Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-05-27
CHAPTER TIL
JOHN.


 The boy, John Hewson, was by no means handsome. A shock of light colored hair that stood up in a most de- liant fashion, with a small, steely gray eye, gave him rather a fierce look. His nose was nondescript, his mouth wide and filled with regular but rather large teeth, and his jaw was as square and reso1ute as Napo1eon's. He was-not tallzative or communicative, but was active, alert, and his extreme quiclness and hardihood gave promise of a pow erfu1 and resolute man.
 Uncle Jim did not take to him kindly at first, mentally chasing him as ''po' white trash" /" but the next morning he completely captured Uncle Jim's heart. The old man always prided himself on having the best mules in the country, and was very proud of them. As they were crossing stream at rather un- certain sort of ford one of the drivers allowed his team to get little out of the right course, and the mules struck deep place and there was great peril of mules and driver drowning. Uncle Jim, who was standing on the farther bank, fairly danced with rage and fear. but could do nothing practical
 John, who was standing by, threw off his heavy shoes and coat, put his poclz- ct knife between his teeth, and was in the cold river in moment. He cut the traces of the drowning mules, seized the frightened driver by the coat collar with one hand and a mules tail with the oth- CT, and in trice mules, driver and John were at the bank.
 Old Jim had stood in speecnless won- der. Now, he found vent in words:
 'Bress my soul, de Lord be praised, sholy thought Mars Henry bout to lose he two best creeters. You wuthless al1us gittin in trubble and ain't wuff yo salt"
 While Jim was relieving his feelings, the boy found a piece of rope, swam back to the partially submerged wagon, fastened one end of the rope to the tongue and passed the other around a tree on the bank.
 Uncle Jim, now waking up to a sense of the situation, went to work manfully, and in few minutes they had succeeded in getting the wagon to bank with no more serious damage than a good wetting of the contents.
 Col Gregory was several hundred I y her head out, saw that something was wrong, and raised an outcry, where at her father looked out and, seeing that something was really wrong, had the carriage driven back. When they got to the ford, the wagon was being drawn upon solid ground, and John was standing by dripping wet, with his eyes glistening from the excitement and exertion, but his teeth chattering.
 The facts came out with strong com mendation from Uncle Jim ''fur de way dat boy tux holt.''
 The Gregorys naturally felt very kindly towards the lad for his courage in saving their property, and were dis posed to make much of it, but the lad took it very coolly.
 It required some persuasion to induce him to do anything, but finally he got his bundle out of the wagon, retired in. to the timber, wrung the water out o1 his wet trousers, put on dry under clothing, and was apparently none the worse for his adventure. Col. Gregory wanted him to take little dram, but this he resolutely refused.
 While Uncle Jim became a great ad mirer of Johns, as he expressed it : speaking to Tony: "Dat John boy heG strength and head jes like a man, an wuz bout de peartest boy he lznowed 'ceptin' he wer sorter mulish like" In two weeks they were on Trinit. 3 river, and as they all liked the appear ance of the country, negotiations wer put afoot for the purchase of lan' which resulted in the Gregorys becom ing the owners of several thousan' acres of choice lands.