The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-06-29

| falling, his pipe broken at his feet, he
looked about for help. exclaiming des-
perately, ''What in the world can we
do?'
Little Brother, after escaping from
Luff's grasp, had not run far, when this
frightful catastrophe brought him back
to the well. Forgetting, or overcoming,
for the moment his terror OF the blast.
he too looked down at the motionless
but groaning heap at the bottom, and
the relentless, eating sparks in the fuse.
go down and put the fire outr' he
cried, in answer to Waits question.
"Quickr'
''And get blown to pieces along with
him!" said Walt. ''Will you risk it,
! Luff? You tumbled the stone'
''There amt time," said Luff. IF
we only had some water to throw
DOWN.
1.-The blast is goingr' Walt exclaim-
ed, in the terror and confusion of the
moment. ''We can't do anythingr'
Aud he began hurriedly to draw up the
bucket.
mo! no!'' said Milt, excitedly., LET
it down! let it DOWN.
He made spring at the rope, caught
it, and clasping it with hands and
knees, slid down to the bucket. Then
he called out wildly, '.Let down! let
down. his delicate, pale, excited face
turned up at his brothers in the soften
ed light which shone into the well.
The firm daring with which he went
down to what seemed certain death fas-
cinated his brothers above. Instead of
retreating to avoid the blast, as they
fhn int ~f Ia;, 81, Id
him rapidly down.
He was out of the bucket before it
touched the bottom. He snatched at
the fuse, but it had already burnt into
the tamping, and he could not get hold
to pull it out. There was only one 9TH
er thing to be done,
He drew his groaning brother out of
the pool, and found still water enough
where he had lain, so that little could
be scooped up with his hands.
This be used; and there, over the
blast which might at any time explode,
with rock-tearing and earth-shaking
force, he dashed dripping handful after
handful upon the tamping, down under
which the fuse had disappeared, and ex-
tinguished the last spark of fire Then
he fell fainting beside his brother at the
bottom of the well.
When he came to himself he was w.
ing on the ground in the open air.
Russ, hatless, with blood trick1ing down
his cheek, and locks of matted hair
struggling over his eyes, was sitting up
beside him. His father was there, on
one knee, and his mother came running
from the house, with a bottle in her
hand. Walt and Lutf stood looking on,
both very anxious and very much
abashed.
''Is Russ all right?' was Little Broth
er's first question.
''He is all right, or will be soon,"
said his father. ''And so are you, /
hope"
'Tm BETTER" said the boy, also sit
ting up. 'Pm so glad / didn't turn
faint till had put the fuse out!''
''How could you do such a thing? my
precious, noble boyr' sobbed his moth
| er.
II saw that somebody must do it, or
Russ would be killed, and l thought
had time if | did it at once" Milton
said, with a feeble smile; adding mod
estly, "Walt and Luff helped"
Nightly little we helpedr' Walt ex-
| claimed, with an outburst of honest feel
ing. ''Russ might have been blown to
| flinders, for anything we would have
| dared to do. There's more true cour-
age in Little Brother than there is in
both our g, at lubberly hulks!''
He was not the only one who at that
| moment felt that to see a great danger,
and greatly to dread it, and yet to have
| the heart and resolution to brave it for
another's sake, is the very highest cour-
| age.
'How did it all happen? how did it
begin?" Russ inquired, hardly yet re-
covered from his stupor.
81 began it, I'm ashamed to say"
Luff confessed, following Waits exam
pie, and speaking from the deepestfeel-
ing of which he was capable. 81 was
fooling with Little Brother, when 1
knocked a stone down on to your
head.''
''Fooling with him again, Luff?' said
his father, reproachfully.
Eyes, sir,'' Luff replied, with frank
self-condemnation. 81 was going to
hold him while the blast went off, be-
cause he always showed that he dread
ed it SO, and thought he was such a
coward
"a coward, my son!' exclaimed their
mother, clasping Milton to her heart.
GIVE been mean, cowardly rutflan
myself, and that's factr' said Lutf.
'tAs Walt says, Little Brother has more
courage than both of us. hope you'll
all remind me of it, if l ever lay rough
hands on him again"
'Oh, but am sure you never willr'
said Little Brother, hopefully and for
givingly.
And Luff never did.