rope upward when the
resistance is equal in both cases. Try it some time, and you will see
that the weight of your body will count for a great deal in the
operation. In old Mr. Naylor's yard--he lived in a little town in
Pennsylvania--there was one of these wells. It had been dug by his
father, and, as it had answered all his needs from his childhood, Mr.
Naylor very justly considered it would continue to do so until his
death, and he would listen to no one who proposed to put up a pump for
him, or make him a windlass.

One afternoon in the summer-time, Jenny Naylor, his granddaughter, had
company, and after they had been playing around the orchard for an
hour or two, and had slid down the straw-stacks to their heart's
content, the children all went to the well to get a drink. A bucket of
water was soon hauled up, and Tommy Barrett with a tin-cup ladled out
the refreshment to the company. When they had all drank enough they
began to play with the well-pole. Boys and girls will play, you know,
with things that no grown person would imagine could be tortured into
means of amusement. In less than five minutes they had invented a
game. That is, the boys had. I will give the girls the credit of
standing by and looking on, in a very disapproving manner, while this
game was going on. The pastime was a very simple one. When the
stone-end of the pole rested on the ground, on account of the bucket
being empty, one of the boys stood by the well-curb, and, seizing the
rope as high up as he could, pulled upon it, the other boys lifting
the stone-end at the same time. When the stone was a foot or two from
the ground the boys at that end sat on the pole and endeavored to
hoist up the fellow at the other end.

A glorious game!

The sport went on very nicely until Tommy Barrett took hold of the
rope. He was the biggest boy, and the little fellows could not raise
him. No, it was no use, so they gave it up and jumped off of the pole.

But what was their amazement to see the stone rise in the air, while
at the same time Tommy Barrett disappeared down the well!

The fact was, Tommy had been trying to "show off" a little before the
girls, and when he found the boys could not raise him, had stepped on
the well-curb, and pushing the bucket off, had stood on it, trying, on
his part, to raise the boys. So, when they jumped off, down he sank.
The stone was not nearly so heavy as Tommy, but it was weighty enough
to prevent his going down ve