Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1903-03-05
Down HE
DriIl-HOle

! Dl>lll'cllOlS !
ACK PAISLEY did not know how
u long he had been lying there OH
the ground, with his face hidden in
his arms, and he could not have told
of half the thoughts--rejoicing, des-
perate, sorrowful-that had been
passing through his brain. The won
der of it was that when at last he
sat up and drew his sleeve across
his eyes and looked about him he
realized that he had somehow been
conscious all the time that boring
had ceased at the new Hub well.
Yet neither the Hub nor any other
gas well on the ridge had been in
his mind when he came out of the
house. Of that he was sure. Great
news, part glad, part terrible, had
crowded out everything else. First,
the doctor had said that Jacks ia
Their had safely passed the crisis of
a long and dangerous illness. Jack
jumped for joy at that. g. .,.
Then Jacks mother had reported
the doctors next words, that Mr..
Paisley must have nourishing food
delicacies, chicken! She had cried
as she said it, and Jacks face had
paled, remembering his three pets,
Tiny and Hoarsy and Dick. But Jack
knew the money was about gone, and
there was enough of the hero in the
boy to make him stiffen his chin and
answer: "Then father must have one
of my chickens, but don't know
which,"
At that his courage faltered, and
he rushed out of the house. He could
not choose. He would not wait to
learn which chicken his mother Sc
lected for the slaughter.
OF course his first wretchednes
lessened little as the moments went
by. The blessed hopefulness of
youth came to his relief. A chicken
would not have to be killed for two
OF three hours, anyway-and some
thing might turn up! .-
Then it was he became distinctly
aware that they had stopped drill
ing at the Hub we'll. a kind of de-
fensive misunderstanding him to guard
against unhappy thoughts-turned
his feet that way.
He found Eric Sampson the dri1ler,
and Jim Dodd, the tool dresser, Sit
ting and smoking IN philosophic
ease; but Mr.. Johnson, the con
tractor, was stamping back and
forth, pausing now and then tc
glance gloemi1y at the two-and-a-
quarter-inch drill-line that hung over
the mouth of the WE'LL. The fraycd
end told the: whole ;story-the rope
had parted. ..: s. 5s... :. :: 4.
s.'How deep are ysu?'' Mr.. johnson
demanded. ..,>>;,y: :, :; 5s,;::.=?-
= ''Jest about $50 feet,''' was the
,driller's placid answer. Jack noticed
that his calmness seemed TO irritatc
the contractor. IN
swell, can't you think of any
thing?" Mr.. johnson cried. sHave
we got to lose all our work, and the
tools into the bargain ?"
Jack had drawn nearer. He waited
with interest for the answer.
'Twon't be so easy to get 'em.
You know we're using our 15-inch
bit, and that cuts 16-inch hole,
about. Well, the tools are not more
than four inches at the top, and since
the bit isn't fast they must be lean
ing against the wall, where there's
about one chance in ten Thousand Of
getting a slip-socket over them.
There's a stub of rope sticking up,
too, that would interfere with the
6shingtool."
Have you no idea at all that would
help us, Eric? It seems q shame to
abandon the well. Couldn't we dig
the tools out? Two hundred feet
isn't much.''
Yes, tbs, when most of it's bfue
limestone. I've been thinking Of u
way. Some would call it risky, bat
can't see how
"Out with it!"
well, I'd lower q boy down there
and have him take hitch around the
rope-socket." 4. +.
B odCh Pos1CAVely Su1VcTeu-nlS quick
imagination had 50 clearly grasped
the horror Of a descent into thai,
hole. Mr.. Johnson looked doubtful.
That's dangerous. Suppose a boy
lost his head did something SO YOU
couldn't get him out?''
What could he do? Let me tie.
the rope round lu7 him and I'll guaran-
tee to pull him OUT 1.
What about gas-bad air wa ter %
1--WE know there's no water to.
amount m to anything, and we haven II
gone through coal or any thing to
make n l,' bad air air Maybe little gas
settled near e al the bottom, hut he won't
need to 60 that far. The tools are so