A WELL. 95 



He was not going to get off by any subterfuge if I 

 could help it, so I answered promptly, 



&quot; Never mind that ; the well is deep enough.&quot; 



&quot; But what is the depth ? It is essential to know.&quot; 



&quot;Don t worry yourself about that now; fix your 

 pump first,&quot; was the ready response. 



&quot;I can not do so till 1 know the depth of the 

 well.&quot; 



&quot; Well, then, if you are so anxious to be informed, 

 it is forty-five feet deep deep enough, in all con 

 science.&quot; 



&quot; That is the trouble, of course ; the pump won t 

 suck.&quot; 



&quot; Of course it is, that is plain enough ; and I ex 

 pect you to give me one that will suck.&quot; 



&quot; But how can I ?&quot; 



&quot; That is your affair, not mine,&quot; beginning to be 

 prut out at the coolness of the fellow. &quot; I want a 

 pump that will suck !&quot; 



&quot; Why,&quot; he replied, &quot; don t you know that no pump 

 will draw at over thirty feet ?&quot; 



Suddenly the remembrance of school-days and 

 their instruction came back to me*; a vacuum and its 

 properties, the weight of a column of air, and all 

 that, returned to my mind after a long absence. I 

 recalled the rule of fifteen pounds to a square inch, 



