Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1902-01-10
CHAPTER v.


CHAPTER v.
Monday morning the boys were at work
1t two wheelbarrows, for which Mi. Har.
" had brought out wheels and ironwork;
and Mr.. Hardy and the men went down
10 the stream, and began to strip off the
turf, and to dig out a strip Of land twen-
y-ave feet wide along the line where the
dam was to come. The earth was then
wetted and puddled. In ten days a dam
was raised eight feet high, three feet
wide ut the top and twenty-five feet wide
at the bottom. In the middle a space Of
two feet wide was left, through which the
little stream at present ran. Two posts,
with grooves in them, were driven in, one
upon either side of this; and thus the
work was left for a few days. for the sun
to bake its surface, while the men were
cutting a trench for the water to run
down to the ground to be irrigated.
A small sluice was put ut the entrance
to this and all was now In readiness to
complete the final operation of closing UP
the lam. A quantity Of earth was first
collected and puddled and piled on the
top OF the dam and on the slopes by its
side. A number of boards two feet long,
and cut to fit the grooves, were slipped
down into them, forming a solid wall,
and then upon the upper side of these the
puddled earth was thrown into the water,
Terence standing below in the stream and
pounding down the earth with a rammer.
The success was complete; In a couple of
hours time the gap In the dam was filled
up, and they had the satisfaction of see
Ing the little stream OVERLOOKING it's banks
and widening out above, while not a drop
Of water made Its escape by the old chan
nel.
While this work had been going on the
boys had been engaged up Mt the house.
The first thing was to make u churn, then
to put some large closets and some more
shelves. The girls tried their first expert
ment at butter. and the result was most
satisfactory. The dinners, too, were pro-
nounced to be an immense improvement
upon the old state of things.
MIR. Hardy was rather surprised ut
Seth Harper, the Yankee, having remain
cd so long in his service, as the man had
plainlH stated, when first engaged, that
he thought it likely that he should not fix
himself, as he expressed it, for many
weeks. However, he stayed on, and had
evidently taken a fancy to the boys. Or
an evening, when work was over, they
would go dow to the bench he had erect
ed outside his hut, and would ask him
to tell them tales Of his Indian eNperi-
ences. Upon n of these occasions Char
ley said to him: But of all the near es-
capes that you have had, which was the
most hazardous you ever had? Which do
you consider was the narrowest touch you
ever had Of being killed?"
Seth considered for some time In si-
lence, and then said: "That's not alto
gether an easy question to answer. I've
been SO near wiped out such scores of
times that it amt no easy job to say
which was the downright nearest. But l
think that, ut the time, l never SO much
felt that Seth Harper's time for going
down had come as I did in an affair near
San Louis"
"And how was that, Seth? Do tell us
about it," Maud said.
"It's rather IL long story, that is the
Yankee said.
Gail the better, Seth" Charley said;
"at least all the better as far as we are
concerned, If you don't mind telling it,"
"No, l don't mind, no how" Seth an
ewered. "Ill just think it over, and see
where to begin"
There was a silence for n few minutes,
and the young Hardys composed them
selves comfortably for a good long sit
ting, and then Seth Harper began his
story.
Better than five years back, in ~, l
We're fighting in Mexico. 1t wasn't much
regular up and down fighting we had.
though we had some toughish battles, too.
but it were skirmishing here, skirmishing
there. keeping one eye always open. Me
and Rube Pearson worked mostly togeth-
er. We had fit the Indians out on the
prairies for years side by side, and when
Uncle Sam wanted men to lick the Mex
leans we concluded to go in together.
We listed as scouts to the Rangers that
Is, we agreed to fight as much as we were
wanted to fight, and to go on in front as
scouts, in which way we had many u lit,
tile scrimmage on our own a<es,.-.Ns =
we didn't wear szagtiiss Aheioss-afa y
:. ter Pa in the skim milk, together ~
~ the low price secured for the butter, y
lose him from 500 to 5000 a year
five or more COWS, according to the nW
Der he keeps.
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