The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-02-19
ABBEVIIIE, S. C, WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY

l reckon you've been taken sick
; like a
! NO." said Margaret, putting up
her hand to her ghastly face, 81
am not sick. Stop" she said, catch.
ling his arm as he was turning
away, "don't call anybody; I have
I, no time to talk. Open the car.
riage door and let me in. Then
drive as you can to the mines"
He stared at her, but she beckon.
ed him so impatiently to obey, that
: after seconds hesitation, he did
: so-guessing, in part, at least, the
cause of her anxiety. Perhaps be
was not averse to sharing in the
excitement himself. Atall events,
he whipped up his horses with laud.
able zeal, and in very few minutes,
they reached the miues.
Driving past the large works:
where the sound Of machinery had
for the present stopped, and past
j.. the deserted Offices (of which
Hugh's was one), they came to the
opening of the principal descent
into the mine. 1t was not here,
however, that q significant and
terrible scene was enacting. Far
ther away, to the right, a new shaft
had been lately sunk, and entirely
new excavations made-concerning
which, as Margaret we'll remem-
bered, Hugh had been full of eager
interest and hope. Several older
engineers had opposed the move;
but he had carried everything be-
fore him with the company, and
already the most favorable results
had been antici lated. He had
brought home triumphantly several
rich specimens of ore, and spoken
gayly of the chagrin of those who
had prophesied utter failure for
the project. Now-was this to
be the end? III. sd
1t certainly looked so. Around
the fatal spot was gathered q crowd
of men and not a few men; the
former looking as men only look
in the face of some terrible trag-
edy; the latter, for the most part,
wailing loudly, or sobbing dry sobs
with that restraint Of grief Which
is more terrible to behold than its
widest abandonment. Margaret
alighted. here, and made her way
through the throng to where the
superintendent was standing, just
at the mouth of the opeuing.
"Mr. Berestord," she said, touch
ing his arm, "is it true that Hugh is
in there.!"
"Good heavens, Miss Churchill"
said Mr.. Beresford, turning round
with a start. els it possible you
are here? My dear young lady,
this will never do. Come away
instantly!' ..'
"Is Hugh there p she reiterated,
looking at him with her pale, set
face. "Tell me the truth at once.
I must know" -.
"Well, then-yes, he is thcre!'
he said, almost desperately. "Now,
for Gods sake, come away! This
is no place for you!''
She paid no heed to his adjura-
ton. She only caught his arm,
and asked another question through
her white lips.
''Is there any hope?'
eve trust so,'' he said, eagerly.
ave never give up hope until we
hno,o the worst. We only fear it
now. You see, it has not been an
hour since the wall fell-not in the
path; but, as well as we can judge,
in the rear of the mining party
and we have had a large force at
work ever since. Listen, and you
can hear the ring Of the pickaxes!
She listened with a sickening
heart, and though her ears were
not trained like his, she thought
she could family catch a dull and
muffled sound, which told Of the
vigorous strokes of many arms.
Once more she heard him urging
her to come away, but she only
shook her head. No earthly power
could have forced her from the
spot where Hugh was buried
alive, and yet dead! There are
some things so horrible that the
imagination refuses to grasp them.
This was one Of them to Margaret.
Though she sat (for her trembling
limbs rcfu'ed to support her, and
Mr.. Beresford placed her on stone
not far away, like pale image of
despair, breathing the free air OF
heaven while he was shut from it
in the black depths nf earth, she
could not realize tho awful horror
pressing on her. They came, and
went, and talked, around her, as
men do under great stress of excite.
ment; but she did not heed them,
She was trying to wrest her mind
| from the upper world and take i
into bis dark prison; but it 1coAl!dl
f not 90. It reelea on the very brink
} of 1nconsciousness when she tried
, to picture him gasping, dying-so
) near her, yet, y heaven! so tai
, away.
! She felt as if it had becn hours
t that she had sat there, frozen into
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