The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1868-06-19
Stretft& Dale.
Tile MURDERER'S doom.

TICK, PICK; ana we Struck SCeadlly
with our pickaxes, Jem and |, while the
looscned stones rattledas they fell, and
the sound reverberated through the
winding vaulted passage around us, Il
hundred feet under ground. and the
high, damp walls gave back the echo,
rolling on till 1t reached the shaft, rush
ed up into the air above with "a noise
like imprisoned thunder.
Drop by drop, through the crcvices in
the great wall above us the simy water
oozed in, filling the poll already nearly
to our feet. Our hands were sore; our
backs and limbs lame; we were hungry,
and the sweat rolled from our forehcads
in big drops; but still we worked on,
for it was for gold, yes, gold-bright
shining and yellow; there it lay in great
nuggets, bedded in the quartz layers,
only just beyond our reach, under the
| ever increasing filthy water.
| "lt's no use," saidJem, and he waded
out, throwing his pickaxe from him, half
angrily. ~.
For the first time noticed that the
water was almost over my boots, and
| giving few parting strokes at lump
of quartz, only to see it fly away and
sink out of sight with splash, aban-
doncd my post, and lighting my pipe,
| seated myself beside my companion.-
Neither of us spoke a word for some
| time. Each was busy wit, his own
thoughts. Full we'll knew Jem's, for
with wife and five children to keep
| from starving, debt at home, and poor
luck at the mines, the world had not
| used him SO we'll as it ought--a fellow
of his honesty and Industry. My own
| lot had been none of the best, and of
late had seen little to cheer the hopes
of one day going to London to live with
no need of carrying hods. About a
dozen of MS worked the mine in COM
| mon, and Betty, little Lizzie and my
self, lived in rude hut OF boards near
| the s'laft. H....ar
"Jem," said I, at length.
! "Well."
"I'm thinking is there no other cham
ber where we can find quartz?"
| Jem shook his head slowly.
"l'll tell ye," said he, suddenly, there
is hole away down below the lower
shaft, where no miners ever been, or II
they have, they never came back to tell
! what they found there. The passage as
| leads to it is called the Devils Pathway,
and no man who ever turned the corner
of that pathway has been heard from
again. I've heard say as how several
miners disappeared mysterionslyin that
direction last summer, and only three
months ago, Jerry Cole was last seen
there, and now his poor wife's taking
| on bitterly about him for she's not seen
him since. And" said he drawing
| closer, ssthey say as how there's tracks
leading from the place all over the mine
aud l We seen my yself-of a foot, hui
man foot, only with claws, and very
long and crooked shape. Some says as
| how Peter Smucker, who killed his wife
and his brother a year ago, and then
mysteriously disappeared from the
! flesh. is turned into demon and haunts
the place; but I'm not the man to be
fooled by such yarns-what dye say?'
"Right, Jem. don't believe in ghost
| stories, nor in demon stories, and say
if there's a prospect of luck, let's find
it."
Ne shouldered our picks and started.
At the shaft we were joined by anoth-
er miner, and were soon at the Devil IS
Pathway. There were two diverging
paths, leading apparently i'm the same
direction, and 1t was agreed that we di-
vide, Jem and his companion taking the
left hand path, while | took the right,
with the understanding that we should
meet at the further end.
The passage was very narrow, and
extremely crooked, and in some places
I could scarcely wedge myself through.
The little oil-lamp which / carried, gave
me feeble light, however, but at last |
found myself at the mouth of the pas
sage. and also at the end of the other,
which Jem had taken.
paused moment to look forward
into the place had arrived at. At was
indeed wonderful. 1t seemed to be Two
vast domes; the lower inverted and
Joined to the other. The walls of the
lower part were formed by huge, Jagged
stones, and could see the tiny grains
of gold glittering in profusion ia the
lquartz seams.
uttered a wild cry of Joy and aston
ishment at the sight, and turned to look
for the arrival of Jcm and his compan-