The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1901-08-29
MARY AND THE WELL.
little girl as Mary it is very nearly
impossible.

little girl as Mary it is very nearly
impossible.
However, Mary is not the kind of
girl who says she can't. She just
tries with all her might. In this
case she had succeeded in getting the
bucket up to the ledge and was Just
about to lift it over when it slipped
and dropped back into the well. De-
termined not to give up, Mary hung
on, raised herself on her tiptoes and
leaned over into the well. Probably
she leaned too far-no one knows
quite how it was-but the first thing
Mary knew she was floating about on
the water in the bottom of the well.
Away up above her she could see the
sunshine, but down in the well it was
dark and cold. When Mary shouted
she could hear great roaring noise,
and this she thought would certainly
be heard at the house. 1t did not oc-
cur to her that the sound was all in
the well and that in all probability
the people at the house would never
hear her. Indeed, it is doubtful if
Mary knew this, for she has not yet
reached the high school and she study
of physics.
When she first fell into the well her
skirt blew out like parachute, and,
filling with air, rested on the surface
of the water, where it acted as a life
preserver. But as soon as the cloth,
which was calico, was wet through
she began to go down, until finally
just the tip end of her nose was above
the surface of the water. Then, act
ing upon an impulse to save herself,
Mary caught the rough stones of the
wall and began to pull herself up.
This was successful for a time, but
when she was fairly out of the water
she lost her footing and slipped back.
This time her whole head went I'M
der water, and quick as a flash she
thought 'this is drowning"
1t was only for a moment, how
ever; then her nose poked its way out
of the water, as before, and when
she had taken a good, deep breath
she again tried to draw herself up on
the stones. Again she fell and again
She tried to save herself, only to fall
back a third time. Just then some
one heard her calling and came to
look down into the well. Mary was
then making her fourth effort to
climb up the wall of her prison. Hur-
riedly a bucket was thrown down to
her and into it she climbed, tired and
frightened enough.
Needless to say, Mary is the hero
inc of the town, and she has told her
story as many times as there are boys
and girls in Shamokin. Mary herself
does not think she was so very brave,
and she tells her story in a most
matter-offact way.
81 was drawing water" she says,
'and 1 had the bucket almost up to
the top when all at once everything
seemed to go round and round, fun
ny. The pail slipped back and tried
to get it, and-and-and 1 fell in. 1t
was so funny, L didn't know | was
falling into the well at all; 1 just
heard funny sound, like big bee
buzzing; and when 1 saw where was
l was floating round on the water,
ever so far down. 1t was dark, and
so cold, and l just yelled, but nobody
camel
81 don't know how I got hold of
one of the stones on the side of the
well, and | climbed up like we 90 in
the barn. I'd have got on all right,
too, if it hadn't been for being so
wet, but that made my foot slip and
l fell down again-oh! my nose went
under the water and everything! 1
thought | was drowning, but l didn't,
and so l tried to climb again, and
kept on, and by and by they came
and got me out. 1 wasn't so scared
till l got up-but 1 wouldn't like to
fall in again, it's so cold"
And, indeed, who would want to
fall 80 feet into a well?-Chicago
Chronicle.