The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-08-28

around it, making it look as If 1t had been
burieu there before the cave was formed.
Tommy surveyed it and pronounced it per-
| fectly satisfactory.
''That," said he, CLOCKS just like the cata-
COMBS"
We were now ready for customers, and we
agreed upon the route over which they must
travel. We thought we'd light it up with a
candle or two after school, and then bring
the boys in.
If we made rather poor recitatons that
day, you may readily guess the reason. We
hurried home after school, and got stub of
candle and carried it to the cave. where we
lighted it and placed it on a shinge driven
into the wall, aud then went to the front
| gate to look for customers.
The first boy that came along was Char
lie Garnett
"Hello, Charliev'
"Hellop'
"We've found cave"
ga cavep' said Charlie, wonderingiy.
eyes, cave; and it's full of curiosities.
Stalactites, and statues, and skulls, and stone
tomahawks, and arrows, and lots of things.
Like Herculaneum and the Mammoth Cave,
you know"
"You're fooln'," said Charlie.
mo foolin'," said Tommy, solemnly.
l
"Honest true?'
"Honest true! Amt ts' and he tnrned
| to me for confirmation.
"Yes," said I, sits a splendid cave.''
"But haint got five cents" said Charlie.
"How much haze you got?" said Tommy.
"Only three"
Tommy consulted with me. He thought
it was better to let him in for three cents
than not 10 let him visit it at all. assented.
1 q non s,,f eosI
graciously.
GAN right! Where's your cave?' said
| Charlie.
Gwen blindfold you and lead you there"
said Tommy.
"No you don't. know your tricks" said
Charlie.
"No trick about it," said Tommy; sis
there?" again he appealed to me.
There isn't any trick in it," said I. sIt's
cal cave. But we don't want anybody to
know where to find it. Aud besides, it's
more fun to 60 blindfold. 1t makes it seem
like the dark winding passages of the Man,
| moth Cave"
Charlie concluded he'd try it. Tommy
took his three cents, and then We tied a
handkerchief tightly over his eyes. We led
him through the gate, three times around the
house. once around the barn, once around
Mrs. Bakers flower beds, then to the bowld
er and on top of it.
Now" said I, Jump down about four
feet with me-"
We jumped, and at the same time Tommy
ratified an iron chain against the stone Ito
make it seem dungeony," he said. Then we
took him down the bank to the brook, and
up the other side, and three times around
tree, and over big fat stump. and down to
the brook again. and up the bank. and along
the narrow path to the cave. We went to
the center of the interior before we unblind-
| folded him.
'Oae, two, threeW said Tommy, and
| jerked off the bandage.
Charlie was lost in Amusement. He looked
around in perfect awe and wonder, and was
speeches. as mummy-until he saw the
skull. He walked up close to that, which
| was near the candle, and looked at il steadily
| minute or two.
"That was my fathers horse" said he,
turning round and facing US. you've got
to pay me for that"
II amt going to pay for no dead horses"
| said Tommy, eXcitedy bis business princi-
Piles getting the better of his grammar.
whats throwed out ON the common" he
continued, sis anybody's that wants it.'
Charlie was not ready to admit this propo-
| sition, and a serious debate seemed likely to
| ensue; but just here certain events which
had been happening above ground came to
| crisis.
Mrs. Baker had several ladies visiting her
| that afternoon, and they all walked out to see
her flower garden. As they stood admiring
bed OF lilies of-the valley, six of them, includ-
ing Mrs. Baker, suddenly found themselves
moving In direct line towards China.
At the same instant, we heard cracking
and crumbling overhead; and as the Jumps
Of dirt and stalactites began to tall, Tommy
cried out: cts Gavin in runv' and we bur-
| riedly adjourned the debate and fled out of
the cavern in mortal terror.
We were none too quick. Six Improbable
visitors, who had not paid anything, and had
no free passes, and not blindfolded, were sud-
denly introduced into the midst of all the
| wonders of the mammoth cave, the Indian
mounds. the catacombs, and Herculaneum.
And they brought daylight with them, before
which the glory and the mystery of those
| wonders vanished forever.
The scrambling and the CONSERVATION that
| ensued may be imagined. Daddy Blake, who
was working in garden two doors off, came
promptly to the rescue. He wasted no time
in approaching the cave by the winding pas
sage, but got the long step-,adder, let it down
| from the top, and helped the ladies out.
Fortunately no one was seriously hurt, but
there was terrible rumpling of toilets. Old
Mrs. Simmons came out looking as il the
sharpest of the Indian weapons had been
deity welded about her scalp. Perhaps her
wig reposes to this day on the bumps of the
phfenologist's model. Miss Moor's muslin
dress was badly torn on the stalactites; and
Mrs. Bakers shoes, like the tigers visitors in
the fable, made no tracks away from that
dread cave. If the loss of them could have
saved her son from punishment. he at least
would have been entirely satisfied.
AS Tor Tommy and me, we didn't exactly
want the hills to cover us-that we could have
had by standing still. But we felt the desira-
bility of immediate emigration. We ran down
the gorge of the brook, and escaoed to the
woods, not venturing home until night fall.
The next day, Tommy came over. He did
not come into the house, but stole around to
the wood shed, and gave low whistle. 1
went out and We sat on large billet of wood.
"Old Burke was at our house this morning."
said he.
'What did he want?'' said I, little nerv-
ously, apprehending some new peril.
HE wanted to see father He said he'd
wondered what made the water that comes
in to his house so muddy these two or three
weeks back. And yesterday the hydraulic
ram stopped working, and he went and found
it clogged up with dirt. And then he traced
the muddy water up to the brook, until he
carue to where we threw the dirt over from
the cave. That's what he wanted to see
father about.".
what did your father say?'
HE SAID ne was very sorry, and then he
told him all about it. Then he said he was
going to have the cave filled up, aud not have
any more such works. He's going 10 send me
away at boarding school next week."
Here Tommy looked very doleful, and a
long pause ensued.
This would necessarily wind up the cave
business, and dissolve the partnership. Tom
my said nothing about dividing the profits,
and delicately reminded him that there must
be a little cash in the treasury.
'There's only three cents,' he said
s'Yes," said I, "three cents
'And that can't be divided eveny,'' said
be.
"That's so," said I.
'And the cave was on our land" said he.
Yes" said {, sit was on your land"-aud
I added silently, "Pm glad it was.'
'And, besides, l had to take lickin'," he
added, ruefully.
"You did? That's too bad" said I, with
genuine sympathy.
Tommy handed me one cent.
''That's fair" said I.
| HOrELS.