Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-06-18
CHAPTER VII.
(Continued.)

had taken a little Of my uncle's
chewing tobacco out Of it's paper
that Law on a shelf in the cellar
wav. for | had observed that my
uncle generally chewed when ne
was riding. I tried little OF It
and was very sick for a few min
utes.
Having recovered, I sang all the
songs | knew. which were NOT
many. and repeated the names OF
the president and divided the world
into it's parts and recited the prin-
cipal rivers with all the sources
and emptyings of the latter and the
boundaries of the states and the
names and locations OF their capt
tails, It amused me in the midst OF
my loneliness to keep my tongue
busy and | exhausted all my knoWl-
edge, which included a number OF
declarations from the speeches OF
Otis, Henry and Webster, in the ef-
fort. Before the journey was half
over / had taken a complete inyen-
tory of my mental effects. | repeat
that it was amusement-of the only
kind available-and not work to
me-
I reached the mill safely and be
fore the grain was ground the earth
and the sky above it were white
with snow driving down in cold.
stiff wind out Of the northwest. l
loaded my grists and covered them
with a blanket and hurried away.
The snow came so fast that 1t al
most blinded me. There were times
when I could scarcely see the road
or the horses The wind came cold
er and soon it was hard work to
hold the reins and keep my hands
from freezing.
Suddenly the wheels began jump
ing over the rocks The horses were
in the ditch. | knew what was the
matter, for my eyes had been filled
with snow and ! had had to brush
them often. Of course the team
bad suffered in a like manner. Be
fore I could stop I heard the crack
OF felly and front wheel drop
ped TO its hub. I checked the
horses and jumped out and went to
their heads and cleared their eyes.
The snow was up to my knees then
1t seemed as if all the clouds in
the sky were falling to the ground
and stacking into a great, feecy
cover as dry as chat.
We were there where the road
drops into rocky hollow near tho
edge of BHtterfield's woods. They
used to call it Moosewood Hill be
cause of the abundance of moose
wood around the foot of it. How
the thought of that broken wheel
On n ezgly
wagon. and we having to pay the
mortgage. What would my uncle
say? The query brought tears to
my eyes.
I unhitched and led my horses up
into the cover Of the pines. How
grateful it seemed, for the wind
was slack below but bowling in the
tree-tops. l knew that l was four
miles from home and knew not how
| was TO get there Chilled to the
bone. l gathered some pitch pine
and soon had fire going with my
flint and finder. l knew that l
could mount one of the korses and !
lead the other and reach homo
probably. But there was the grist !
We needed that; I knew that we
would have to go hungry without !
the grist 1t would get wet from |
above and below if I tried to carry |
ii ON the back of a horse. l warm |
ed myself by the fire and hitchel I
my team near it so as to thaw the |
frost out of their fOrelOcks and eye
brows. l felt in my coat pockets !
and found a handful of naiIs-ey- |
erybody carried nails in one pocket |
those days-and | remember that |
my uncle's pockets were a museum |
of bolts and nuts and screws ana
washers.
The idea occurred TO me that
would make a kind of sled which
was called a jumper.
So | got my AK out of the wagon
and soon found a couple of small |
trees with the right crook for the
forward end of runner and cut
hem and hewed their bottoms as
as I could. Then I made
notches in them near the top of
heir crooks and fitted a stout stick
INTO the notches and secured ii
with nails driven by the ax-head.