The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-25


ton as shrewd calculators concerning the
result. He was hard-headed. close fist
ed fellow, and he approached the unwel-
come task with elaboration end caution.
At last he concluded that the wisest
thing for him 20 do was to col isult "Rube''
Whitney, a well known mani pulator of the
ume-honored divining rod, b. which it was
then believed minerals ard water could
be discovered beneath the surface of the
earth
Accordingly one morning. RUDE, a shriv-
eled specimen of hunianity. strange
enough in appearance ! no be a wizard,
came to the store, holding in his hands
the best for1ed stick of Witch-ha eel which
he had been able to procure after a dill
gent search in the woods. On RI be's mul-
Unanimously wrinkled and cadaverous Wis
age was grave ard mysterious express
sion, well BETTING the important role he
was about 10 assume. A large number
of villagers, who had heard that RUDE
was to exercise HIS occult skill, had gath
cred in the store, and now gazed on the
sage with curiosity and awe.
Rube looked at the crowd with pride
and was encouraged by the admiration
revealed in their countenances. Only one
face betrayed unbelief. 1t was that of
the new scho0lmaster recent graduate
of Bowdoin College. This man laughed in
an incredulous way
I1dOOQl6SS DIS lINuDt dStu ldCS
was, it now flushed with Indignation.
Never before had his assumptions as a
master of tn divining rod been question
ed by a you ng upstart.
Il see, job N Hollenbeck, that you don't
believe that 1 can find water with this
ere stick"
OF coursei I don't" answered Hollen-
beck, who was an outspoken fellow, often
too outspoE zen for his own good, as he
acknowledged to himself in his cooler mo-
menis. 1T is nothing but a superstition.
only people unacquainted with true sci
ence believe in it. Learned Investigators
who have fyiven the phenomenon atten-
ton are satisfied that it is simply due to
strong i'm preston on the mind acting
through the agency of the nerves and
muscles"
Big words, big words. - groWled old Pc
leg, who lil1 many another practical man
devoid of scholarship had great contempt
for what he called bool6ish theories. "You
want TO show your larnin'," he contin-
utd; bur you'll find out young man, that
college DON'T teach everything worth
kn0win'. Ru be has handled the rod for
forty years here and has never made a
mistake. l c pm count up a dozen instances
within a mil where he has found water
Tor people. There's the case of the Wild
CIV SimpkinsL Only six months ago he
used the rod Yin her garden. and the dig
gers struck water only five feet down. The
shallow and. the water not cold enough"
Hollenbecik was we'll aware that he was
Drawing popular prejudice; but he was not
me man TO let a matter drop TO avoid
dlsagreeabile controversy.
With Of without a diving rod one can
usually fluid water al a reasonable depth
ne answered, 80 that this skill would
prove nothing unless II could be show n
mat in the majority of Instances wat er
was encountered where from the nature
OF the sod or the rock formation or from
me elevation of the land IL was not to
he expected except in certain exceptional
spots. Asl for the Widow Sinpkins' well,
It was dug on low ground near a bro TX,
Where any child would know digging would
probably soon reach water"
The last remark was so pertinent n at
81 nonplu ssed Williams. and, on accol mt
OF his stubborn nature, this made him
angry
What's the use of talkin longer? w eve
sot The fIcts and you've got the theory
elaeulatect Peleg. Were plain but sem
slole folks around here, and need no in
Structions from edecated fools. Come,
h1oe, let's begin the search for waite r."
teaching the plot Of ground al the rear
OF the stora, Rube whitney stopped and
me others gathered about him in a cir
We all are pretty well agreed >" said
Hu0e' that 1.-THE underground ledge is ex-