THE TIM BUNKER PAPERS. 153 



&quot; Ye don t s pose the bad smells come from the top of 

 the ground, do ye ? &quot; asked Jake. 



&quot;That s a new idee,&quot; said Uncle Jotham, &quot;but there 

 must be something in it, for my sink drain ain t more than 

 ten feet from the mouth of my well.&quot; 



This talk of my neighbors gives a clue to an evil that 

 prevails in other communities besides Hookertown. It 

 has prevailed here more than usual this summer, because 

 the fore part of the summer was dry, and the springs and 

 wells got low. You have pure water down in your city, 

 for it is brought to you in iron pipes, that guard it against 

 all the foul dirt and smells through which it has to pass. 

 But out here in the country, where we brag about having 

 every thing sweet and clean, we are often troubled with 

 bad water, especially in the summer time. A good many 

 of my neighbors have had to apologize a little for their 

 water, though some of them got so used to it, that they 

 didn t know but twas the natural taste of all water. 

 Somehow, there was a good deal that needed an apology 

 that didn t get it. Even Dea. Smith, who is pretty par 

 ticular about most things, had a well this summer, that 

 gave out an &quot; ancient and fish-like smell.&quot; Folks that are 

 afflicted in this way all wonder what s the matter with 

 the water, when the matter is about as plain as the sun in 

 the heavens. 



I suppose nobody thinks the water gets bad without 

 some cause, and yet they talk just as if they believed so. 

 Seth Twiggs has the right of it this bad taste and smell 

 almost invariably come from the surface. Now, Mr. Edi 

 tor, I don t want to disturb the stomachs of your readers, 

 and prevent them from drinking water any more, for I 

 am a teetotaller and believe that Adam s ale is about the 

 best article of drink that was ever put into a tumbler. 

 But I must say that I prefer a pure article. 



It stands to reason that water will run down hill, 

 whether it is pure or foul, and will keep running till it 



