The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-10-20

delegated to bring up the water, for exam
pie, to fill three or four large wooden tubs
arranged around the summer kitchen
1t was a common occurrence for one or
other of the well buckets to be lost in the
we'll. usually through the fooling Of one
or the other Of the youngsters. I'D be
pulling up a bucket Of water, for instance.
without any notion that there was any,
body but me anywhere near the well, and
I'd have the bucket almost pulled to the
top and ready to haul il owe. the edae Of
the top board when INT of my brothers.
barefooted, would suddenly dart up behind
me and tickle me in the Stats with both of
his sets Of fingers, and in my ~wriRglinR
surprise. OF course, I'd let 60 Of the chain.
and down to the bottom of the we'll the
full bucket Of water d drop. kerplunk. and
then the empty bucket would come a-hurt-
ling up. humping the stone sides in its as
cent. and when IL got to the top and hit the
pulley wheel. why, Of course, one OF the
chain links would give, and down to the
bottom OF the well the empty bucket would
rattle. Many a singing walloping / got
Tor letting a well bucket get away from
me in that or some other fool boy way.
1t was a part OF the regular game Of
life to fish for a submerged we'll bucket
every little while. We kept, as e~yervhodv
else with wells did, "a three pronged gran
ping hook just for such emergencies.
"ln those days nobody with a we'll in
the yard ever thought Of taking ice. PERISH
able articles were kept cool and in condition
had a big crock Of butter hanging in the
well. My mother. / recall. would never
trust my OF us skylarking kids to raise
or lower the butter crock. She'd attend
TO hat herself and save any possible ca
lamitous consequences.
And 0an-tlp-man fha UaforvnoI1-.- -
used TO let down in that old well to chill EN-
for the night feast-um! Don't talk! ONLY
one of the buckets could be used, OF course,
while a watermelon was undergoing it's
chilling treatment in this way; and dad.
he drew all the well water while the melon
was down. Say, you can have your water
melons cooled in crushed ice and your
watermelons plugged and filled with cham
payne. and all like tha~t-a-way, but there
never was any kind Of a watermelon anv-
my dad used to slide out of the silver
dripping old bucket after the twilight had
fallen and the stars were agleam and cut
with the long butcher knife on the pine
table in the kitchen.
Then, too, how us kids used to try to
dodge the additional ceremony at that
we'll on summer nights after we'd been
trotting DUN barefoot all dayi Nv
turning in time we'd be pretty sleepy.
and when we were ready to make for bed
we'd sort o. side and stink, TO dodge ont
OF our mothers range OF vision; but never
once in all the years did any Of US get awav
with those sinking pr~ooeedings. She'd
nail US every time; even when We were all
but in the door and on our way to bed,
My son, she'd call out quietly from
somewhere or other, you haven't bathed
your feet yet
But they hain't dirty, maw.' would be
our invariable reply-as IL a boy could trot
around fields all'day and keep his feet in
condition to turn into spotless sheets.
Honest they hahn dirty, maw.'
But ! think they must be-you NAV
come here n let me see them, SON. she'd
reply In that quiet way Of hers, and then
we'd nudge over to her and she'd hold the
oil lamp to look at our disgraoefully soiled
feet and then she'd say:
1T certainly is a shame, son, for you
to stand there and he telling such fbs. Go
right out this instant and draw a bucket of
water and wash your feet
(which 'ud settle il. The one of US
thus admonished would go and get the
little old rusty bottomed tin wash basin
set aside for that purpose, resting on the
wooden bench in the yard, and then we'd
draw a bucket Of water from the we'll and
Nil the basin, and catching up a hunk Of
yellow-no, .yalier- kitchen soap, also re-
served for that stunt, ed sit down on the
edge OF the board platform around the
well and perform the job that my mother
never failed to see TO 10 that we did per-
form before sinking into her clean sheets.
when IT. comes to that q rood deal OF
the We at the old hon> clustered about the