FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86  
87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   >>   >|  
atching and all huddled closer to the edge than ever. The school-master went down on his hands and knees, on which a big lad, with his hands in his trouser-pockets, guffawed. "What's he up to now?" he asked. "Thee may haud thee tongue if thee can do nought," said a mill-girl who had come up. "I reckon he knows what he's efter better nor thee." She had pushed to the front, and was crouched upon the edge, and seemed very much excited. "GOD bless him for trying to save t' best lad in t' village i' any fashion, say I! There's them that's nearer kin to him and not so kind." Perhaps the strict justice of this taunt prevented a reply (for there lurks some fairness in the roughest of us), or perhaps the crowd, being chiefly men knew from experience that there are occasions when it is best to let a woman say her say. "Ye see he's trying to spread hisself out," John Binder explained in pacific tones. "I reckon he thinks it'll bear him if he shifts half of his weight on to his hands." The girl got nearer to the mason, and looked up at him with her eyes full of tears. "Thank ye, John," she said. "D'ye think he'll get him out?" "Maybe he will, my lass. He's a man that knows what he's doing. I'll say so much for him." "Nay!" added the mason sorrowfully. "Th' ice 'll never hold him--his hand's in--and there goes his knee. Maester! maester!" he shouted, "come off! come off!" and many a voice besides mine echoed him, "Come off! come off!" The girl got John Binder by the arm, and said hoarsely, "Fetch him off! He's a reight good 'un--over good to be drownded, if--if it's of no use." And she sat down on the bank, and pulled her mill-shawl over her head, and cried as I had never seen any one cry before. I was so busy watching her that I did not see that Mr. Wood had got back to the bank. Several hands were held out to help him, but he shook his head and said--"Got a knife?" Two or three jack-knives were out in an instant. He pointed to the alder thicket. "I want two poles," he said, "sixteen feet long, if you can, and as thick as my wrist at the bottom." "All right, sir." He sat down on the bank, and I rushed up and took one of his cold wet hands in both mine, and said, "Please, please, don't go on any more." "He must be dead ever so long ago," I added, repeating what I had heard. "He hasn't been in the water ten minutes," said the school-master, laughing, "Jack! Jack! you're not half ready for travelling
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86  
87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

nearer

 

Binder

 

master

 
school
 
reckon
 

Maester

 
reight
 

watching

 

echoed

 

maester


pulled
 

drownded

 

shouted

 

hoarsely

 

Please

 
rushed
 

laughing

 

minutes

 

travelling

 
repeating

bottom

 
Several
 

knives

 

sixteen

 

instant

 

pointed

 

thicket

 
thinks
 

excited

 

crouched


pushed

 

village

 

Perhaps

 

strict

 

justice

 

fashion

 

trouser

 

atching

 

huddled

 

closer


pockets

 

guffawed

 

tongue

 

nought

 

prevented

 

looked

 
weight
 

shifts

 

pacific

 

sorrowfully