Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-06-29
Dear's Water Wheel Adventure.


Harvey Gates passed his days was II
charmed spot to his little daughter Dear
She loved to run down the hill and spring
In at the open door and call her father tC
his dinner. She loved tosee the glittering
saw singing its way through the hard
wood; and to watch her father as he stood
at the turning lathe, with a paper car
perched on his head and see the chp-like
shavngs fly from his chisel and settle over
and around him, till he looked not like 4
snow man, but chip man; his brown
eyes looking steadily out under the fringe
of shavinks hiding his eyebrows. But
best of all she loved to stand at the open
window over the great water wheel, and
watch it going slowly and heavily round
and round. Tne pond and milldam lay
just above the shop, and the water came
down in high wooden trough, and then
poured into the buckets set thick around
the outside of the wheel; constantly COM
ing up to be filled, and constantly going
down to pour out thanklessly the water
they had so bountifully received; ever
coming and going ceaselessly round and
round. When the pond was full. more
than enonUh water tn fill the hnckets cams
down the trough, pouring in bright
cascade over the wheel. sending showers
of spray in all directions. 1t was great
delight to toss handfuls Of turning shaw
ings over this cascade, and see them glide
down and float away like fleets of ships
on a turbulent stream. But in June and
July the fussy brook that fed the pond
grew shy and capricioas, giving barely
sufficient water to turn the wheel few
hours each morning; and when August
came it hid away in still, dark pools
overhung with alders and interlacing
grapevines, leaving long stretches of its
stony bed white and bare in the blazing
sunshine Then the great wheel stood
still for days and weeks together. Then,
if the children were very good, Dear was
permitted TO take Roundtop and Squaretop
and Tiptop, and play keep house in the
water wheel.
This would seem to be queer place to
keep house in, but its very charm consist
ed in its being queer place. At such
times the wheel was clean and dry. With
a little assistance from Deer. Roundtop
and Squaretop could Chamber in, Ciptop
could he lifted in, and as there was then
no water under the wheel, if they tumbed
out the tumble was Of little consequence; !;
indeed, it helped to diversity proceedings
and to keep up constant refrain of warn
ngs on Dears part. The stout, square
arms of wood that stretched hitler and
thither across the interior of the Wheel
were planted around the rims, leaving a
clear space tightly boarded through the
middle. Here Dear set her table and
brought in bits of plank for seats, and
fastened Tiptop so that he couldn't get
away as the wheel was firmly poised all
and the running and jumping and climbing
failed to make it bulge AN inch. Round.
top and Squaretop climbed along the
horizontal arms, and with bent pins
fastened to strings, ished in the dry bed
Of the stream-and such trout and roach
and sinners us they caught! One or the
other were continually getting bites. !"
and taking off imaginary fish and putting
them in imaginary baskets. Then Dear
cooked them over an imaginary fire. and
served them on imaginary plates. But
oh dear! how hungry they were when
their imaginary dinners were through!
They usually ended by a stampede up to
the house for thick slices OF rye bread and
butter that were anything but imaginary,
and were eaten with great gusto out un-
der the apple trees.
Directly alter Dear talk with her
father, when she told him how she had
tried to see God, he made this stipulation
with her mother. that since it was neces-
sary that Dear should have the care OF the
younger children, she should have one
hour each day that should be absolutely
free from care and responsibility. That
hour should be her own, to spend in her
own way, without question or comment; !;
and he made it his business to see that the
stipulation was carried into effect, till it
became habit with which no one of the
household thought of interfering. Out
side of that hour she was to TO do what
ever was required of her cheerfully and
promptly. No one could tell what relief
this arrangement was to Dear. The one
hour became the golden hour of the
twenty four.
Sometimes she spent it wandering up
and down the brook that bounded the
Gates farm, northeaSterly, till she knew
every bend and turn, every c!ump ol
alders and shining pool, making friends
with all the fishes therein. Sometimes
! -. Nhn bal nk
ta sue SPtn. sid. u ~ l,S" % of the brook learning
TppoSmo p}, ',amao;onSiv Sao wonderfnl woodIore'
l,r,t p''. "" ~. ,ho a"am oldor ,he honr was
nSnost naU 90 'n "oat h;ddon in snmes olitary
ol'eLesI il 80, 1P'is u; hand % ,o.t IN ali th;nos
llooA' % IN opon III dhan h' hlost from the in
else, ;|a,l e'tau i" S'Iuo non, NJ tho sbon warned
hon hon ,hn, NO. .ho |' ha,r had come to its end
ilel M". 'i'a' tu,nn,iv .nn % dnring the long. ho,
NO. un',s ,s'iu'nS .la h,,n ,nss nsssed in the
su'n'io. uaJ' ,,;n tu nO 'uhare ,he cnrve of ihf
wa'oi "neo' n, ,JmS JSu"rd with one b,nd
'Nr whee. hau saopeh ohoat Ip"l cool and oniet and
ua"S, unuu, nu, rnU adv m and on Sh.
fenu;ns rm ; u,i'''h" ,h;" hobi, e,rlv one sumner
lei, ln,o @ Vn's ,he nond nn veldea enouoh wate,
"nIle y1t 'no pono t,, ho,r0 in ,ba n,nrn
10 tur'i WIZ vllo "uo', .h',, oSs;hla there wa,
nv ,,ooa n'fu from rn,i tbs nopI The cate whicl
leakase 'loan ,lo .h on,r.noe pUnu Of ,he tronGl
snu. aowh u'va a,ar tne smd nn, strictly wate,
oeinS unooi WI "I,0, "n,inn would ,r;ctJ,
su.' onJ rnn dpwn n the wheel slow
I'i'puSn s'uu WY .'l =. ,hraa of ,ha ,onmo,,
~ ha'S wv ,,ba, ,hov ware oni,e fnll
puoAosI' .I .I", ",'u ,ndaon,u iurned half wa,
lne whoGi ';i,;sa 'u ,ho ,s.tar ont and swav'
tounu, sPn,'"s nI ,10 ,ro m" for a momsn,, tGe