As a Man Soweth

At the earliest possible moment in the spring, the building of the
mill began. It was scarcely well under way when the work was
stopped by a week of heavy rains. The water filled the ravine to
dangerous height and the roaring of the dam could be heard all
over town. George talked of it incessantly. He said it was the
sweetest music his ears had ever heard. Kate had to confess that
she like the sound herself, but she was fearful over saying much
on the subject because she was so very anxious about the stability
of the dam. There was a day or two of fine weather; then the
rains began again. Kate said she had all the music she desired;
she proposed to be safe; so she went and opened the sluiceway to
reduce the pressure on the dam. The result was almost immediate.
The water gushed through, lowering the current and lessening the
fall. George grumbled all day, threatening half a dozen times to
shut the sluice; but Kate and the carpenter were against him, so
he waited until he came slipping home after midnight, his brain in
a muddle from drink, smoke, and cards. As he neared the dam, he
decided that the reason he felt so badly was because he had missed
hearing it all day, but he would have it to go to sleep by. So he
crossed the bridge and shut the sluice gate. Even as he was doing
it the thunder pealed; lightning flashed, and high Heaven gave him
warning that he was doing a dangerous thing; but all his life he
had done what he pleased; there was no probability that he would
change then. He needed the roar of the dam to quiet his nerves.