The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-06-27
BENNINGTON VT, THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 1889.

of them, and just then Hiram Hoff, Ca
lis US husband, drove up on his way tC
the mill. He had his little four-yeal
old girl, jamie, with him, and he said
he guessed he leave her with CalIsty
as it looked some like ram.
80 the little girl came in and went tC
playing round with my little Hattie
who was bout the same age. They run
out into the yard, and fore ten minutes
Hattie come running in and screamed
out; oh, mamma! jaime! she fell in
the wellr
"Well, you'd ought to have heard
them four tongue-tied womenl They
all gave yell simultaneous and made a
rush for the door, and me after them.
1.-The well was about twenty-five feet
deep with a low curb and windess
There was drinking -gourd hanging by
the side of the windless, and little jamie
had climed onto tipped over wooden
pail and reached over to fill the gourd
from the well-bucket, when she lost her
balance and down she went.
"Her curly head come up in the water
just as we got to the curb, and Calisty
give one awful screech and fell in dead
faint on the grass. The well was walled
with rough stones, and it was bout
twenty feet to the water.
In the twiDklin' of an eye Melissy
Grant had off her CATERS, and not being
numbered with no hOopskirts, or bustles,
or frills, she gathered her plain skirts
around her, cllm' over the curb and
down she slid on the rope of the bucket
that was in the well.
"She went clean out off sight at first,
but lhe.next minute her head popped up
out of the water, and she drew herself
up by the rope, bout a foot with one
arm, while she clutched at little jamie
with her other hand.
1.-The well was only bout three feet
across, and Melissy managed to get her
feet in one of the cracks tween the rocks
with her back to the opposite wall A.;
but most of her, and Jane too, was 10
the water.
"'Blow the dinner horn for the men
she says, and run and got the horn,
and blOwed as il the house was on fire.
My husband and his hired men came
running in from their work, and between
us all we got Janey and Mellssy out all
right, but the child was limp as a rag,
and we all thought she was dead.
"'ROll her over bar'l to get the
water OUT says Melissy, without mind.
ing herself, and her hands were all torn
and bloody, too, because of the rope and
the rocks.
me and Melissy went to work over
Janey, and Mahaly and Lucindy tended
to Calisty, for she was as white as sheet
and all of her trem5e when she did
come to.
"'Janey's all right, Calsty, says Lu-
cindy.'
"'Yes yes. says Mahaly, you chirk
right up, now
80 Lucindy! o Mahaly ! says Calisty.
"Then all their tongues got TO going,
and declare if they didn't make up for
lost time Calisty was all right in ten
minutes, and she fairly cried over Me
lissy's bruised hands and would bandage
them up herself. jamie came round as
well as ever by night, and for three
hours them women all talked at once
and they was sweet as sugar to each
other-sugar would not have melted in
their mouths.
II got an early supper and they went
home afterwards, Lucindy and Mahaly
arm and arm, Calisty and Melissy each
holding a hand of little jamie, and
never knew of 'em having any quarrels
after that"