New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1884-02-20
What He Found.

1t has often occurred to me that these
scientists who go prowling around at
night are apt to get themselves into
trouble.
There is my friend Bush, who is a
great searcher after knowledge. He
goes about with a hammer and breaks
OFT pieces OF rock and puts them in hi
pocket, and when night comes he sits
by dim light and looks at those spec
! linens and compares them with other
geologic br.c-a-brac which he has
stored away in his room At other
times he gamers up a lot Of weeds.
flowers and barks ana suchiike rubbish
until the room has the appearance Of
having been struck by a cyclone. |
, met him the other day and he slapped
me familiarly on the back, exclaiming:
1--WE got a grand idea"
| '.Have you," said I, considerably
taken aback.
Eyes, stree. You've seen these lit
tie knobs called Indian mounds, sup
pose. Well, I've been reading every
thing about them I could find, and
now have determined to investigate
one of them and see what is in it. The
greatest thinkers of the age are puz-
Zled over them. some contending that
they were built two or three thousand
years ago. while others say that they
are not over four or five hundred wears
old. was in the country to-day and
saw one for the first time in nv life.
and tonight shall take lantern, 90
and dig into it ana possibly may find
something that will give me clew to
their mode OF living and the time they
were here. Then will get my name
in the papers as a great discoverer.
Big scheme, isn't it?"
agreed with him perfectly. 1 al
ways make it a point to agree with
Bush, because he is jolly good fellow,
and because he is bigger man than
am.
''But Why go at night?" said l. ''Do
you think that some of those ancient
people will rise up and tell you their
history?"
''Oh, no; but if the venture should
, not prove successful none could see
and laugh at my failure"
Bush has horror of being laughed
at
That night he armed himself with a
IL.
. A couple of miles from town he got
over a fence, and, after walking a
quarter of mile further, he reached
the mound. It was a small one, not
over four feet high, and probably ten
feet in diameter at its base. Here, he
thought, was splendid opportunity
for research, as it would not require
! much work to reach its center. Light
ing his lantern he set it down, and,
taking off his coat, he went to work
making an excavation. A few shovels
of dirt and he came to another sub
stance. Holding his lantern so that
he could look at his find, he discovered
that it was straw. ''Ah," said he.
''these ancient people knew the use OF
straw, and probably raised wheat and
; oats on the extensive farms which they
are said to have had"
But he had been so interested in his
Investigations that he did not see the
farmer slipping up quietly to the pla ce
where he was SO assiduously at work.
Just as he pulled out a handful of
straw he heard click, and a bang! the
lantern was no more, and few bird
shot were lodged in his person. Vita
out stopping to think what it was, o.
even looking around, he dropped ev-
erything and broke ior the nearest
fence.
The next day went to his room and
found him in bed. He told me that
while digging he struck somehn.r
and a terrible explosion oce cured whicA
frightened him so that he gave up ..e
enterprise and came away, but tn
truth Of the matter was thai he h.. {.
been digging into the farmers pot,,l
hill.-CGrl Pyetzel's Weekiy.