Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-11-08
Dorothy's Ride

I want to tell you something that
happened many years ago in the old
town of Nantucket. @ ...
Quite on the brow Of the highest hill
stood curious, old-fashioned mill, the
sails of which were so long that they
nearly touched the ground; and OF
course they rose almost as high as the
| top of the mill, when they were whir-
led up by the wind Near this old mill
the miller lived with his wife and two
children '
John was sturdy, sun-browned boy,
two years older than Dorothy; but he
was good and gentle to her, for he low
ed his sister dearly, and spent much
! of his time playing with her. They
were always happy together; and in
summer, when the weather was fine,
they used to sail tiny boat on one OF
the many ponds. Their little craft was
not French toy with painted hull and
gay streamers, but plain affair
which their father had made for them
in the long evenings; and it had a
coarse bit of cotton for a sail.
The summers flew away, until at
last John was old enough to be sent
away to school; and poor little Dor
othy was left to play all alone. She
was a helpful little girl, and saved her
mother many steps. Still, she found
her play-time very dull, because she
didn't care any longer for the little
boat.
At last she began going with her
father to the mill; and all day she fit
ted about there, as busy as bee and
humming as cheerily.
Sometimes she would lie on the
grass and watch the mill-sails as they
swept slowly down and rose again on
the other side, thinking all sorts OF
odd thoughts about them. One day,
while she was lazily watching them,
she had a bright idea. What fun!
Springing up, she waited for sail to
come on until it lifted her off her feet,
and then she let 60, and seized an
other, and another, until she was tir-
ed. Day after day she amused herself
thus; and, when Saturday came, she
brought John to see her new sport.
She became so well acquainted with
her friend, the mill, to have any fear
of it: and each time she trusted her
self to it's arms she let them carry her
a little higher, so that she began to
see a long way off over the land and
the ocean. What a heroine she must
seem to her brother, she thought; for
he had nevert thought of trying 1t be-
fore. Elated by her success, she
sprang upon the sail for last ride,
as it was dinner time. Looking back
over her shoulder to see the effect OF
her daring on John, she chung little
longer than she meant to; and in a
twinkling she found that she could see
farther away than she had ever dream
ed. There was the harbOr with the
white sails set to dry. She could look
away down into the town and see the
people in the streets. There, too, was
Sanwatay Light Now she must be as
high as the tall light house. Thorough
" frightened, yet not daring to let go
Mt this dizzy height, she began to cry.
She saw her mother coming to call
them to dinner; and she thought-poor
little girl!-"I shall never see my dear
mother again." ~,
Higher and still higher she flew, her
dress floating out on the wind and her
poor little heart nearly bursting with
terror and grief. She did not see John
so pale with fear; nor did she hear
her father cry: ooh, my child will be
killed! Oh, my poor little girl" She
had now only eyes and ears and
thought for that terrible journey; and
once she wondered if she were going
to heaven, for she was sure that 1t
could not be much heigher than she
had risen, Still, she chung tightly, and
at last she shut her eyes.
The top once reached, slowly the
sail, with it's precious burden, began
to descend. How they all watched it.
Nobody spoke, an they hardly dared
to breathe. Lower and lower it came,
until, within few feet of the ground,
Dorothy opened her eyes; and, over
come with a sudden sense of safety,
her little fingers unclasped, and down
she fell.
She fell pretty hard; but luckily,
there are no stones in Nantucket, so
no bones were broken. But her head
had such a bump that she saw bright
lights flashing, and she heard a hum
of strange sounds; and soon her
poor back began to ache and her
head felt sore, and she opened her
eyes once more to find herself safe
in her dear fathers arms. And then
they all cried together for thankful
ness
And this was the last ride that
Dorothy ever took on the sails of the
old windmill.