West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-04-03
A-GIGGIN'.
A Pleasing Reminiscence Of Boy.
hood Days.

Three boys trudging along a road,
one with paddle and a lunch basket,
one with two spears, one with lack.
This jack was an iron cradle or crib.
fastened in a hickory staff When stand
! ing upright in the bow of a small boat
! 1t held the sticks of iire-wood horizon
tally and projected over the water ahead
OF the craft. Some jacks or gigs were
made with fire-grates like dinner-pail
| In shape, in which the fire-wood was
placed vertically. They cast their ewes
longingly toward the rise. mile ahead.
There the gradual ascent will end the
road will turn, and Crossman's Lake
VIII lie well down in the woods at the
c.osc of another two miles Journey. Ii
IS not the tiresomc walking that dis
turbs the boys i is the loss of time.
Others may reach Crossman's Lake be-
fore this, the only legitimate eXpedi-
tlon, can get there, Crossman may
want the bolt himself The boat. even.
may not lee there! Such are the doubts
OF the hour. They are indeed terrible.
Tor these three boys must spear to.
night or civilization will have failed to
stand the test!
SO here is Crossman s. and here are
the three boys. One of them is weary.
| FOR he has carried the lack, and il
weighs many pounds. Yes. the boat Is
all right No, Crossman is not 'goinp
out to-night-th boys can have the
boat There Is an end OF this great
doubt, and the boys grow merry. For
twenty-five cents CrOssman now pro-
ceeds TO furnish the old rails for the
nights fuel He lends saw and buck.
and an axe. One boy carries ra Is an
other boy saws ra Is; the other splits.
And as they work saving as no boy
ever sawed at home i'm his woodward -
enc more specter Of doubt comes up.
There lies the lake and there lies the
boat all bailcd and in fairly good condi-
ton. But the waves are unquestion-
ably there also, and unless tho waves
subside with sundOwn, there will be no
Gpearlng. The boys may paddle round
the lake and burn their fuel but never
fish Will they see. However. there is
little time to bemoan the wind. Cross
man says he thinks it will go down at
! dark, anyway. Saw, saw, saw. Itmakcs
the boys hungry at six O'Clock when
they had expected to wait until the 'frst
lire before they ate. The basket is
summarily emptied. There has been a
large amount OF work TO do; fires burn
fast and the Oat must be piled high.
Now for the loading Heavy stick, arc
laid ON the bottom, crossWi,e of ihe
length of the boat. for the water will
penetrate gradually. The dusk is near:
the wind is ce taiuly going down; the
boat is filed with four hcaping piles Of
fine-cut well-seasOned wood the lack
stands at the front, and all is ready
The surface of the lake Is getting sicvv
-wrinkled rather than perturbed and
in fifteen minutes there will be- a dead
calm. Crossman said IL would be so.
Bully for Crossman There Is an cx-
element at this moment which the
smell of the water and the smell Of this
peaceful evening only Increase u is
very clear that, had this affair come To-
a less glorious stage. death would have
had no additional terror
Such are the colors I'm whc ch youth *
painted No room for grays on that
canvas.
There is one very good spear that
will be used ON the shor, side Of the
boat Each boy will spear ON the shore
side two fires then he viii paddle two
fires. Thus hc viii spear twice much
rs he paddles, but nc could be induced
TO renounce padding entirely Cuts
are drawn for position aud the boat
starts out to the left. for that gives the
paddler the advantage of All thc shal
low water, so that he can touch bottom
among the roots OF the budding .pat.
ter-docks. Of course it Is not vet dark
enough How could three boys wait
for darkness But there Is n favor.tc
cove a-ways distant where they will
eight up The spearers arc now
busy filling the jack and preparing for
the first fire Anon the cove Is
reached the shadows fall deep there.
and the match is put 10 The iack
Reader. this was before The DAYS of oil.
lamps for spearing. No bov with au
ol-lamp ever felt the enthusiasm which
k.udlcs with the cracking of these
flames which sing of tine saw buck aud
Che axe
The eyes soon adjust thom,.Iyo- fo
the new state of things and tho inpcn-
ous spcarmen begin to deliver their
views to the m SCRABBLE poddlcr ~ no
;akes his reycgge iu demanding f-b
TIE fellows iu front declare there +. us
vet no room n the boat for hsh. bu
this Is q gloomy Ioko Tor the wood goes
fost a fire burns before fish nae
been captur d Now Che shore spear
puts his tine, u the water passes them
carefully down two feet rite- 90 sudden
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