The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-02-02
The Old Well.

ia ner cly chnlr, win mhd renectNe
look upon her peaceful face Yes, some.
thing did happen to me once that may seem
like one to you, though mover thought of
calling itby that name"
Lets hear it, auntie, please" I an
swered, pushing the velvet hassock nearer
to her, and giving an extra shake to the
bright coal fire.
The night was somewhat cold and blus-
tcring outside but that only made Aunt
AIargaret's room, with its warm-hued fur
niture, its softly-cushioned easy chairs its
glowing fire and shaded astral lamp, look all
the more inviting.
She was distant relative who had como
to pay us a long promised visit, and from
my first glance at her fine, stately figure
and her noble placid countenance, knowing
that she had never married, got the idea
into my head that she must have had a ro-
nance. Her hair was still brown and abun,
dant, while her eyes shone clear and blue as
young girls. And yet Aunt Margaret was
past fifty.
"Well my DEAR" she began, smiling
softly once upon time, as the story
books say, was young and considered
rather pretty"
"Oh, no need to tell me that Aunt Mar
garrett" interrupted, gazing with unfegned
admiration at the handsome face into which
N delicate rose-color camo so brightly at the
memory of her girlish loneliness, You
might easily carry off the palm of beauty
from us now, if you felt so inclined"
She smiled again as she saw how sincere
was my tribute TO her charms, and resun ell
her story;
sie"I had Of course my share of admirers
among the village youth, and was great
favorite ut balls, quilting parties, husking
bees, and all the other entertainments of
village society; yet l reached the age of
twenty, heart-whole and faucy-free, still
keeping house for my widowed father, as L
had done almost from childhood and never
caring to make any change"
Because the right one hadn't come
along, auntie," said, eagerly thinking of
my " bonnie Charlie" with his curly locks
and lightsome heart and wondering how
girls in any age of the world could have
loved, married and lived happily without
lever having known the sunlight of his
presence.
"Wel, Madge, he came at last" contin-
ued Aunt Margaret, with gentle sigh which
seemed to watt her far back into the happy
past, land the manner of his coming was
one that l can never forget. Our house
stood at one end of the street, and in far
corner of the lot stood the old well, neglected
and unused for years, save by us silly girls
WHO found it a romantic spot to try our for
tunes by ON Halloween. But it was very
dangerous, being unprotected by curb or
fence, and standing, as it did, close to the
public road, had often begged my father
TO make it more secure, but he neglected it
until my prophecy of danger from it was at
last fulfilled.
Zone dark starless evening in October,
returning from visit to a neighbours, was
! passing the old well, when suddenly low
groan of agony caught my ear. Instantly
realized the awful truth that some traveller
= had fallen into the dark and dangerous pit,
and my heart stood still with horror But
\ only for a moment. I saw the Heed of in
slant action, and, leaning over the edge of
i, the black, yawning hole, called loudly to
the person within not to despair, for would
soon bring him assistance
~ a"Then gushing to the house, and calling
wildly at every step for help, / began an
eager, trembling search for rope, which
,osoon had knotted firmly around stout,
sicrooked old pear tree standing near the
well. Then / called again to the poor,
pgroaning victim below. bade him grasp
the rope tightly and let me pull him up.
BUTT was no use. My only answer was
another moan, so low and deep that 1
Thought the poor wretch was dying.
=, "What to do did not know. No help
had come, and feared to lose moment by
going after it. But was young and strong
aud neryed with the courage of desperation,
ri SO l did not hesitate long. How managed
it successfully l never could tell, but let
myself down by the rope until reached the
yobottom of the dark abyss, and found the
helpless being, whom l thought Providence
had sent me to, rescue, too much injured to
Il move limb.
..s ss. AS gently and quickly as could, in that
awful situation, 1 fastened the rope around
his body and lifted him in a more conye-
iiient position to be drawn up then, hand
over hand, like sailor, and blistering the
ID skin as / went, slowly climbed to the top
again, where found my father and two or
three anxious neighbors just beginning to
realize what had occurred. 1t was well they
ID had come, for my girls strength, try as
would, could never have drawn that large,
strong man to the surfaces nor could he
have livea much longer in the deadly gases
of the old we'll
''He seemed more dead than living when
he came up, and one arm was found TO be
broken. He proyedio bc a young merchant
from distant city, who had come to visit a
= friend in the village, cnl had met with his
4, accident while walking from the station to
y, shis friends house. But he was too badly
hurt TO be removed and for weeks he was
an inmate of our home, where almost the
-. entire care of the invalid devolyed upon
=, myself.
.si g / need not give you the history of those
si weeks, Madge, but they were the sweetest |
!. have ever known in my long life of half a
D century. Hugh Woodman was the hero |
had dreamed of-handsome, noble-looking,
polished in manner and conversation Bet
ter than al that, he was the soul of honor.
Before soliciting any tathors permission to
offer me the life which he always declared |
had saved, he told us frankly the story of
~ his past.
" He was a young man then-only twen-
ty-seven--yet he had been already married
3 and divorced. His young wife had been un-
faithful to him, and, after bearing with her
faults and the disgrace they brought upon
bis name as long as he could, they We're le-
gally separated, and the care of their only
child was entrusted to them. This child
his little Lly-was theme of which he
= never tired Hour after hour he talked to
me- OF her, praising her goodness aud beauty
=, planning for her future with ,us, and beg
ging me, thousand times over, to love her