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


people unwilling that their children
should go into the woods, for fear that
they might wander to the pond. And,
as they did not wish to do themselves
what they had forbidden to their chill
dren, they took their own rural walks
in others directions, and the woods, thus
getting a bad name throughout that
country, gradually became quite lonely
and deserted.
At the time of our story there lived in
the town of Danford a man named Cur
tbs Blake, who was well known on ac-
count of peculiar personal character
istic. He had no arms. He had been
soldier and had lost them both in
battle.
Curtis was strong, well-made man,
and as he had very good pair of legs
left to him after the misfortunes of war,
he used them in going errands and in
doing anything by which walking could
be made useful and profitable. But, as
there was not much employment OF this
kind to be had, he frequently found
himself with great deal of time-not
on his hands exactly-but which he
could not advantageously employ. Con-
sequently he used to ramble about a
good deal in purposeless sort of way,
and one summer afternoon he rambled
into theDanford woods.
He found it very cool and pleasant
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 thoughtfully out
upon its smooth and somber surface.
elf 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 l 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 l think there would certainly be
enough rope in the whole town to reach
to the bottom. But, having no arms, 1
couldn't lower a line, even if l had
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 a mind to try how deep
it is near shore''
If Curtis had been like other men, he
would have cut 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 out 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 rash and bold pro-
ceeding, but Curtis was bold fellow
and not very prudent, and he had be-
come very much interested in finding
out something about the bottom of this
pond. 1t 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 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 adj
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 slight rise in the bottom before
him. This made him very cautious, for
he knew that where there was q great
opening down into the bowels Of the
earth there was, almost always, 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
go down almost perpendicularly.
So no man ever moved more slowly
through the water than did Curtis now.
A few inches at 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 go 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