San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-02-23

house the whole season through. He's
laid pipes 10 bring tho water down
here, aud now he's turned the whole
house into Il mill.
Then she would show her visitor
what Hamp had done. He had con-
strueted IN ingenious water wheel, with
which 10 make the most of the power
afforded by the spring, and had set 1t
at a variety of tasks. A stretch Of line
shafting passed under the floor OF tho
house, and bands passed through the
floor 10 the churn, aud the sewing mt
chine, and even the sausage chopper
could be attached at will.
81 don't deny that it's handy and
saves work." said his mother. And
now he's made sort of fan in the din
ing room, and has set that going too,
so that il keeps the flies off the table.
II we had baby in the house, believe
he'd make the water rock the cradle.
But it's discouraging about his studies.
Mr.. Penruddock is in despair, and don't
know what is to be made of the boy"
The summer proved to be a very dry
one, and the gardens especially suffered
for water. When the people began to
complain, Hamp had an idea. He al
ways had an idea when an emergency
arose. He went into his mothers gar
den and worked all day, digging a
trench down the middle, and making
little trenches at right angles with the
main one, so that each bed was sur
rounded by them, and the larger beds
crossed as well. He was very careful
to keep all these trenches on one level.
When he had finished, he laid drain
from his water wheel to the main
trench, so that the waste water, after
turning the wheel, was carried into the
garden and emptied into the trench.
Little by little the trench filled; then
the water trickled into the smaller
trenches, and as the spring from
which it came was u never failing
one, the garden was well supplied
with water throughout the dry, hot
summer, and such a garden nobody in
that region had seen that season.
People said that Hamp See GER
tainly was handy sort of boy, but
they were sure to add, "It's pity
he's so dull"
One day old Riley Vaughn was Of
fering extravagant prices for horse,
mule or OK teams to haul stone. lie
had taken contract to supply from
his quarry tho stone for the railway
bridge over Bushy Run, and now the
time for delivery was near at hand,
and no teams could be had. All the
horses were at work on the crops,
and it began to appear that old Riley
must either lose money on the con-
tract by hiring horses and mules and
transfers at ruinous prices, or forfeit
the contract itself. He tried in every
direction to get mules and wagons,
Offering twice the usual wages, but
still he could get but few. He was
in real trouble, with q loss of several
thousand dollars threatening him.
One day Hamp, who knew what
trouble Riley was in, went down to
the creek, and, cutting several twigs,
began setting them up at distance
from each other, and sighting from
one to the other. The few transfers
who were at work watched him Curl
ously, but could not make out what
he was doing. He went up the creek
with his sticks, moving one OF them
at time, and always carefully sight
ing from one to another, or rather
from one over another to third. In
this way he worked up to the quarry,
which was immediat ly on the cree k.
nearly mile above the point where
the bridge was to be built. When he
mad done he walked back, examining
the banks as he went. Then he pre-
sented himself before Riley Vaughn.
"Mr. Vaughn" he said, "Ive an idea
that will help you out of your diff
Guilty" ..
will it hire teams to haul stones?"
said Riley. !
mo; but it will enable you to haul
stones without teams"
"If it will-well, let me hear what it
is" said Riley, changing his purpose
while speaking.
Raft the stones down." said Hamp.
"Now look a-here, Hamp See," said
old Riley, 1--WE stood up for you, and
said you want no Ounce when every
body else said you was; but this here
looks as eff they was right an was
wrong. How in natur kin raft stone
down a creek that amt got more'n
six inches of water in it, bubblln'
around among the stones of the bot
tom?" -
"Well, you see," said Hamp, i've
leveled up from here to the quarry,
and there's only two feet fall, or
little less, and the banks are nowhere
less than five feet high; and so as
there's a good deal more water run
ming down in a day than anybody
would think, it's my notion to build
a temporary dam just below the bridge
you've enough timber and plank
here to do it with two hours work OF