Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1897-09-07

AT once the laze Of my mind ended,
and began TO scream. but had not
cried out three times whom hoard
the dreadful waving ,uund Of water
coming from the race Of Tic wooden
mill upstream They had opened the
gates, and knew my screams could
not be heard by the factory hands,
who would soon begin to cross the up.
per dam
| did not think of the first form Of
the danger the tal-racc water would
put me in, for had got it into my
head that the nail on which my toe
had caught might give way SO |
tried not to press on it, and yet ]
could not but press so hard that it
soon seemed cutting my water-soaked
toe-joint to the bone. Oh, if only
Uncle Tommy would come! had
to think wofully Of how had de-
layed him at his dinner.
wondered if | could change toes
on the nail, but | did not dare to try,
for fear ! would slip of. Indeed, !
feared | should do that anyway, for
my terror and nervous strain, and my
strange, frantic, yet motionlcss effort
to press downward, had much cx-
hausted my strength.
! tried to think calmly. Surely
Uncle Tommy would soon come. It
was nearly one o'clock, and | was
sure the factory hands were crossing
the upper dam by scores. Oh, if they
would look toward mel But what
use? They could not see the mere
back of my head and neck and the
least bit of my shoulders at that dis
lance, against the dark slope Of the
Shiny dam. | stared up at the blue
sky its calm seemed so pitiless- and
lprayed to God to send Uncle Tommy
in time.
The pain in my foot was excruciat-
ing and ! was trembling violently,
when suddenly ] felt the water in
Slight CONFUSION about me-the
stream from the race had made its
way to the dam. Would it shake my
floating body aside from the nail? In
that despair my trembling ceased.
perhaps because of the concentration
of my powers on the effort to make
myself heard. ] screamed and
screamed with all my might
My voice frightened met seemed
so utterly alone in the universe, which
was slipping away from me and leav-
ing me in the black, uneasy water,
which now Tapped above my shout
ders.
Had my toe slipped?--for I had
forgotten the pain No--I felt the
nail sorely at the question. But the
water-@0h, God, help mel help me!'
! screamed. The water was rising
| had forgotten it would rise quickly
for | had closed its escape by Uncle
Tommys gates.
l gave up. l was about to be
drowned. Oh, poor mother, how she
would cry! Would they ever find my
body? And then | heard a shout
above me. Then something struck
me a hard blow on the shoulder. ]
felt that | had been wounded !
screamed with pain. felt that 1 was
being drawn through the water Was
/ sinking? No--and then | knew no
more.
Uncle Tommy, hearing me scream
as he crossed the dam, had seized a
path pole and reached for me with the
hook of it. With not a moment to
spare, so fast was the water rising, he
had no choice but to strike with the
hook, and the blow had forced the
steel point into my shoulder-blade,
making wound which was long pain
full, and a scar which have worn for
40 years
$50 much for my fine practical
joke on Uncle Tommy" said the old
man in conclusion. ooh, yes, you can
write out the story if you please.
Maybe it will be warning, but /
guess it won't, though | admit it was