The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1901-10-03
Tom Cornwi1cr's
8 q Tumble d q
BELIEVE that boy has climbed

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"Deary me! should be afraid he'd
break his neck" said Mrs. Millwaite,
81 don't see where he got it," said
Mrs. Cornwiler.
"He got it from you, that's plain,
said Mr.. Cornwiler, boldly.
From me! Why. just climbing a
fence makes me almost dizzy!"
"Iour father ~as a sailor" said
Cornwiler, land his father was top.
man in the navy under old Commo-
dore Preble. Toms inherited theiI
climb from you"
While this discussion was going on
indoors Tom was going off outdoors.
Mrs. Millwaite's visit gave him a
chance to go fishing. He put hook
and line in his pocket. intending to
cut a fishpole on the way, and trust.
ing TO find fat white bait grubs in
old logs. He owned a sharp one-hand
hatchet, which he thrust under his
buckskin belt.
A quarter of mile from the river
he came to familiar tree-stub. 1t
had been n forest giant, but some
storm had broken off its top, leav-
ing its great trunk 30 feet high. For
est fires had consumed the fallen top
and deeply charred the huge trunk.
Tom struck it with his hatchet head.
To his surprise it sounded hollow
mere shell. He was Immediately
curious to know if it was hollow all
the way up, and the only way to as
certain was to climb it.
A more uninviting stub to climb
could not be found. 1t was very
grimy, and too smooth and large to
be clasped by either arms or legs;
but Tom sought n thicket and cut the
largest tough withe he could find.
He wrapped this about the stub and
fastened its two ends securely to his
belt with strips of strong bark, max
ing a hoop somewhat larger than the
tree. Leaning well back, he walked
his moccasined toes right up, rails
ing the hoop by quick jerks.
The tree was hollow. Tom sat on
the edge, with his feet dangling out
side, as steady of nerve as if upon
the ground When his curiosity was
satisfied he slipped off the hoop to
retie it more to suit him. An incau-
tious movement broke bit of the
edge and disturbed his balance. He
made a violent move to recover him
self. More edge crumbled inward,
and down he went inside, head and
heels together. like shut iackknife.
One hand held to the hoop, pulling it
after him. Head, back, hips and legs
scraped down the long tube, carrying
fragments of rotten wood and
dusty cloud.
Tom struck on deep, soft pile of
debris, into which his doubled-up
body plunged breast and knee-deep.
The concusson shocked him breath
less and set his nose bleeding copi-
ously and the dust and blood him
dered the recovery of his breath. AL
though he was not quite unconscious,
It was long before he stirred. The
back of his head had been severely
raked and rotten wood was ground
into all his decorations.
When at last he began to try to
move he found himself wedged in.
Vainly he wiggled; he could hardly
stir, and could neither lift himself
nor get his legs down. His hips, back
and all the muscles of his legs ached
and prickled intolerably from strain
and checked circulation.
He could not resist crying; but, be-
ing lad of good courage, endurance
and resource, he soon began n sys-
tematic effort for release, packing
the loose debris down as firmly as he
could with his hands, at the same
time pressing it away all around with
his body. This eXertion caused great
er ache, but he persisted resolutely.
BY and by he got his hatchet out of
his belt, and struck it, after a dozen
efforts, so firmly into the wooden
wall that he could hang his weight
TO it with one hand while he worked
the debris under him with the other.
He gradually enlarged his space suf-
ticiently to allow the bending of his
knees. After that he was not long
in getting his body up and feet down,
so as to sit cramped on one hip, with
both feet nearly level.
Exertion, pain and the pressure of
returning circulation made his pulses
throb and his head swim, and he
lapsed into semiconsciousness. How
long this lasted he knew not, but
when he began to struggle again he
was in black darkness. A few stars
shone calmly down his wooden well,
but he could work only by feeling
about with his hands. He felt ex-
hausted, hungry and weak, but he
kept on working until he managed to
stand erect. Then, after feebly kick
ing and pushing debris to fill up the
hole where he had been, he curled
himself as. comfortably as he could
and slept blessed though troubled
sleep.
After a long time he stretched out.
His sore heels hit one wall, his sore
head the other. This time the pain
reused him to renewed sense of his
situation. He sat up, stiff, lame all