New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-10-04

i y
Fall was large, owing to a backward
| season: some snow still remained IN tne
capons near the highest peaks; they had
ridden round one OF the biggest trees, anu
| through the PROSTATE trunk OF another.
| To say that they were delighted is to ex
| press teebly the enthusiasm of these ladles
and gentlemen, drunk with the champagny
hosuitality of their entertainers, the utter
| novelty Of scene, and the dry, exhileratiEg
| air of the valley. One or two had already
! expressed themselves ready to live and die
! there: another had written glowing &C.
count to the Eastern press, deprecating all
| other scenery in Europe and America; and.
under these circumstances, 1t was reasona-
| Div expected chat Five Forks would do its
| duty, and equally impress the stranger at
| ter its own fashion.
Letters to this effect were sent from San
Francisco NV prominent capitalists there.
and under the able superintendent OF
| one of their agents, the visitors were taken
| in hand, shown what was to be SEEM"
carefully restrained from observing what
ought not to be visible, and SO kept III a
blissful and enthusiastic condition. And SO
| the graveyard Of Five Forks, in which but
two Of the occupants had died natural
deaths, the dreary, ragged cabins on the
hillsides, with their sad-eyed, cynical.
broken spirited occupants, toiling on day
| 5y day, tor miserable pittance and a fare
that a self respecting Eastern mechanic
would have scornfully rejected, were not
part Of the Eastern visitors recollection.
| But the hosting, works and machinery OF
the Blazing Star Tunnel Company" was
| the Blazing Star Tunnel Company" whose
.'gentlemanly superintendent had received
private information from San Francisco
| to do the "proper thing" tor the party.
Wherefore the valuable heaps of ore in the
company's works were shown, the OblOng
hars nf uo1H-raa6v
playfully offered to the ladies who could
| lift and carry them away unaided, and even
the tunnel itself, gloomy, fateful and pc
| cnliar, was shown as part OF the expe-
| rience; and in the noble language of one
correspondent, 'the wealth of Five Forks
| and the peculiar Inducements that it offered
! to Eastern capitalists" were established be-
| yond doubt. And then occurred little
| incident, which as an unbiased spectator, l
| am free to say offered no Inducements to
| anybody whatever, but which. for its bear
| ing upon the central figure of this veraciOus
chronicle, can not pass over.
| 1t had become apparent to one or two
more practical and sober minded in the
| party that certain portions of the Blazing
| Star" tunnel-owing, perhaps, to the ex-
| igencies of hattering annual dividend
were economically and imperfectly "shored"
| and supported, and were consequently I'M
| safe, insecure, and to be avoided. Never
tnelcSs, at Lime wucu champagne cOrhS
were popping in dark corners, and enthusi-
astic voices and happy laughter rang
| through the half-levels and galleries, there
| came u sudden and mysterious silence. A
| few lights dashed swiftly by in the direc-
| ton OF distant part of the gallery, and
| then there was sudden sharp issuing Of
| orders, and dull, ominous rumble. Some
! of the visitors turned pale-one woman
| tainted!
| Something had happened. What! Moth
! ing'-the speaker is fluent but uneasy
| lone OF the gentlemen in trying 10 dislodge
| a specimen from the wall had knocked
| away support. There had been Il cave
| the gentleman was caught and buried below
| his shoulders. 1t was all rght-they'd get
| him ont in a moment-only it required
great care to keep from extending the
! cave Didn't know his name-it was that
| little mantle husband of that lively lady
with the black eyes. Ell! Hullo there!
! Stop her. For Gods sake!-not that way.
| She'll fall from that shaft. She'll be
| kiiled!''
But the lively lady was already gone.
With staring black eyes. implOringly trying
| to pierce the gloom, with hands and feet
| that sought to batter and break down the
| thick darkness, with incoherent cries and
| applications. following the moving of
| ignis tutuus lights ahead, she ran and ran
| swiftly: Ran over treacherous foundations,
| ran by yawning CULTS, ran past branching
| galleries and arches, ran wildly, ran
! despairingly. ran blindly, and at last ran
| into the arms of the Fool of Five Forks.
In an instant she caught at his hands.
"Oh, save him. she cried ''you belong
| here-you know this dreadful place; bring
me to him. Tell me where to go and what
to do, | implore you: Quick. he is dying.
| Gomez
He raised his eyes to hers. and then, with
! sudden cry, dropped the rope and crow
bar he was carrying. and reeled against the
! wall.
'.Annie." he gasped slowly. '.is it you!''
She caught at both his hands, brought
her face to his with staring eyes, murmured,
Good God, Cyrus!' and sunk upon her
knees before him.
He tried to disengage the hand that she
wrune with passionate entreaty.
mo, no. Cyrus. you will forgive me-you
will forget the past! God has sent you here
to-day. You will come with me. You will
you must-save him!'
"Save who q cried Cyrus. hoarsely.
"My husband.'
The blow was 80 direct-sO strong and
overwhelming-tha even through her
stronger and more selfish absorption she
| saw it in the face Of the man. and pitied
him.
IL thought-you-knew- y she faltered.
He did not speak. but looked at her with
fixed, dumb eyes. And then the sound of
voices and hurrying feet started her again
into passionate life. She once more caught
his hand.
.Oh. Cyrus. hear me: If you have loved
me through all these years you will not fail
me now. You must save him. You can
You are brave and strOng-you always were,
Cyrus: You will save him, Cyrus, for my
sake-for the sake of your love for me
You WILL know it. God bless you:'
She rose as if to follow him, but at ges.
ture of command she stood STILL He picked
up the rope and crowbar slowly, and in
a dazed. blinded way that, in her agony of
Impotence and alarm, seemed protracted
to cruel infnity. Then he turned, and,
raising her hand to his lips, kissed it slowly.
| looked at her again-and was gone.
lie did not return. For at the end of the
! next halt hour. when they laid before her
| the half conscious, breathing body of her
| husband, safe and unframed but for ex.
| haustiOn and some slight bruises, she learn.
| Ell that the fears of the workmen had been
! realized. In releasing him second cave
! had taken place. They had barely time to
| snatch away the helpless body of her hus-
! band before the strong frame OF his rescuer,
| Cyrus Hawkins, was struck and smitten
| down in his place.
For two hours he lay there. crushed and
| broken. lmbed, with heavy beam lying
! across his breast. in eight of all, conscious
| and patient. For two hours they had
| labored around him. wildly. despairingly.
hopefully, with the wills of gods and the
| strength Of giants. and at the end OF that
time they came to an upright timber. which
rested its base upon the beam. There was
! cry for axes. and one was already swing
l inn, Ln OF uhaD the Il inc a n liaH IN