The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-08-17
him all day. George secured a half
f3llod pnudor ho,o ona .n,u~-

MIN all day, George secured q half
filled powder horn. and calling his
young companions together, invited
them to unite with him in self-ap-
pointed celebration. Having bored a
hole in one of the logs and filed it
in with powder they arranged a fuse
inserted a plug and retired to a safe
distance to await results.
The plug was not driven in with suf-
f1cient force. however, and was blown
out without making the desired report
Running forward with one impulse the
boys would have recharged, but George,
waving them back, exclaimed: lone
mans life is enough at time," and
going to the log was proceeding to pour
in more powder, when 1t exploded d.
rcctly in his face.
With eyes fast shut he made straight
for the rain tub, and plunging his head
in, shook it violently about
When he raised it. with hair all sing
ed, and eyebrows and eyelashes gone.
he presented a strangely altered ap-
pearance, but there was not a CULVER
on the small, powder-burned face, as,
turning to his companions. he asked:
docs it show much?"
The least candid Of them was obliged
to admit that it did; but George, still
sanguine of escaping detection, hoped
that latter it stopped smarting, it
would look better"
cd fv0vr y 10
distant call that evening, however, he
found patient awaiting him at home:
and in the quiet seclusion of the two or
three days following the adventure the
future admiral had leisure in which to
concoct new plans for the entertain
ment Of himself and his young friends.
During the Mexican war he was an
ardent worshiper at the shrine Of Gen.
eral Taylor. who licked the enemy
every time"
He never tired Of looking at picture
OF him which hung in his own home:
and when the boys, catching the mill
tary spirit which pervaded the air,
fought sham battles. he always insist
ed upon impersonating "Old Zack." as
signing the part Of Santa Ana to some
one else. an apportionment Of charac-
tiers sometimes resulting in a mutiny.
One night one of the younger set.
then 6-year-old and not allowed to
go with the big boys, recalls the
fascination which his society had for
him. and the hair erecting stories Of
the yellow-back variety with which he
sometimes RECALLED him. On a certain
memorable evening, the smaller boy.
stealing away from home at dusk, join,
ed young Dewey and two Of his assoc
ciates. and accompanied them up a
deep ravine to an old-fashioned saw
mill, which they set in motion, the
double object thus accomplished being
the seeing Of 1.-THE old thing shake it.
self to pieces and the securing Of
days holiday for their friend. the mil
ler's son, by the suspension of opera
lions subsequent upon the draining Of
the pond.
The immense amount Of snow which
falls in the mountains and valley Of
New England and the large deposits Of
ice which form in its rivers make the
breaking up of winter in that far north
ern climate period to which every boy
endowed with a spirit of adventure
looks eagerly forward.
Two small rivers, the Winooski and
the Onion, come together in Montpelier
in such a way as to form the letter
T, and around this letter the town is
built. In the spring, when the stream
sreams are swollen by the melting
SHOWS, and pieces Of ice are hurried
along by the current, the boy who gets
upon the smallest "cake" which will
beas H!ts Notwithstanding often in wa
ter four or i've inches deer-and sue
ceeds in effectirg g landing upon the
mass Of pulverized ic-. intrcspersec
with huge endwise an5 criss-c-..-ss
blocks, which lodges six miles below
ebcomes the hero Of the hour.
On such occasions young Dewey was
in his element. leading the way IL
every daring enterprise and acquiring
that hardihood and utter disregard Of
danger Of which the victory at Manila
was the glorious outcome. It was while
guiding his ice raft past bridges and
piers, over cross currents formed by
the influx Of lesser tributaries ane
around quick bends in the river tina
he learned his first lessons in the SCI
ence Of navigation.
What man has done man can d."
was the motto which formed the pro-
polling power of his young life, carry
Ing him through every boyish undertake
ing. Who knows but that it may have
inspired his later achievements as well7
Germans Are Skeptical.
Berlin.-(Special.)- German gov