ts she could not remove Susan from the bed of
dough, where she lay senseless and heavy as lead. Mary answered to her
mistress's loud appeal, and with her assistance they raised up Susan;
but as for the bread, there was no hopes of it ever rising again. "Why
don't you come here and help Susan, John?" cried Mary.

"Aw-yaw-aw!" was all the reply of John, who had had quite enough of
helping Susan, and who continued to hold his head, as it were, in his
hand.

"What's the matter here, missus?" exclaimed the farmer, coming in.
"Highty-tighty, what ails Susan, and what ails you?" continued the
farmer, turning to John. "Dang it, but everything seems to go wrong
this blessed day. First there be all the apples stolen--then there be
all the hives turned topsy-turvy in the garden--then there be Caesar
with his flank opened by the bull--then there be the bull broken through
the hedge and tumbled into the saw-pit--and now I come to get more help
to drag him out, I find one woman dead like, and John looks as if he had
seen the devil."

"Aw-yaw-aw!" replied John, nodding his head very significantly.

"One would think that the devil had broke loose to-day. What is it,
John? Have you seen him, and has Susan seen him?"

"Aw-yaw."

"He's stopped your jaw, then, at all events, and I thought the devil
himself wouldn't have done that--we shall get nothing of you. Is that
wench coming to her senses?"

"Yes, yes, she's better now.--Susan, what's the matter?"

"Oh, oh, ma'am! the well, the well--"

"The well! Something wrong there, I suppose: well, I will go and see."

The farmer trotted off to the well; he perceived the bucket was at the
bottom and all the rope out; he looked about him, and then he looked
into the well. Jack, who had become very impatient, had been looking up
some time for the assistance which he expected would have come sooner;
the round face of the farmer occasioned a partial eclipse of the round
disc which bounded his view, just as one of the satellites of Jupiter
sometimes obscures the face of the planet round which he revolves.

"Here I am," cried Jack, "get me up quick, or I shall be dead;" and what
Jack said was true, for he was quite done up by having been so long
down, although his courage had not failed him.

"Dang it, but there be somebody fallen into the well," cried the farmer;
"no end to mishaps this day. Well, we must get a Christian out of a
well afore we get a bull out of a saw-pit, so I'