The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-08-30

thinking less of trick than at tha
moment when he was diligently con
sidering how he should mana age t.
capture Little Brother, and how neal
he should venture to hold him wher
the explosion came.
/ The well was about twenty-five
feet deep, gloomy pit; but under
the shade of their hat brims they
could see two little CLEANS of light
at the bottom. One came from Q
pool of water in hollow of the
ledge, rejecting the summer sky
The other was the blaze of match
Russ had just struck.
Having touched the end of the
fuse and seen it catch and sparkle,
Russ stepped quickly into the buck
ct, laid hold of the rope, and, call
ing out, Haul away" was drawn
up by Luff and Milt as Walt had
been before.
Walt,meanwhile, had carried away
from the well the powder which
came up in the bucket with him;
and, having lighted his pipe, he was
now walking leisurely back to the
the windlass.
Take my place here, won't you,
Waltz" Milton said, when the buck
ct was about half way up.
1t is uncertain whether he sus-
pected Luff's intentions towards him
or whether he simply wished to get
as far away as possible from the
sound of the blast. Luff made no
objections, and Walt, pipein mouth,
laid hold of the spokes of the wind
lass.
Probably Milt did not think that
even the reckless Luff could neglect
his important trust for little cruel
sport at time like that. He drew
aside from the MINDLESS, as Walt
took his place. passing almost within
LuffTs reach.
Hold on, Walt" cried Luff, the
moment he saw the spokes in his
brothers powerful grip. And let
ting go his own hold with one nand,
he made a swoop with it at unsus-
pecting Little Brother, and caught
him by the arm.
"Oh. out your fooling now" said
Walt, with his pipe in his lips;
while Little Brother struggled to get
away.
Walt was well able alone to draw
the bucket up, but Luff was still
trying to help him, while holding on
to Milton with one hand.
Don't kick ! don't squeal" he
said, laughingly. mo use; you've
got TO stay here till that blast goes
off, if it blows us both into the mid
die Of next week"
Terrified at this threat, Milton
gave so violent a jerk that he nearly
got free. To save and balance him
self, Luff put back one foot. which
struck a loose stone and sent it tum-
bling over the mound OF rubbish
into the well.
The rattling sound was followed
by a strange scuiiiing movement be-
low, then havy plunging thud, and
the bucket was empty The stone
had struck Russ on the head. and he
had fallen to the bottom.
This frightful accident brought
Luff to his senses. He let Milton
60, and, at exclamation of wrath
and fright from Walt. FASTENED to
look down into the well.
The glimering pool was no longer
but in its place lay dark
heap, perfectly motionless, at The
bottom of the pit.
That was Russ, half concealed by
the bucket hanging over him. Be
side him a little spark was to be
seen. That was the fuse, the fire in
which was steadily eatingsts way to
of the blast.
"He groansl he is alive! said Lufi.
"But he'll be blown to thunder in
a minuter said Walt. And, still
holding the windlass to keep the
bucket from falling, his pipe broken
1t his feet. he looked about for help,
exclaiming desperately. what in the
world can we do?"
Little Brother, after escaping from
Lufi's grasp, had not run far, when
This frightful catastrophe brought
him back To the well. Forgetting,
Or overcoming, for the moment his
error of the blast. he too looked
down at the motionless but groan-
ny heap at the bottom, and the re-
entless, eating sparks in the fuse.
'Go down and put the fire out,
ne cried, in answer to Waits ques-
ion. Quick y
And get blown TO pieces along
With him, said Walt. "Will you
-isk it. Inf? You tumbled the
,tone."
There amt time" said Lufi. IF
We only had some water to throw
lown.
"The blast is going" :" Walt ex-
claimed, in terror and confusion OF
he moment. I'VE can't do any
hing" And he began hurriedly to
lraw UP the bucket.
mol no," said Milt, excitedly.
Let it down, let it down"
He made a spring at the rope,
;aught it. and clasping it with hands
md knees, slid down to the bucket.
Then he called out wildly, Let
DOWN, let down." his delicate, pale.
excited face turned up at his broth
ers in the softened light which shone
nto the well.
The firm daring with which he
vent down to what seemed certain
Heath fascinated bis brothers above.
Instead of retreating to avoid the
blast, as they were on the point of
loing, they let him rapidly down.
He was out of the bucket before
I touched the bottom. He snatch |
ID at the fuse, but it had already
burnt into the tamping, and ne could
1ot get hold to pull it out. There |
was only one other thing to be done.
He drew his groaning brother out
Of the pool, and found still water i,
where be had lain, so that |
/ little could be scooped up with |
lis hands.
This he used: and there, over the