The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1860-05-12

ing Abbott:s History of Napoleon Bona
One evening as we. sat together, he laid
down his book, and, with glowing cheek
and sparkling eye, exclaimed, 80 = eszs
- sfWasnst be The most splendid man that
ever lived ? I'd give anything to be half
Fir. Abbott's portrait so carefully con-
ceals the blemiishes Of his hero. and is set
withal in so dazzling frame. that I could
mot wonder at boys enthusiasm in con-
,ztempIating it. ButI said sga 81
sssssYour chance of being half as greatsas
Bonaparte is very good, think. That is
not always great which consists in brilliant
achievement. The highest greatness is
moral: and seeks the good of others, rath-
er than its own glory. I could tell you Of
a more noble hero than Napoleon, who lived
In his own time"
- :.Ishould like to hear of one, 2 answered
Harry, with an air that said he was not to
be convinced: But he still loved story;
. 30 told him the following . All; G,e,5a 81.
81 Years ago, in the deep heart of q noun
tain. in Belgium, q hundred men were work
ing coal-mine. es.sss 4a9x - sesz
Grim visaged and dusky, moving about
by the dull red light of their safety lamps,
they might have been mistaken for the de-
mons of the mountain, once supposed by
the peasants to dwell in its caves. Their
work was hard, and surrounded by dan
gers; but their wives and children were In
the hamlet above, and long habit made them
forget their perils. s So they might be con
tented, and even. happy. .+-.1
- The creaking wind!ass raised and. low
cred huge bucket through the deep and
narrow shaft, from morning till night, car
rying men and tools to and fro. This was
q their only doorway. .,z..s:es. go
It was MONDAY, and the sun shone down
one side of the shaft, and brought a glim-
mer of daylight to part of the mine, when
Hubert Coffin, the master miner, took his
place in the great kibble, and was let down
to the mine, many feet below. When be
reached the bottom, he commenced hand
ing some tools and stores to Victor, a blind
miner, who was waiting there. Victor had
left sick child IN one of the cottages, and
it was to inquire after him that he stood
waiting at the bottom of the shaft.
The bucket was soon emptied, and HUI
; bert was just stepping out. when bark
What sound was that (which made his cheek
pale }? 1t was the rushing and trickling of
water. The next moment be caught sight
of stream forcing itself through assure
in the mountain close to the shaft ]! HUI
bert's long experience instantly showed
him their full danger, 1t was not feeble,
oozing steam. but a mighty pressure Of
water that had found its outlet here. They
would be OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES! -s
One foot was yet in the bucket--a jerk
at the rope would save him. But though
death stared him in the face, he could not
sacrifice others to save himself Quickly
jumping out, he seized blind Victor, and
placed him in the bucket, saying quickly,
as he jerked the rope,
''Tell them the water has burst in, and
we are probably lost; but we will seek ref
uge at the further end of the right gallery.
Say farewell to our poor friends" In a
moment he was gone, and with him HUI
bert's only certainty of escape from terri
BILE death.
The mine consisted OF long, narrow pas
sages, and on all sides deep caves from
which the coal had been dug. The men
were all at the further end of the mine,
hewing out the solid mountain, unconscious
of danger. Hubert quickly made his way
along the dark passage. followed by the
swift-spreading water; and soon reached
his fellow workmen with the dreadful intel
iigence. It was a moment for panic, when
each would have rushed to certain death in
asvain effort to save himself. But looking
firmly into their CHASTITY faces, the master
spoke a few courageous sentences
Follow my words, lads, and be quick
our picks may save US 20
Then came few steady, quick COM
mands, to hollow a new chamber above the
level the water would probably REACH
I'll 81 Il
knew not hut that he might be digging his
own grave. A hundred pairs of hands
soon finished the work, and into the cave a
hundred men crowded to wait for death or
an almost impossible chance of relief. The
water gradually filed all the old avenues
and chambers, and then seemed stayed
Never was situation more dreadful. Not
more than days provisions had been saved.
and already two or three of their number
had been killed by the falling rocks while
hastily digging the new chamber. The
long, dismal hours, with no change to mark
certain death.
81 Courage, brave Hubert God, who saw
thy noble sacrifice, will help thee!
The terrified friends and townsmen, on
hearing Victor's dreadful news, ran wildly
ABOUT III hopeless panic ous Soou' SoiuSu
by the message Hubert had sent. they COM
menced working new shaft as near as pos
sible4to the spot where the hapless men
might be. Five days and nights they
toiled, digging deeper and deeper into the
solid side of the mountain.
cit is vain task" said the men. But
the women cried, "Do not cease God will
help usl''
At length. on the morning of the sixth
day, the muf1ed sound of blows from with
in met the ears of the workmen in the shaft.
A signal ran along the rope. and told the