Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-09-07
A HOOSIER BRIDE.
Young Mrs. Hunter, of Bean Blossom
Valley, Saves Her Wedding Portion.

I Mrs. Lucretia Hunter, of Bean
Blossom Valley, down in Brown coun-
ty, Ind, distinguished herself the
other day. Mrs. Hunter is young. and
became Mrs. Hunter only two weeks
ago. Her marriage portion from her
! father was SOW of the composite
southern Indiana breed and two pigs.
| Pigs are pigs in that vicinage. and
Mrs. Hunter took her wedding present
to her new home, which is three miles
| from the paternal acres, and as far, if
not farther, from any other place.
A few days ago Mrs. Hunters hus-
band was away from home and she
discovered that something was wrong
with the pump so that it wouldn't
draw water from the well. Mrs. Hunt
er had to have water, and she took
the top off the well, pulled up the
pump and Investigated She discovered
| that the leather sucker that coaked
water from the well to the spout was
! out of order and she set about fixing
| it. While she was busy at this work
!
came nOSing around, and her curiosity
was so great that she got over the
edge of th.; we'll and tumhlcd head
! long into the water, fifteen feet below.
! By no endeavor could that SOW ever
! hope to get out Of the well unaided,
and, as pigs are not built for sustaining
! themselves alive in four feet of water
at the bottom of a we'll, something had
to be done quickly.
Mrs. Hunter was equal to the emer-
/ gency. She ran to the house and got
her clOthesline. She made slipping
moose in one end and, dropping it into
! the well, succeeded in getting it around
the sow, which was thrashing the watey
like the paddle-wheel of a steamboat
and filling the narrow confines of the
well with upremitting squeals. But
Mrs. Hunter wasn't able to haul the
lassoed porker out of the well, so she
tied her end of the rope to tree near
the well and ran to the barnyard and
returned with one of the brindle steers.
She hitched the steer to the rope and
started it up, and kept it going until it
had hOisted the kicking and squealing
pig to the top and got it safe Oh terra
| firma.
Mrs. Hunter drove the steer and the
rescued SOW back to the barnyard and
got back to the well just il time TO
see the sOw's two pigs standing on
the edge Of the open well, looking down
into it's depths. Mrs. Hunter called an
| imaginary dog to brighten them away
from the dangerous spot. The pigs
were frightened, sure enough, but
started in the wrong direction and
sprang plump into the well. Mrs.
Hunter tried to lasso them, but they
tumbled and spluttered around SO that
she couldn't get the rope around either
Of them. Then she bethOught her Of
a ladder that stood at the back of the
house and she ran to get that, intend
ing to let it into the well and go down
| ladder only reached to the top of the
water, and the bottom of the well was
| four feet farther down. This dilemma
would have been too much for almost
any other woman, but Mrs. Hunter
was resourceful and thought quick. She
ran to fence and got a rail. She ran
the rail under the top rung of the
ladder and laid it across the well from
one curb to the other. Then she had
the ladder suspended from the top to
the water, and asked no odds of the
bottom for its resting place. She quick
| ly let herself down this swinging lad
der, grabbed one of the pigs and
mounted to the top with it. Tossing
it as far as she could she went back
down the ladder and got the other pig,
and soon the whole pork family were
united and exchanging congratulatory
grunts on their good luck.
Then Mrs Hunter removed the lad
der, resumed her work on the repair
of the pump sucker and in a short
time had the pump working to a
charm.