The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-04-07

had lived for years ON the banks of the
Wildcat, could swim and dive like o
musquash.
Mr.. Williams, the teacher, felt lone
some at saying good. by to his school,
and, to keep the boys company as long
as possible, he strolled down to the
bank and sat on the grass watching the
bathers below him, plunging and pad
ding in all the spontaneous happiness
of young life.
Riley and Pewee-conspirators to the
last-had their plans arranged. When
Jack should get his clothes on, they in
tended to pitch him off the raft for a
good wetting, and thus crafty their
long-hoarded jealousy, aud get an offset
to the standing joke about dough-faces
and ghosts which the town had at their
expense. Ben Berry, who was their
confidant, thought this capital plan.
When at length Jack had enjoyed the
water enough. he came out and was about
to begin dressing. Pewee and Riley were
close at hand, already prepared to give
Jack farewell ducking.
But Just at that moment there came
from the other end of the raft, and from
the spectators on the bank, wild, con-
fused cry, and all turned to hearken.
Harry Weathervane's younger brother,
whose name was Andrew Jackson, and
who could not swim, in dressing, had
stepped too far backward and gone off
the raft. He uttered O despairing and
terrified scream, struck out wildly and
blindly, and went down.
All up and down the raft and up and
down the bank there went up a cry {:
candy is drowning!" while every
body looked for somebody else TO save
him.
The schoolmaster was sitting on the
bank, and sow the accident. He quick
ly slipped off his boots, but then he
stopped, for Jack had already started on
a splendid ran down that long raft. The
confused and terrified boys made path
for him quickly, as he came on at more
than the tremendous speed he had al
ways shown in games. He did not stop
to leap, but ran full tilt off the raft, fall
ing upon the drowning boy and carrying
him completely under the water with
him. Nobody breathed during the two
seconds that Jack, under water, strug-
gled to get a good hold of Andy and to
blind graphing OF Jacks limbs.
When at length Jacks head came
above water there was an audible sigh Of
relief from all the onlookers. But the
danger was not over.
"Let go of my arms, Andy y cried
Jack. "Youli drown us both if you
hold on that way. If you don't let go
I'll strike you"
Jack knew that it was sometimes nee
essary to stun drowning person before
you could save him, where he persisted
in clutchiug his deliverer. But poor
frightened Andy let go of Jacks arms ut
last. Jack was already exhausted with
swimming, and he had great difficulty
in dragging the little fellow to the raft,
where Will Riley and Pewee Rose pulled
him out OF the water.
But now, while all were giving atten-
ton to the rescued Andy, there occurred
with Jack one of those events which
people call cramp. 1 do not know
what to call it, but it is not a cramp.
1t is kind of collapsed sudden ex-
haustion that may come to the best of
swimmers. The heart insists on resting,
the consciousness grows dim, the will
power flags and the strong swimmer
sinks.
Nobody was regarding Jack, who first
found himself unable to make even an
effort to climb on the raft; then his
hold on its edge relaxed and he slowly
sank out of sight. Pewee saw his sink
ing condition first and screamed, as did
Riley and all the rest, doing nothing to
save Jack, but running up and down
the raft in o vain search for rope or a
pole.
The schoolmaster, having seen that
Andy was brought out little worse for
his fright and the water he had swal-
lowed, was about to put on his boots
when this new alarm attracted his atten-
ton to Jack Dudley. Instantly he threw
off his coat and was bounding down the
steep bank, along the plank to the raft,
and then along the raft to where Jack
had sunk entirely out of sight. Mr..
Williams leaped head first into the wa
ter, and made what the boys afterward
called splendid dive. Once under wa
ter he opened his eyes and looked about
for Jack.
At last he came up, drawing after him
the unconscious and apparently lifeless
form of Jack, who was taken from the
water by the boys. The teacher dis
patched two boys to bring DIR. Lanham,
while he set himself to restore conscious
ness by producing artificial breathing.
1t was some time after DIR. Lanham's
arrival that Jack fully regained his con-
seriousness, when he was carried home
by the strong arms of Bob Holiday,
Will Riley and Pewee, in turn" The
Hoosier School Boy," 6y Ed,Oard Eg-
9lcston, in 81. Nicholas.