The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1882-03-30

/
THANK you for your good opin-
ion of me. 1 certainly was not
listening; 1 came about my well
chain. You shall be able to make
job of itr'
Eyes, sir, there's very little the
matter with it; there's only one link
defective. 1t will be ready to NOR
row, SIR
"And quite safe, then, you think,
for the man going down the well to
venture his life upon itS'
"I'll warrant it to bear the weight
of three men when the link is set
right" replied the blacksmith
'But about this hitch, sir; if you
would not mind spending five min
utes," added Parsons, who was,
after all, partial to his minister, and
knew that, though he was rector of
the parish, Mr.. Gresham had no
pride about him, as he often said,
and would as readily stop to give a
word of counsel, or advice, or com
fort, or instruction to q poor man
or woman, or even child on the
highway, "a to Squire this, or Lady
that in their drawing rooms.
So, in short, Mr.. Gresham stepped
freely into the blacksmith's shed,
and heard all about the ''hitch,
plainly and manfully stated by the
doubter.
"You have done me great honor
| and kindness bY speaking so feely
to me about my Sermon said Mr..
Gresham, when the explanation was
finished. eff hearers would do that
oftener, and in the kind of spirit
you have shown, ministers would
often be the better for it, and they
would very likely preach better
sermons into the bargain. Well,
now about this hitch But first of
all, want a few more words with
you respecting my well.chain. Busi
ness first, you know" and he smiled
pleasantly.
The blacksmith was all attention.
"You say you have examined it,
Parsons?'
"Yes, sir; link by link"
"You see it is necessary for Diver
to go down the well to clean it out;
and being a reckless sort of man, l
determined to have the chain well
examined before he ventures his
life upon it.
"a good thing you thought on it,
sir, for the faulty link was almost
asunder, and the weight of such a
man as Diver would have finished it. "
"And only one link in the whole
chain is faulty you say, Mr.. Par
sons?'
"Only one, sir; I'll warrant all the
rest to be sound"
"Is it not singular, thought"
"There's no accounting for such
things, sir,' said the blacksmith,
speaking confidently on a matter
connected with his daily calling; ''it
is seldom that q chain like this
and he put his foot on a huge coil
on the fioor-"is of the same guam
tity of iron throughout. There are
mostly some links weaker than
others, and they wear out first, or
maybe break when there is too
much stress. The wonder is that in
chain of this length there are
not more faulty links than one"
"True, it is long chain; and my
well is deep well.''
1.-TWO hundred feet or more, sir.
ought to know, for have plumbed
it, and been down to the bottom of
it before now, sir, into the bargain"
"And how many links to the foot,
Parsonsp Mr.. Gresham asked,
quickly.
The blacksmith took out his foot
rule and measured. Eight, sill"
"There will be sixteen hundred
links in the chain, then," rejoined
Mr.. Gresham, who seemed absorbed
by this matter of business with the
blacksmith, while the three other
men stood looking on.
"Over sixteen hundred, sir, nearer
eighteen, reckoning the overplus."
'True, / had forgotten. Well,
and every one OF those sixteen or
or eighteen hundred links are per
feet, Mr.. Parsons2 You are quite
sure"
"AlI but one, sir, as said before.
Yes, sir, as sure as can be"
You will be kind enough, then,
to send the chain back to morrow"
eyes, sir, as soon as l have taken
out the faulty link and made the
chain safe"
"Oh, never mind about the one
link being faulty, Parsons, said
Mr.. Gresham.
"Sirr'
"What is one link? What can it
signify that one link in sixteen or
eighteen hundred is wrong, if all
the rest are right2"
The blacksmith rubbed his head
he saw the drift of Mr.. Gresham s
question, but he did not like to own
it. 81 should think it would make
all the difference, sir, if were in
Divers place. and had to trust my
life to the chain
"Doyo mean that you would not
go down my well at the end of a
chain that had, let us say, seventeen
hundred and ninety nine strong,
sound, and trustworthy links in it
capable, as you said just now, OF
bearing the weight of three such
men as you in perfect safety?
'Not if there was one weak link
in, sir, that 1 felt sure would not
bear half my own weight; as well all
be faulty as one, every bit as well
sir, for any safety there would be
in the chain
"If you really think So"
81 certainly do, sir; l am sure"
"Well, being sure of it, perhaps
you may as well set the chain tc
rights after all. And now, to chang'
the subject, we will go back to this
hitch of yours, my friends, if you
please"
The carpenter smiled; the shoe
maker rubbed his hands; the tailor
put his into his pockets; the black
smith rubbed his forehead, and ther
he said in a subdued tone, "Yot
have beat me, sir. 1 see what yol
mean; and looking at it in the light
you put in, there's not any hitch
sir, that / can see"
aAb I fanciad vOu would say sO