The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-08-31
, all day, George secured q half

MIN all DAY, george secured q nall
filled powder horn, and calling his
young companions together. invited
them to unite with him in self-ap-
pointed celebration. Having bored
hole in one Of the logs and filled it
in with powder, they arranged fuse,
inserted plug and retired to 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: "One
| mans life is enough at time" and
going to the log was proceeding to pour
In more powder. when 1t exploded di-
rectly 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 APP
pearance, but there was not a CULVER
on the small. powder-burned face. as.
turning to his companions. he asked:
docs 1t show much?"
The least candid of them was obliged
to admit that it did; but George, still
| sanguine Of escaping detection, hoped
that "after it stopped smaIting. it
would look better"
When the doctor returned from his
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 clicked 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 mile
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-
ters sometimes resulting in a mutiny.
One night one Of the younger set.
then a 6-year-old and not allowed to
60 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 q certain
memorable evening. the smaller boy.
stealing away from home at dusk. john
ed young Dewey and two of his ASSOC
deep ravine to an old-fashioned saw
mill, which they set in motion. the
double object thus accomplished being
the seeing Of "the old thing shake IT.
self to pieces" and the securing of q
days holiday for their friend. the mill
ler's son. by the suspension of opera
tons 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
L
ern climate a period to which every boy
endowed with spirit of adventure
looks eagerly forward.
Two small rivers, the Wtnooski and
the Onion. come together In Montpelier
in such way as to form the letter
T, and around this letter the town il
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
bear his Notwithstanding often in wa
ter four or five inches deep-and sue
ceeds in effecting landing upon the
mass of pulverized ice. interspersed
with huge endwise and criss-cross
blocks. which lodges six miles below.
ebcomes the hero Of the hour.
On such occasions young Dewey was
in his element. leading the way in
every daring enterprise and acquiring
that hardihood and utter disregard Of
danger Of which the victory at Manila
was the glorious outcome. 1t was while
guiding his ice raft past bridges and
piers, over crosse currents formed by
the influx of lesser tributaries and
around quick bends in the river that
he learned his first lessons in the SCI
ence Of navigation.
What man has done man can do"
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 well?
Germans Are skepticaI.
Berlin.-(Special.)- German gov