Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-10-05
A Ride on q Windmill.

niue oH
want to tell you about something thai
happened many years ago in the town ol
Nantucket.
Quite on the brow of the highest hIl
stood curious old-fashioned mill, the
sails Of which were so long that they nearly
touched the ground, and of course they
rose almost as high above the top of ths
mill when they were whpled up by the
wind.
Near this old windmill the miller lived,
with his wife and two children.
John was sturdy, sun-browned boy,
two years older than Dorothy, but he was
very good and gentle to her, for he loved
his sister dearly. and spent much of hi:
time playing with her. They were always
happy together, and IN summer, when the
weather was fine. they used to sail tiny
boat on one of the many ponds Their
little craft was not French toy with
painted hull and gay streamers, but a
PLAIN affair which their father had made
for them in the long evenings, and it had
a coarse bit of cotton for a sail But that
did not matter No, indeed They tied a
string at either END, and as the ponds were
very shallow, they waded about, pulling
it merrily from siue to side, using all kinds
of real ship names and words, which they
had learned from the sailors.
So the summers flew away until, alas
John was thought old enough to be sent to
school, and poor little Dorothy was left to
play all alone. She was a helpful little
girl, and saved the mother many steps,
Still she found her playtime very dull, be-
cause she didn't care any longer for the
boat
At last she began going with her father
To the mill; and all day she fitted about, as
busy Us bee. and hulnming as cheenly.
Sometimes she would lie on the grass
ard watch the mill sails as they swept
slowly down and rose again on the other
side-thInking all sorts of odd thoughts
about them. One day while she was lazily
watching them she had a bright idea
What fun, Springing up, she waited for q
sail to come within her reach, and caught
1t, holding on until it lifted her eff her feet,
and then she lie. 90 and seized another, un-
tn she was tired Day after day she
amused herself thus; and when Saturday
came she brought John down to see the
sport.
She had become too well acquainted
with her great friend, tie mill, to have any
fear of 1t. and each time she trusted her
self to its arms she let them carry her a
little higher, so that she began to see a
losg way of, over the land and the ocean.
What a heroine she must seem to her
brother-she thought-for he had never
tried il, not once Elated by her success,
she sprang upon the sail for a last ride. as
1t was dinner-time. Looking back over
her shoulder to see the effect of her daring
upon John, she clung little longer than
she meant TO, and In twinkling she found
that she could see farther away than she
had ever dreamed.
There was the harbor, with its white
sails set to dry. She could look away
down into the town, and see the people in
the streets
There, too, was the Sankety Head lights,
so far away; now she must be as high as
the tall lighthouse. Thoroughly fright
ened, yet not daring to let go at this dizzy
height, she began to cry.
She saw her mother coming to call them
to dinner, and she thought, poor little girl,
II shall never see my mother again!n
Higher and still higher she flew, her
dress floating out on the wind, and her poor
little heart nearly bursting with terror and
grief.
She did not see John, 50 pale with fear,
nor did she hear her father cry; "Oh, my
child will be killed. My poor little girl"
She had now cnly eyes and ears and
thoughts for that terrible journey, and
once she wondered if she were going to
Heaven, for she was sure 1t could not be
msch higher than she had risen. Still she
clung tightly, and at last shut her eyes.
The top once reached, slowly the sail,
with its precious burden. began to descend.
How they all watched it! Nobody spoke,
and they hardly dared breathe. Lower
and lower 1t came. until within few feet
of the ground, when Dorothy opened her
eyes. and, overcome with ascnse of safety,
her little fingers unclasped, and down she
came.
She fell pretty hard, but, luckily, there
are no stones in Nantucket. so no bones
were broken; but her head had such a
bump that she sew bright lights flashing,
and heard hum of strange sounds; and
soon her back began to ache, and her head
felt sore, and she opened her eyes once
more to find herself safe in her dear fathers
arms; and then they all wept together for
And this was the last ride that Dorothy
ever took on the sails of the old windmill.