Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-08-25

| anu then, the successive beds of hint-they
gave ne the greatest hopes Ii foot holes
must be made.
arose, stiff and bruised. No matter. The
urst layer OF fints was not more than seven
or eight feet overhead. Those once reached.
could secure footing, and obtain a frst
saring place Tor escape. tried 20 climb 20
them with my feet and hands. Imno.sibIs
the crumbliDg wall would not supnort baIf ~,
weight. As fast as attempted to get hand,
hold or footing, it fell in fragments TO the
ground. " ZIG
| But, better thought-to dig Il avay. and
make a mound 50 high that, Sy staudips ON
| II, could manage to reach the fint with INV
hands had my knife to help me and.
after much hard work, my object va, ac,
| complished, and 1 got within reach Of the
shelf VIC
| My hands hsd frm hold of the horizontal
mint They were cut with clinging; but I
found that, by raising myself, tieu thru.ting
| my feet into the chalk and mari, could sup
port myself with one hand only, leaving the
| other free to work; clearing away the chalk
above the flint, so rs to give me the greater
| standing room. At last, 1 thought might
venture upon the ledge itself By q supreme
effort, L reached the shelf; but moisture made
the chalk unctuOus and slippery to the bafied
grasp. 1t was in vain to think Of mounting
higher with no firm footing A desperate leap
across the chasm afforded no: the slightest
hope; because, even if successful, I could not
| for one moment maintain the advantage
gained. l was determined to remain on the
ledge of dint. Another moment, and q rat
/ ting OF the door soon taught me nv power
| lessness Down sunk the chalk beneath NV
weight; aud the stony table fell from its GI-
| lures, only just falling to crush me under il.
Stunned and cut, and bruised, spent some
time prOstrated by halfconscious but acute
sensations of misery Sleep, which as yet
had Lot felt, began to steal over me, but could
! gaia nO mastery. l felt wild and freniied.
1 rayed and shouted, and then listened,
knowing no answer could come a maddening
answer. The sound OF bells, dull, dead, and
in my hideous well-hols, just distinguish
able. They rang out my marriage peal.
| Why was not buried alive when / nrst fell,
Overcome by my feelings tainted. How
! long / lay in this state 1 know not. But when
/ recovered all was dark; not even the stars
! or the cloudy sky were to be seen at the open
! ing of my cavern. A shower Of earth and
heavy stones fell upon me as lay. / still
! was barely awake and conscious, and groan
was the only evidence which escaped me that
had again recovered the use Of my senses.
! g Halloa! What's down there2' said
voice whose tone was familiar to me. ut
! tered a faint but frantic cry.
! L heard a moments whispering, and the
hGllowing echo of departing footsteps, and
I
! once more addressed me.
Courage, George; keep up your spirits,
In two minutes L will come and help you
Don't you know mef'
L then did know that it could be 40 other
than my old rival, Richard Leroy. Before L
could collect my thoughts, . light glimnered
against one side of the well and then, in the
direction opposite the fallen table Of flint, and
just over it, Richard appeared, with lantern
in one hand, and a rope tied TO a stick across
4, it in the other.
Z" Have you strength enough left TO sit upon
this, and 70 hold by the rope while haul you
up"
under me, and held by the rope to Keep steady
on my seat. Richard planted his feet firmly
, on the edge Of his standing place, and hauled
lac up BY slight of hand and an effort OF
strength, in which L was too weak to render
him the least assistance, he landed me at the
mouth of subterreanean gallery opening into
the we'll. could just see, on looking back,
that if L had only maintained my position on
the ledge of aint, and improved it q little,
might by a daring and vigorus leap, have
sprung t0 the entrance of this very gallery.
But those ideas were now useless. was so
thoroughly worn out that L could scarcely
stand, ami an entreaty Tor water preceded even
my expression Of thanks"
"You shall drink your ill in one instant
! and 1 am heartily glad to have helped you /;
but first let me mention one thing. 1t is un
derstoOd that you keep my secret. You can
not leave this place-unless L blindfold you,
which would be an insult-without learning
the way TO return to it and of course, what
you see along the galleries arc to you nothing
but shadows and dreams. Have your prom
ise q"
was unable to make any other reply than
t. seize his hand, and burst into tears. How L
got from the cavern to the face Of the cliff,
how thence to the beach, the secluded hamlet,
aud the sleeping village, does really seem to
my memory like vision. On the way across
the downs, Leroy stopped once or twice, more
for the sake of resting my aching limbs, th an
OF taking breath or repose himself. During
: those intervals, he quietly remarked to me
how prejudiced and unfair we had all OF Us
been To him; that as for Charlotte, he cOnsid-
cred her as child, little sister, almost even
5 as a baby play thing. She was not the womaa
!, . for him he, for bis part, liked girl with a
3 little more Of the devil about her No doubt
S he could have carried her of; and no doubt
, she would have loved him desperately fort
. night afterwards. But, when he had once gOi
her, what should he have done with such q
1 blue-eyed milk and water angel as that 2
Nothing serious to annoy US had ever entered
his head And my father ought not quite {
T forget the source of his own fortune, and hold
{ himself aloof from his equals although ht
9 might be lying quiet in harbor at present
Really, it was joke, that, instead Oh elSpins
S with the bride, he should be bringing nome
: the eloped bridegroom.
b / f,inted when he carried me into my faith
g er's house, and remember no more han III
temporary adieu. But afterwards, all went OF
l. slowly and surely. Ny father and Richar'
n became good friends, and the old gentlems
a acquired such influence over him, that Leroy
). pleasure trips soon became rare ana nnslI
y ceased altogether At the last run, he brough
II a foreign wife over with him, and nothing be
L sides-a Dutch woman Of great beauty an
!, Accomplishments; who, as ne said. was a
L fitting heIpmate for him, as Charlotte, ee aC
knowledged, was for me. He also took
neishboring parish church and It's spPurSSl q.
/ ances into favor, and settled down as a lana,
b man within few miles Of us. And, ou
1t families continue to 60 on in the friendly we
y they have done for the last few years cSa,
et likely that Richard may oonausa t.vo,
Sc iotte, to eEtsr their names tesetnet III '1'''