the river There once was a young boy named jim who was born with only one leg. He was the son of the village blacksmith. The other children made fun of him because he had to hop wherever he went. They called him hopper. Jim always remembered being called hopper so he didn't mine so much. But he didn't understand why they wouldn't play with him. Jim grew up big and strong and became a great blacksmith. He developed huge arms and shoulders from swinging the big hammer. He was unhappy though because all the young girls would turn away whenever he came by. Jim was afraid he'd never find a wife because he was deformed. One stormy day jim was working at the forge covered with sweat when he heard someone sounding the village alarm. He hopped out into the street to see what was the matter. Old jack simpson was very upset. A crowd had gathered around him. Jim got as near as he could so he could hear old jacks voice. "Theyre trapped for sure theres nothing we can do" "The rope on the ferry broke and the rivers so high they were swept away out of control." jim stopped a minute to catch his breath while the mob all began to talk at once. Jim had to raise him hand and shout to quiet them down again. "I followed them down stream a ways to see if I could help and watched as they got caught on hammer rock." "Theyre out there stuck right in the middle of the river, a full load of folks sure to drown and theres nothing we can do." The crowd all ran off towards the river leaving jim behind. When they got there they stood and gaped at the ferry that clung precariously to hammer rock. The people on the ferry waved and shouted but no one could hear them. Every few minutes the roaring current would jolt the ferry and nearly toss its passengers into the deadly waters. The crowd on the shore just stood there not knowing what to do when they heard the sound of hoofbeats coming up behind them. Jim the blacksmith arived with a wagon. He pulled up directly accross from hammer rock