Nelson Family Juvenilia
Box 1 Folder 14
Different Stories by James Thackery

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DIFFRENT STORRIES
BY JAMES THACKERY
SHORT SERIES
PUBLISHED BY GREEN & LITTLE

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DIFFERENT STORIES
THE FIRE
A WOMANS BRAVE ACT
This story that I am to lay before you is founded on facts up in north New Hampshire it was in a town that had only thirteen inhabertance in it and six of these were in one family one day in the last of May Mr Newton for that was the father of the family of six said I guess I will go to the mill which was ten miles away for we want some meal and at the same time I will go to the store and go get some matches and flour and a few other nesecerries all right and you two older boys may take your axes and go to the woods.

Soon Mr Newton started and the boys took their axes and started fort he woods after they had gone Horace said mama cant I go down to the pond and catch [page break] a mess of fish for the pond was only a quarter of a mile be low them it was half a mile long and quarter of a mile wide

yes you may I would like some very much

so Horace started he took the wood road to the pond then got into the little boat and pushed of[]f he paddled up the pond to the lower end and then dropped anchor batted his hook and went to fishing some thing nibbled and Horace yanked up his line and up came a very large punken seed or flat side which would way [weigh] at least half a pound he dropped in a gain and he felt some thing nibble and he pulled up and up came a big lizzard

oh my Horace said and put him back

after Horace put his hook back a big yank came and he pulled [page break] there was a tussel for a minute and then Horace mastered the fish it was a large two pound black bass then he caught a lot of smaller fish pretty soon he smelt smoke

well he said to him self I guess the other fellows are haveing a bonfire

but soon the smoke came thicker and Horace could not think what it was now we will leave Horace and go on with the other two boys Henry and John they took their axes and went to chopping wood out in the woods they had cut and piled up half a cord when the smoke atracted their attention they had a quarter of a mile to run if it was a forest fire

is it a fire said John to Henry

I guess it is and we better be getting out of this for it will come through this brush as fast as we can run

lets go then

so away they but before they got out of the woods they could hear the crackling of the fire and the [page break] smoke was all most sufficateing they ran for all they were worth now out into the open land in sight of their house just as they got most to the barn their mother ran around in sight

what is it boys she said seeing the great columess of smoke from the woods and now and then flames in the edge a fire

bring water quick panted John and they all rushed to the house and got pails and filled them with water and then ran back as fast as they could rof [for] now the fire was dashing across the field toard them they strung the water along in front of their barn [page break]

DIFFERENT STORIES
THE FIRE
CHAPTER 2
HOW THEY GOT OUT

Then away they went and got some more water and by the time they got back again it was most there they had got the water around the barn and when they came around again the fire had struck the water and stopped then but the fire was rushing at the house

"stop it stop it" shouted Henry

they rushed around carrying water till they could hardly stand at last the fire passed and their buildings were saved they had all acted bravely Horace after the smoke came thicker began to think of a fire he paddled to land and jumped out and started fro home he had not got half the distance when the smoke became so thick he could not see or breath he rushed back to his boat and pushed of[f] [page break] he had hardly got to the middle of the pond when the fire came to the edge of the pond the smoke rowled [rolled] across the pond so thick that he could not breeth he jumped out of the boat and then managed when there came a gust of wind so to lift the smoke and give him some fresh air to tip the boat over him and the he had a boat nearly full of fresh air in this way he stayed till he be gan to shake with cold then he stuck his head out to look the woods all around him was smokeing great clouds of smoke was comeing up on either side of the little pond but the smoke had risen and so he tipped his boat right side up again and climbed in he bailed out the water as much as he could with his hands [page break]

then he looked around for his fish pole there it floated with with he fish tied to it about fifteen rods away he picked up his oars and rowed to the spot and halled [hauled] them in then he thought of the house

oh oh the house will be burned and all the folks oh Horace fairly cried with the thought [page break]

he quickly rowed to land and started to jump ashore but the air was so hot that it all most burned him he could hardly breathe he staggered and fell back into his boat just then there came a gust of wind which revived him and he pushed of[f] and rowed out to the middle it soon came dark and Horace lay down in his boat but he could not sleep his thoughts spite of all he could do wandered home ward and all that night was spent in agony all the time was spend in thinking he did not sleep a wink and Horace looked as if he had been scared crying all night

in the after noon the next day the smoke cleared away and Horace started for home it then was so hot that it blistered his feet he run and run to get home then he thought why am I running there in nothing left for me

DIFFERENT STORIES
THE FIRE
CHAPTER 3
He then walked on in a little while he would be in sight of the house if there was any all the trees were burning or had been burning not a leaf on them

what a dreary place oh dear Horace said to him self

oh good he shouted and broke into a run for just then the house came in sight and in two minutes later Horace burst into the house all most breathless

oh mother you are all safe he said panting

Horace and his brothers and his mother sat and talked for more than half an hour it soon grew dark and the boys and there mother [page break] turned in for the night when there came a nock on the door Mrs Newton hurried to the door and un locked it and in came Mr Newton

"now we are all hear" and the buildings are safe I am so thank full now tell me all about your adventure said Mr Newton

so Mrs Newton had to tell the hole story then Mr Newton said well now I will tell you my story before I got to the villiage I saw smoke and so hurried along fast as I could I had hardly got into the cleared land and villiage when the fire came up but all the men fought it and it did not burn the villiage it was a pretty exciting ride then I stay overnight ther and [page break] started for home in the morning “but when hear it rain my this wil stop the fire and sure enough there was a regular gale that lasted all night James Thackery

A FIRE AT THE STATION
At Allens town last year when they were building the coal station lumber station and shoe factory at one time there was a fire the work men had all gone home to their dinner a little engine and coal car came huffing up the track there was a loose beam hanging over the track as the train came along it hit this beam and nocked the smoke stack of[f] just then the engineneer stepped into the coal car to get some coal he heard a crash and so jumped into the cab he instantly saw that his tongs had fallen down and so though this was the noise

the smoke stacks falling of[f] had checked [page break] the fire and so the engineer set his bellows to work at this coal and sparks flew out all over the new buildings the engeneer saw this and stopped and then stopped the engine then with a pale of water he rushed up the ladder shouting fire the next minute the men were streaming out of the boarding houses and columes of black smoke streamed out of the lumber coal stations just as the coal station roof was going to fall in the two fire engines came along and the fire was soon put out but a lot was burned there was $25 worth of coal burned and $15 of lumber and $25 of roof and sides total amount
25 coal
25 lumber
25 miselanious
$65 burned

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THE GREAT FLOOD
OR
MY ADVENTURE ON THE RIVER
All night the rain poured down steadily on the little hamlets of Wordsworth Creak and in the morning it rained still harder but I put on my rubber coat and went down to the steam boat landing for I was pilot of the little steamer Sylph we were a little behind for we heard the whistle of the river queen was a rivel [of?] ours it was a much larger and faster [lower?] than ours

well the river queen has got ahead of us said the captain as he came hurring up

yess I replied guess they are most up to Hillsbrys Dam

yess well come on we will go and in five minutes we were [page break] making our progres up the swolen stream

the sky is pretty black the engineer remarked as I went up to the high deck

I should think twas it is raining up at Hillsbrys dam now hear comes the river queen again

as we passed they hollared at us and said why did not you get up quicker hurry up and if you keep on you will get here some time

this are the kind of greeting they give us aint it said the captain to me from the lower deck

we steamed up the river to Hillsbrys Dam hear was a small summer resort with a little store Hillsbrys Dam was [page break] a dam built of granite and about five feet above the dam was an iron wall that crossed the river the dam was eighteen feet high and one hundred and thirty feet long [page break] that day the rain poured down all day and night the next morning I was awakened about two a clock in the morning by a loud roar and crashing I sprang out of bead and dressed me as quick as possable and ran out doors it was raining down like [run?] and above the sound of rain I could hear a great roar this I knew to be the creek and I knew the sound came from about a rod and tried to pear into the darkness but I could see nothing I went two yards further and found a rushing boiling sream and with the water a foot deep around it I saw our steamer laying on one side with the water breaking around it I ran back to the captains house and got him we must right the steamer after a half hour of hard work we got it righted meanwhile the water had risen a foot sole sailed out a little and let down our anchor but that would not hold and we had to let down [for us?] before we became stationary [page break]

DIFFERENT STORIES
THE GREAT FLOOD
OR
MY ADVENTURE ON THE RIVER

After a long time of waiting in which we could hear the roar of the flood it came light how thank full we was we set on steam and hoisted anchor just as we were getting ready to start part of the company of the river queen came running a long and say you do you know where our steamer is

no said the captain well I never he said to me they have lost their steamer

what a joke I replied but I hope they will find it

so do I

just then I saw a hen coop and a chicken on it come floating down and then saw some tame ducks and geese swimming around and I call the captains attention to them they are in goying [enjoying] it aint they [page break] parts of houses were floating down we crused around picking up people

there up in a big tree I shouted to the captain and we sailed over to find three children in a tree all the four noon we crused around the water grew still higher just in the afternoon we saw the river queen comeing up we were loaded down so hard that our boat dipped water I yelled to the men that all who could swim to swim to land and ameadiatly a number of heads were bobbing about in the water it was only a short distance to shore and we easily made it in that little flood eight lives were lost and five thousand of dolars worth of property lost
James Thackerry