightly, he reached down
toward the cap with his stick. 1t was
white muslin cap, and hung lightly
on the edge of the bush. Ii he could
but hook his stick into any part of it it
would be easy to bring it up.
He had just worked his stick under
the front of it when crack! went the
peg and down went Carl!
Oscar, Just before this, had reached
the top of the dam, and had run into
the house near by to dress. Little Lolita
and Peter were so astounded when they
saw Carl 90 down, and heard the great
splash beneath, that they just stood for
moment with their mouths open.
Then they began to cry and ran off to
find somebody to help.
Oscar soon came running out OF the
house, and some men who happened to
be working near by were attracted by
the children cries, and went to them.
When they heard the story, they all
hurried to the dam and looked over,
but there was nothing to be seen of
Carl Then the men, with Oscar, ran
to the end of the dam and hurried down
to the edge of the stream. One of
them waded in. and felt, with his bare
feet, all over the bottom of the pool.
He thought Carl might have been
stunned bv the fall, and was lying there.
But he did not find him. Perhaps he
had been carried down the stream, one
of them suggested; but this was not
likely, as the water was so shallow be-
low the pool. Still, the men, with Oscar
and the two children, went down the
stream for some distance, examining it
closely. But there was no sign of Carl
Then the men came to the conclusion
that the boy had not fallen off the dam
at ALL or else that he had jumped out
of the water and gone home in hurry.
He certainly was not drowned, for, if
that had been the case, they could have
found him. So they grumbled little,
and went back to their work, while
Lolita and Peter ran home to see if their
brother was there.
When the peg broke, Carl instructive
ly gave a great push with his feet, and
this caused him to turn completely over,
so that he went into the pool feet fore
most.
The distance which he fell was not
great, and the water broke his fall but
it was very much astonished and
startled boy who, for moment, found
cred and splashed in that pool. When
he could really see where he was, he
half-swam, half-waded to the shore, and
ran up the bank as fast as he could 90.
As soon as he had recovered little
from the confusion into which this sud
den accident had thrown his mind, he
began to wonder if his body was all
right. So he kicked out his legs, and
ii6 Il : Il : cut Ills, anu SUUn IUunu
that nothing was the matter with any
part of him. But he noticed that he
held in his hand the peg to which he
had clung when he was reaching for
his sisters cap. 1t seemed strange that
ne should sill tightly grasp this little
stick; but people often dc such things
w hon aynitaI