A DAY ON THE RIVER.
"Father, can't we have a picnic on the river?" asked Susie.
"Please, do let us have a picnic," said Donald.
"I think you may," said Mr. Leonard. "You might have it to-morrow. I
won't need the boys."
"Hurrah!" cried Donald, and Susie skipped and danced for joy.
"We'll have to have a nice lunch," said Frank.
"What shall it be?" asked Mrs. Leonard.
"Oh, we can take some ham sandwiches--"
"And some cake and jelly," put in Susie.
"And some cold chicken and boiled eggs," added Donald.
"Oh," cried Susie, "let us take our eggs along all fresh and boil them!
We can take a little pail and--"
"I'll tell you what we'll do," interrupted Frank. "We'll take some salt
pork, and catch some fish, and have a fry."
Frank looked at the barometer and said it was going to be a nice day.
The sun was setting clear and bright. The children went to bed happy and
dreamed of the fun to-morrow.
In the morning Susie rushed out to see if it was good weather. The sun
was shining brightly, and she turned and looked at her long shadow that
reached clear over the barn. The direction of the shadow was southwest.
Donald took a tin can and went out into one corner of the garden, where
the soil was dark, rich, and damp, and with a shovel dug up great mud
worms, and almost filled his can.
Frank got out two cane poles, rigged the lines and hooks, and put on the
sinkers.
"I want to catch a fish," said Susie.
"All right," said Frank; "we'll cut a pole for you when we get on the
island. We shall not fish till we get there."
Uncle Robert watched the enthusiasm of the children with a pleasant
smile. Mrs. Leonard and Susie put up the lunch.
"Put in a paper of salt for the fish, please," called Frank.
"Don't believe you will catch many fish," said Mr. Leonard. "You know
the last time you went you didn't catch any."
"It is not a good day for fish," said Uncle Robert; "it is too bright."
"We'll get some sunfish, anyway," said Donald, "and perhaps we shall
catch a perch or two and a catfish."
At last all was ready Frank took the oars from the beams of the shed,
Uncle Robert carried the big basket, Donald followed with the fish poles
and the can of worms, while Susie brought up the rear with a small tin
bucket.
Away they went, down the slope and over the bottom land to the mouth of
the creek, where the boat was moored. Soon they glided out from the
shore under Frank's steady stroke.
"We will go up on this side, where it is easier to row," he said. "The
current is on the other side next to the bank."
"Why do you suppose the current is over there?" asked Uncle Robert.
"I don't know," said Frank. "Last spring we had a big flood, and the
current was so strong that it took away a lot of earth from that bank.
The earth fell down into the river and was carried away. Mr. Davis lost
a good deal of land."
"Tell me about the flood, Frank," said Uncle Robert.
"Last March the ice broke up in the river and went tearing downstream in
great blocks," began Frank. "Just below the dam, between the island and
that shore," pointing to the woods, "it piled up until there was a big
ice jam. You could cross over to the island on foot. Then the water began
to rise until it was nearly even with the top of the dam. At first it
went round close to the ridge. You see the land is lower there. The part
of our cornfield next to the river was an island. Then the water rose
higher, and spread all over the bottom land. It made the mouth of the
creek close to the slope, and the water came up around the trunks of the
trees.
"On the other side, where the current is, it didn't get over the bank,
but it tore away lots of earth. Three big trees fell into the water and
were carried down the river. Ever so many trees came down. Peter and I
caught a lot and piled them up for firewood."
"Don't you remember, Frank," said Susie, "two or three sheds came down,
too?"
"The miller thought it would carry away the mill," said Donald.
"The water looks pretty clear now. How did it look then?" asked Uncle
Robert.
"At first it was clear," said Frank. "Then it got just like coffee."
"That was the dirt in the water," said Donald.
"When the water went down," continued Frank, "the bottom land was all
covered with the stuff the river left. Father says the dirt it brought
makes the land better."
"What do you suppose made the freshet?" asked Uncle Robert.
"Oh, they said it was the snow melting, away up the river," answered
Donald. "The snow was gone here, but we had lots of rain."
"Where is the deepest part of the river?" asked Uncle Robert.
"It is quite deep on the other side," said Frank, "but it is shallow
over here. Farther down it is deeper in the middle."
"Where is the current down there?" asked Uncle Robert.
"In the middle of the river," said Frank.
"When we go in swimming we can wade out here a long ways before we go
over our heads," said Donald.
"I wish I could swim," said Susie.
"You should learn," said Uncle Robert. "The boys could easily teach
you."
They rowed steadily up the river. At last they reached the island and
landed. It was long and narrow, covered with trees and green grass. Here
and there low bushes grew down to the water's edge, while at the upper
end there were many boulders, stones, pebbles, and clean white sand.
[Illustration: A string of fish.]
They brought up the basket and put it in a cool place under a tree.
"Now for the fishing!" said Frank.
Up the river they could see the dam, and on the left of the dam the
flour mill.
"There is a nice big pond up above the dam," said Susie. "We ought to go
up there some day."
"I think it is better fishing there," said Frank, "but we would have to
drag the boat around the dam."
Uncle Robert stretched himself under the shade of an elm tree. Susie
rolled up her sack and put it under his head. The boys went off to try
their luck at fishing. They cut a pole for Susie, but she soon tired of
sitting still, and came back to pick up sticks for the fire so that
everything would be ready to fry the fish.
When the boys came back they brought three little sunfish, two perch,
and one funny-looking fish with horns, which Frank said was a catfish.
Frank and Uncle Robert dressed the fish, while Donald rowed across the
river to a place where he knew there was a spring, and soon returned
with a pail of clear, sparkling water.
Susie spread the cloth in a nice shady place, and unpacked the basket.
The eggs were boiled in the tin bucket over the fire. Frank fried the
fish, and at last dinner was ready.
"Oh, isn't this fun!" said Susie.
"Grand!" said Frank.
"I'd like to be an Indian and live in the woods all the time," said
Donald.
"We could make a fort," said Frank, "on that bank of the island and
mount cannon, and not allow any ships to come up the river."
"Oho!" laughed Donald. "Ships don't come up this river. The water isn't
deep enough."
"That doesn't matter," said Susie; "we could play they do."
After the luncheon was over and the basket packed again they sat about
under the trees.
"What a good view of the dam there is from here!" said Uncle Robert.
"I know why they built the dam there," said Frank. "Just above the dam
the water was quite swift."
"What makes the water swift?" asked Donald.
"Because the bed of the river slopes more there than down here," said
Uncle Robert; "and in places on rivers where there are rapids they build
dams in order to use the water for the mills."
"Oh, yes, I know how they use the water," said Donald. "They have a
sluice, and they lift the gate, and the water comes through, and that
turns the mill wheels."
"In some rivers there are ponds larger than that pond up there, where
there are no dams," said Uncle Robert.
"Yes," said Frank, "there is a little lake down the river. We will go
there some day. It is good fishing. How much better our corn looks than
the corn on that hill over there! I tell you, it takes bottom land like
ours to raise good corn."
"What makes the corn such a beautiful green?" asked Susie.
"That is quite a question," said Uncle Robert. "We will try and find out
some day. But I want to know what makes the bottom land richer than the
land up on the prairie?"
"Well," said Frank slowly, "I suppose that the dirt brought down by the
river and spread out over it makes it richer."
"Where does that dirt come from?"
"Way up the river."
"If I should call the bottom land a flood-plain," said Uncle Robert,
"would you know why?"
"Oh, I know," said Donald. "Because the water covers it when there is a
flood."
"Now what made that flood-plain?"
"Wasn't it always there?"
"No," said Uncle Robert. "The river made it."
"How could the river make the flood-plain?" asked Susie.
"Why, you told me a moment ago that the river brought down great
quantities of dirt and left it all along the shores," said Uncle Robert.
"But it wouldn't bring down enough to make all that field, would it?"
asked Donald.
"The river is a great worker," said Uncle Robert. "It is at work now,
and has been working for many, many long years. It has not only made
this flood-plain, but many others. Sometimes the river carries this dirt
clear out into the sea, and sometimes it piles it up at its mouth so
that a delta is formed."
"Oh, yes," said Donald, "we studied about that in geography when we had
school, but I didn't know a delta was made that way."
"Are there any deltas in this part of the river?" asked Susie.
"There may be," replied Uncle Robert, "wherever one stream flows into
another."
[Illustration: The mill and dam.]
"Is there one at the mouth of our creek?" asked Frank.
"We will look when we go back," replied Uncle Robert. "Shall we take a
walk now?"
When they reached the upper end of the island they sat down on some
large boulders that formed part of the tiny beach. Just above them was
the flood of water pouring over the dam. The bright sunshine made the
foam look white and glistening, lighted here and there with colors of
the rainbow.
The water rumbled and roared as it rushed out of the mill pond. To the
left were the flour mill and the village. They could hear the mill wheel
turning. They could see a little white church half hidden among the
trees.
A kingfisher swept by them with a voice like a watchman's rattle.
"He knows how to catch fish better than we do," said Donald.
Susie picked up some pebbles and put them in her apron. She tried to get
a number of colors. Some were nearly red, some were blue, and some were
white.
"Can you find one that is exactly round?" asked Uncle Robert.
"Here's a white one that's almost round," and Susie held up a quartz
pebble.
"Where do you suppose this little white pebble came from?" asked Uncle
Robert.
"Did it come from away up the river--a long way?" said Donald.
"I think so. One day this pebble was a part of some rock or quarry. How
it was broken off, how it came down, how it was made round, is well worth
studying."
"Oh, tell us about it, please," begged Susie.
"We'll read about it together," said Uncle Robert, "in the Big Book."
"What book?" asked Donald.
"The book that lies all around us, which was written by the Creator of
the world," said Uncle Robert. "We are reading a page of it now."
"Just under the current out there," said Frank, "the bed of the river is
covered with all kinds of stones. Some of them are as big as these
boulders. I suppose the river brought them down."
"What do you think makes the pebbles round?" asked Uncle Robert.
"Maybe the river wears off the rough edges," suggested Frank,
thoughtfully.
"Yes," said Uncle Robert, "the current of the river rolls them over and
over on the river bed, and they rub and grind against each other."
"What becomes of the stuff that is worn off from them?" asked Frank.
"Don't you see it--there?" said Uncle Robert, pointing to the beach.
"Oh, you mean the sand," said Donald, taking up a handful and examining
it.
"Is that the way the nice white sand is made?" asked Susie.
"That's what you meant when you said the river worked," said Frank. "Did
these boulders come down the river too?"
"The story of the boulders," said Uncle Robert, "is different from the
story of the pebbles. The water helped grind the pebbles, but it took
ice to make the boulders."
"Ice!" the children all exclaimed.
"Yes, ice. A long, long while ago this land was covered by a great
river, or sea of ice, and that was the time these boulders were made,"
said Uncle Robert.
"Can we read about that in the Big Book?" asked Donald.
"Some of it," said Uncle Robert. "There are many wonderful stories in
this beautiful world--stories more wonderful than any fairy tale. But we
must go home now, children; it's getting late."
The setting sun threw long shadows of the trees over the river as they
rowed home, and the happy day was done.