THE TIMES NEW BL00MFIEL1), TA., SElTEMMlt 27, 1681.
Old Vaughn's Dam.
"H'
AMP SEE a dunce I Well may
be so j but arter what I've need,
it 'ml take a smarter schoolmaster than
you to make nie tblnk o."
It was old lllley Vaughn who spoke,
and although old ltlley had no educa.
tlon, his hard sense and sound Judgment
were respected by all the meu who sat
therein the village post-ofllce waltlug
for the mall. He had grown prosperous
lydlnt of hard work and good judg
ment, and his neighbors were aocustom
ed to usk for and to respect his opin
ions. " 1 did not say precisely that, Mr.
Vaughn," replied Peuruddock, the
schoolmaster. "I only said that my
best ell'orts to educate the boy were ren
dered futile and nugatory by reason of
his Inexplicable Inability to grasp and
retain so simple a thing as the accidence
of the Latin verb."
"That means, In plain English, that
he ain't got no grip on what you teach
him, don't it V" asked Riley.
" Yes, that is what I mean," replied
the schoolmaster, with something like a
shudder at old Riley's English. " But I
will make an honorable exception In the
matter of luathemtitlcs. He seems in
stinctively to grasp arithmetical prin
ciples." " Yes," drawled old Riley; " oue of
your boys tole me Hamp could llgure
out how long It 'ud take for a cistern to
get full ef they was three pipes o' (lif
erent sizes a runnlu' into it, an' two
others o' still different sizes a runnln'
"out."
"Yes, he is expert in the practical ap
plications of arithmetic ; and yet eveu
in arithmetic his standing is not good,
because he Beems Incapable of mastering
the exact terms of the formula and
Jules."
" Well, now, look here," said old
Riley, rising and striking the counter
with his big fist; " it Jest comes to this
here ; the boy ain't got no grip on your
words mi' things, but he's got a good
grip on idees au' principles, an' it's my
belief that's the Inside o' sense. I don't
want to be unnecessarily offensive, but
you an' all school-masters like you
ought to teach parrots. They don't want
no idees ; they just want the words, an'
that's your notion o' learnln'. That's
the. trouble o' this county down here;
men learn words an' kin make speeches,
but he can't do nothin'. Now I've, seed
that Hamp See do what nary a man in
this country could do. I bo't the fust
renpln'-machine as was ever Beed in
these parts, an' when it came it was all
to pieces, au' packed In boxes. I sent
oue arter another for all the blacksmiths
an' wheel-wrights an' carpenters here
abouts, to set the thing up, an' I'm
blest ef oue of 'em could make out
which end of the thing was foremost.
Not one of 'em could put any two pieces
together. That 'ere boy hung 'round all
the time, with his for red creased up like,
an' finally he says, eays he, "Mr.
Vaughn, let me try." " Well, try, says
I ; an' ef you get her together, I've got
a live-dollar hill fer you." Maybe you
'won't believe it, but afore noon that
very day that there reaper was reapln'
wheat like a dozen hands. The boy
just seed right into the thing. Now, I
say ef he's a dunce, the sooner most
people iu these here parts loses their
senses an' gits to be dunces, the better
it will be for all concerned." And with
that old Riley stalked indignantly out
of the post office.
Notwithstanding all that old Riley
couiu say, nowever, puimo opinion was
. against Hamp Bee. It was certain that
lie was dull iu his lessons. He could not
' keep up with Pen ruddock's classes, and
instead of studying his Latin verbs, he
was perpetually interrupting the schools
by asking Mr. Penruddock to- explain
"things like thunder and lightning, and
tb,e presence of shells in the rocks in the
mountain, and the curious way plants
have of taking care of themselves-
things which had no relation to the
work of the school. It was agreed that
Riley Njaughn could know nothing
about education, because he was not him
self educated. It was even said and
this came to Riley's ears that he was
even prejudiced against education.
Even Hamp'a mother was discourag
ed. Hamp was always "pottering,"
she said, instead of attending to his
'books.
" Why," she said, " he's been fooling
"with a spring up on the hill back of the
(house the whole season through. He's
laid pipes to bring the water down here,
and now he's turned the whole house
into a mill." Then she could show her
visitor what Hamp bad done. He had
constructed an ingenious water-wheel
with which to make the most of the
power a Horded by the spring, and had
set it at a variety of tasks. A stretch of
line shafting passed under the roof of
the bouse, and bands were parsed
through the floor to the churn and sew-ing-macbiue,and
even the sausage chop
per could be attached at will. "I don't
deny that it's handy, and saves work,"
fldid bis mother. " And now he's made
a sort of fan In the dining room, and
has set that going too, so that It keeps
the (lies off the table. If I had a baby
in the house, I believe he'd make the
water rock the cradle. But its discour
aging about his Btudies. Mr. Penrud
dock is in despair and says he don't
knoW what la to be made of the boy.1'
The summer proved to be a very dry
one, and the gardens especially Buffered
for water. When the people began to
complain Hamp had an Idea. He
always had an Idea when an emergen
cy arose. He went into his moth
er's garden and worked all day, dig
ging a trench down the middle, and
and making little trenches at right
angles to the main oue, so that each bed
was surrounded by them, and the larger
beds crossed as well. He was very care
ful to keep all these trenches on one
level. When he had finished, he laid a
drain from the water-wheel to the main
trench, bo that the waste water, after
ruuulng the wheel, was carried into the
garden and emptied into the trench.
Little by little the main trench filled ;
then the water trickled Into the smaller
trenches, and as the spring from which
it came was a never falling one, the gar
den was supplied with water throughout
the day, all that hot summer, and such a
garden nobody In that region had seen
that season.
People said that Hamp See was a han
dy sort of boy ; but they were sure to
add, " It's a pity he's so dull."
One day old Riley Vaughn was of
fering extravagant prices for horse, mule
or ox teams to haul stone. He had tak
en a contract to supply from his quarry
the stone for a railroad bridge over
Bushy Run, and now the time of deliv
ery was near at hand, and no teauiB
could be had. All the horses were at
work on the crops, and it began to ap
pear that old Riley must either lose
money on the contract by hiring horses
and mules and teamsters at ruinous
prices, or forfeit the contract itself. He
tried in every direction for mules ami
wagons, offering twice the usual wages,
but still he could get very few. He was
in real trouble with a loss of several
thousand dollars threatening him.
Oue day Hamp, who knew what
trouble Riley was in, went down to the
creek, and, cutting several twigs, began
setting them up at a distance from each
other, and sightiug from oue to the
other. The few teamsters who were at
work watched him curiously, but they
could not make out what he was doing.
He went up the creek with his sticks,
moving oue at a time, and always care
fully sighted from one to another, or
rather from one over auother to a third.
Iu this way lie worked up to the quarry,
which was immediately on the creek,
nearly a mile above the point where the
bridge was to be built.
" Mr. Vaughn," said he, " I've an idea
that will help you out of your difficul
ty." "Will it hire teams to haul stone V"
asked Riley.
" No ; but it will enable you to haul
stone without teams."
" If it will-. Well, let me hear what
it is," said Riley, changing his purpose
while speaking.
" Raft the stones down," said Hamp,
Now look hear, Hamp See," said
old Riley. " I've stood up for you, an'
sakt you want no dunce when every
body else said you was ; but this here
looks as ef they was right au' I was
wrong. How in natur' kin I raft stone
down a creek that ain't got more'n six
inches o' water in it, a-bubblin' around
among the stones of the bottom V"
" Well, you see," said Hamp, " I've
leveled up here from the quarry, and
there's only two feet fall, or a little less,
and the banks are nowhere less than
five feet high ; and so, as there's a good
deal more water running down in a day
man anybody would uiidk, it s my
notion to build a temporary dam just
below the bridge you've enough timber
and plank here to do it with two hours
work with your men building it say,
six feet high, there where the banks are
closest together. Before noon to mor.
row the water will rise to the top of the
dam, and run over. When it does,
you'll have six feet of water here, and
four feet at the quarry, and your men
can push rafts down as fast as they can
load them."
" How do you know there's ouly two
foot fall ?" asked old Riley, eagerly.
" I've leveled it," said Hamp.
" That is you figgered it out with them
sticks y
"Yes."
" Are you sure you've got the righ
answer 1"' asked the old man, wild with
eagerness.
" Perfectly sure. You see, It's simple
I plant my sticks"
" Never mind about how you do It ; I
can't understand that ef you explain it
but look me in the eyes, boy. This thing
means thousands o' .dollars to Riley
Vaughn ef you've got your answer
right. I kin understand that much ; an
ef you've worked out this big sum right
for me, I'll choke the next man that
eays you're a duucelust 'kase you don't
take kbidly to old Peuruddock ' chat
terln' sort o' learnln' : I'll do It, or my
name ain't Riley Vaughn, an' that's
what I've been called for high onto fifty-
five years now."
Old Riley was visibly excited. He
called all his men to the place selected
and set tbetn at work building the dam,
while Hamp looked on and occasionally
made a suggestion for simplifying the
work. The dam was finished at three
o'clock In the afternoon, and at six
o'clock the water had risen two feet six
inches, while the back-water had passed
the quarry.
"There," said Hamp; "that proves
my work. The water is level, of course,
as fur up as back-water shows itself, and
we have two feet six Inches at the dam ;
so the tall is two feet."
" It looks so," said Riley, who was
also eagerly watching the rise of the
water. The workmen had all gone
home, all of them convinced that this
attempt to back the water a mile up the
stream was the wildest foolishness ; but
old Riley and Hamp waited and watch
ed. " It doesn't rise eo fast now," said
Riley.
"That's because It has a larger sur
face ; but it still rises, and the surface
won't Increase much more now, as
there's a steep place just above the quar
ry, and it can't back any further up."
The two waited and watched. Mid
night came and the measurement show
ed three feet six Inches depth at the dam.
Still they waited and watched. At bIx
o'clock in the morning the depth was
four feet two inches. Then Riley sent a
negro boy to the house with orders to
bring back "a big breakfast for two."
At seven o'clock the breakfast arrived,
and the measurement showed four feel
three incheB and a half.
"It's a-rlsln' faster again," said
RUey.
" Yes ; the level is climbing straight
up the bluff banks now, aud not spread
ing out as it rises," said Hamp.
At nine o'clock the depth was four
feet eight and a half inches, and the
men in the quarry had a raft ready, aud
were beginning to load it. Ten o'clock
brought four feet eleven inches of water,
aud at noon there were five feet and
four inches.
" I've missed it a little," said Hamp.
" I Bald the water would run over the
dam by noon, and it has still eight
incheB to rise before doing that."
'Well, that sort o' a miss don't
count," said Riley. " You've worked
the sum up right anyway.an' the water's
deep enough for raftin', and still rlsln.
It'll go over the dam in two or three
hours more.an' I'll do what I said ; "I'll
choke any man 'at Bays that John
Hampden See's a dunce or anything
like it. An' that ain't all," said the
old man, rising and striking his list in
the palm of his hand. " They've been
a saying that old Riley Vaughn didn't
value edicatlou ; now I'll show 'em.
I'm a goin' to make this dam a perma
neut institution. I'm a-goiu' to build
Vaughn's and See's foundry an' agricul
tural implement factory right down
the creek there an' put a big lot o' im
proved machinery in it; and I'm a-goln,
to send my pardner, John Hampden
See, off next week to get the rest of his
edicatlon where they sell the edlcation
as is good for him not a lot o' words,
but principles an' facts. Y'ou tell your
mother your a goin to New York right
awoy, boy, an' 'at old Riley Vaughn's
a-goln to foot all the bills outen your
Interest in the comin' factory. You'll
study all sorts o' figgerln' work an' ma
chine principles in the big School in
New York what's called the school o'
Mines, an' then you'll go to all the big
factories an' things."
The scheme was carried out. Hamp
spent three years in study, aud returned
an accomplished mechanical engineer.
He went Into the factory as old Riley's
partner, aud his work has been to im
prove machinery and processes. The
firm own many patents now on things
of his inventiou, aud the factory is the
centre of a prosperous. region, in which
Mr. Hampden See is a respected citizen
How He told the Tims.
A GOOD STORY, told at the expense
of a well-known ex Judge, is going
the rounds of the lawyers' offices, aud it
is heartily appreciated by those who
best kuow the irascible but good-hearted
disposition of the old gentleman. It was
an admiralty case, where he is mo&t at
home. The deposition of a sailor, who
was soon to die, had to be taken at his
bedside in Brooklyn, oue day last week
" How loug," the ex-Judge snapped out
at the first question on cross-examina
tion, "do you think it was after the ves
sel left the wharf before the collision
occurred?
The sailor was himself something of
a character, and not so near death but
that heappreclated the vital Importance
or " getting back on" a cross-examln
lug lawyer.
" Waal," be drawled out, " 'bout ten
minutes I i d Judge."
"Ten minutes I Teu minutes 1" ex
claimed the lawyer, Jumping up. "Man,
how long do you thing ten minutes to
be?"
"Just about ten minutes," was the
unruffled reply.
" How do you generally measure ten
minutes V" persisted the lawyer.
The old Bailor turned elowly in bed
and eyed his questioner. Then he turn
ed slowly back again and Bald Indiffer
ently : Waal, some-times wld a watch
and Bometlmes wld a claack."
This made the old man a little mad.
He jerked his watch from his pocket
and said in a querulous, high-pitched
voice : " Oh, you do, do you t Well,
I'll tell you when to begin, and you tell
me when ten minutes are up."
The sailor slyly winked at the lawyer
on the other side, and he took In the
situation in an instant and made no ob
jection. The ex-Judge stood with his
back to a mantle on which a little clock
was quietly iudicating the time to the
sailor, who lay facing It.
" Aye, aye," the sailor said, and re
mained silent.
After three minutes had passed the ex-
Judge became impatient and exclaimed,
See here, are you going to keep us
here all day V" But the sailor made no
answer. As five, six aud seven minutes
went by he became almost wild In his
assumed anger at the man for keeping
them bo long beyond the time. But not
until the hand of the clock was on the
exact notch of ten minutes did the sail
or speak. Then he said carelessly :
"Guess the time mus' be 'bout up."
'I he Judge put up his watch and sank
back In his chair, " Well," he said, " of
all men, dying or alive, that I ever saw,
you can measure time the best."
It is said that the ex-Judge does not
eveu yet kuow what made the other
lawyers double themselves over with
laughter as they did at the lust remark
of his.
A Curious Snake.
Along the Upper Brazos and in West
ern Texas, where flourishes the horned
frog, Is the strangest snake known to
naturalists. He is sometimes called the
glass snake. He is from two to fo"ur feet
loug, with a striped buck. He Is not
poisonous. His way of defending him
self when attacked by a powerful foe Is
similar to that of the 'possum or skunk.
Instead of fighting back he breaks into a
dozen pieces, and every piece, distinct in
itself, lies apparently dead on the ground.
Sometimes the pieces are a foot apart.
When the foe disappears, the pieces
gradually come together, unite Into one
snake and crawl off. The naturalist
will naturally ask If the pieces are en
tirely seperated. I answer they are.
No film or tendon holds them together ;
you can chop the ground with an ax
between the pieces. Mr. H. Edwards,
whose post office address is Montgomery
Alabama, showed me oue of these snakes
at Waco. He has it still alive, and will
prove by the living snake or by answer
ing a letter from any naturalist the accu
racy of this story. The glass snake
which Mr. Edwards showed me had
lost the tip of its tail. When I asked
the owner how that happened, he said :
" The snake went to pieces one day and
before it got- together a hungry king-
snake, which I still have, swallowed the
tall." Mr. Edwards has several king.
snakes. Like the glass snake, they are
not poisonous; still they kill the largest
snakes In the bottom. They make a
spring at a large snake or rabbit, coil
instantly around its neck and strangle
It choke St to death. A kingsnake
five feet long will strangle a dog or a
rattlesnake. When the kingsnake
Rprings at a glass snake, the glass snake
breaks into pieces and its foe might as
well try to strangle a basket of clothes
pins or a pailful or sardines.
Three Impossible Things.
(1) To escape trouble by running away
from duty. Jonah once made the ex
periment, but did not succeed. There
fore manfully meet and overcome the
difficulties and trials to which the post
assigned you by God's providence expos
es you. (2) To become a Christian of
strength and maturity without under
going severe trials. What fire is to gold
such Is affilctiou to the believer. It
burns up the dross, and makes the gold
shine forth with unalloyed luster. (3)
To form au independent character ex
cept when thrown on one's own resourc
es. The oak In the middle of the forest,
surrounded on all sides by tall trees that
shelter and shade it, runs up tall and
comparatively feeble; cut away its pro
tector, and the first blast will overturn
it. But the same tree, growing In the
open field, where it Is continually beaten
upon by the tempest, becomes its own
protector. So the man who is compel!
ed to rely on his own resources forms an
independence of character which he
could not otherwise have obtained.
KUnhealthy or Inactive kidneys
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9
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Directions In Eleven Languages.
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ly;
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that letters of administration on tlieeatttta
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Perry Cuuntv. Pa., deceased, have been granted
to the undersigned. I'. U. Address Laudtaburg,
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All persons Indebted to said estate are retinest
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claims will present them duly authenticated (or
settlement to
ALBERT JS. RICHMOND.
Cms, H. Rmilit, Att'y. Administrator
May 10, 1881.
. i.