New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1882-06-28

80 violent jerk that he nearly cot free.
TO save and balance himself, Luff nut
back one foot, which struck loose stone
and sent it tumbling over the mound of
rubbish into the we'll.
The rafting sound was followed by q
strange scuff1ing movement below, then
heavy 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 20, and,
at an exclamation of wrath and fright
from Walt, fastened to look down into
the we'll.
The glimmering pool was no longer
visible; but in its place lay adark heap,
perfectly motionless, at the bottom Of
the pit.
That was Russ, half concealed by the
bucket hanging over him. Beside him
a little spark was to be seen. That was
the fuse, the FIRE in which was steadily
eating it's way to the powder of the
blast.
'He groans! he is alive!'' said Luff.
''But he'll be blown to thunder in q
minuter' said Walt. And, still holding
the windlass to keep the bucket from
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 grooming 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.
.'Quick!'
"And get blown to pieces along with
him?' said Walt. '.Wil you risk it,
Luff? You tumbled the stone.''
''There amt time," said Luff. IF
we only had some water to throw
DOWN.
''The blast is going!' Walt exclaim-
moment. 1--WE can't do anythingr'
Aud he Logan hurriedly to draw up the
bucket.
mo! nor' 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 thew
were on the point of doing, they let
him rapidly. down.
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 grooming brother out of
the pool, and found still water enough
where he had lain, so that q 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 ".
ing on the ground in the open air.
Russ, hatless, with blood trickling 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 bottle in her
hand. Walt and Luff 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, I
hope"
"I'm BETTER" said the boy, also Sit
ting up. ''rm so glad I didn't turn
faint till had put the fuse out!''
"How could you do such thing? my
precious, noble boy?' sobbed his moth
er.
Il saw that somebody must do it, or
Russ would be killed. and 1 thought I
had time, if l did it at once," Milton
said, with feeble smile; adding mod
estly, ''Walt and Luff helped
"Mightly little we helped"' 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 great lubberly hulksr'
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-
Chow did it all happen? how did it
begin?" Russ inquired, hardly yet re-
covered from his stupor.
II began it, I'm ashamed to say"
Luff confessed, following Waits exam
pie, and speaking from the deepest feel
ing of which he was capable. II was
fooling with Little Brother, when I
knocked stone down on to your
head.'
"Fooling with him again, Luhf?'' said
his father, reproachfully.
Eyes, sir,'5 Luf replied, with frank
self-condemnation II 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
coward
IA coward, my son!'' exclaimed their
mother, clasping Milton to her heart.
'.Ive been mean, cowardly rufian
myself, and that's factr' said Luff.
"As Walt says, Little Brother has more
courage than both of us. hope you'll
all remind me of it. If I ever Law r0noh