The Portland daily press., 1874-09-26

astic condition. And SO the graveyard of
Five Forks, in which but two occupants had
died natural deaths, the dreary, ragged cabins
on the hill-sN1es, with their sad-eyed, cynical,
broken-spirited occupants, toiling on, day by
day, for miserable pittance and fare that
sef-respecting Eastern mechanic would have
scornfully rejected, were not part OF the
Eastern visitors recollection. But the hoist
ing words and machinery of the "Bazing
Star Tunnel Company was-tne Blazing
Star Tunnel Company, whose ''gentlemanly
Superintendent had received private infor-
nation from San Francisco to do the proper
thing for the party. Wherefore the valuable
heaps of ore in the company's works were
shown, the oblong bars of gold-ready for
shipment-were playfully offered to the ladies
who could lift and carry them away unaided.
and even the tunnel itself, gloomy, fateful,
and peculiar, was shown as a part Of the eX-
perience; 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 in
cident which, as an unbiased spectator, l am
free to say offered no inducements to anybody
whatever, but which, for its bearing upon the
central figure of this veracious chronicle, /
cannot pass over.
1t had become apparent to one or two more
pTdCLlCdl anu SOUCI-I1lllutu Ill tuC party tlldt
certain portions of the "Blazing Star" tun-
nel-owing, perhaps, to the exigencies of
dattering annual dividend-were economi-
cally and imperfectly 'shored' and support
ed, and were consequently unsafe, insecure,
and to be avoided. Nevertheless, at a time
when champagne corks were popping in
dark corners, and enthusiastic voices aud
happy laughter rang through the half-lighted
levels and galleries, there came sudden and
| mysterious silence. A few lights danced
| swiftly by in the direction OF a distant part
| of the gallery, and then there was asudden,
| sharp issuing of orders and dull, ominOus
| rumble. Some of the visitors tnrned pale
| woman tainted
| Something had happened. What? 'Noth-
! ing'-the speaker is fluent but uneasY-'one
| of the gentlemen in trying to dislodge a
| specimen from the wall had knocked away
| support. There had been 'cave'-the
! gentleman was caught and buried below his
| shoulders. 1t was all right-they'd get him
| out in moment-only it required great care
| to keep from extending the cave" Didn't
know his name-it was the little man-the
husband of that lively lady with the black
| eyes. Eth! Hullo there! Stop her. For
| Gods sake mot that way! She'll fall from
that shaft She'll be killedp'
! 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 supplica-
| lions, following the moving of ignis fdtuus
| lights ahead, she ran and ran swiftly. Ran
| over treacherous foundations, ran by yawn-
ing 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.
For an instant she caught at his hand.
"Oh, save himp' she cried; 'syou belong
here-you know this dreadful place; bring
me to him. Tell me where to go and what
to do, l implore you! Quick, he is dying.
| Gomez
| He raised his eyes to hers, and then, with
a sudden cry, dropped the rope and crowbar
ne was carrying, and leaned against the wall.
| "Anniev' he gasped, slowly, sis it you?''
| She caught at both his hands, brought her
face to his with staring eyes, murmured
"Good God, Cyrusv' and sank upon her
knees before him.
| He tried TO dsengage the hand that she
wrung 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 himp
''Save who?" cried Cyrus hoarsely.
"My husbandp'
The blow was so drect-so strong and
| overwhelming-tha even through her own
stronger and more selfish absorption she saw
it in the face of the man, and pitied him.
81 -you-knew-it," she fatered.
He did not speak, but looked at her with
| fixed, dumb eyes. And then the sound oil
again into passionate lite. She once more
| caught his hand.
30, 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 cr0wbar slowly, and in a
| dazed, blinded way that, in her agony of i'm.
patience and alarm, seemed protracted to
cruel infinity. Then he turned, and raising
her hand to his lips kissed it slowly, looked
at her again-and the next moment was
gone.
He did not retrrnl For at the end of the
next half hour, when they laid before her the
halfunconscious, breathing body of her hus-
band, safe and unframed but for exhaustion
and some slight bruises, she learned that the
worst 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 husband before the
strong frame of his reseuer, Cyrus Hawkins,
was struck and smitten down in his place.
For two hours he lay there, crushed and
broken limbed, with heavy beam lying
across his breast, in sight of all, conscious
and patient. For two hours they had la
bored around him, wildly, despairingly, hope
fully, with the wills of gods and the strength
of giants, and at the end of that time they
pamn IN an upriuht timber which rocfad lie
base upon the beam. There was cry for
axes, and one was already swinging in the
air, when the dying man called to them, fee
bly,:
"Why2"
SIT will bring down the whole gallery with
it,"
"How?'
sits one of the foundations of my house."
The axe fell from the workman's hand, and
with blanched face he turned to his fellows.
1t was too true. They were in the upper
most gallery, and the ''cave" had taken place
directly below the new house. After pause
the Fool spoke again more feebly.
''The lady! quick.''
They brought her---a wretched, fainting
creature, with paid face and streaming eyes
land fell back as she bent her face above
him.
~ was Dullt Tor you. ANNE, DARING" ne
said in hurried whisper, land has been
waiting for you and me all these long days.
It's decided to you, Annie, and you must
live herewith him! He will not mind that
shall be always near you-tor it stands
above-my gravew
And it was right. In a few minutes later,
when he had passed away, they did not move
him. but sat by his body all night with a
torch at his feet and head. And the next day
they walled upthe gallery as vault, but
they put no mark or any sign thereon, trust.
ing rather to the monument that, bright and
cheerful, rose above him in the Sunlight Of
the hill. For they said: ''This is not an evil
dence of death and gloom and sorrow, as are
other monuments, but is sign of Life and
Hope, wherefore shall all men know that he
who lies under it's a Foolr'