The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1877-09-12

'gm ,Nqdaiy while they deadened,
kndow ,Sftag5
IAN & g'ala myself up. 1t is the
SmpaN ,H}7i Dur fate that frenzies
Ife .1eNi' a fF,esse to fear when we
| de. ANS} Jan ! gave myself up, and
- She7w 'ciM
T. Il va resighedb die---resigned even
70 my mode Of dth. 1t was not, 1
thought, so verytew after all, as to
awaken unwontedhorror in a man.
thousands hac bel sunk to the bottom
OF the ocean, sautn holds of vessels,
oeatlng themselyeagainst the battened
hatches---draggsd own from the upper
world shrieking, mt for life, but for
death, only be- aththe eye and amid
the breath of Z ave Thousands have
endured such . appalling kind of suhGoca-
tion. wouldeie g only many better
bean le@f s6,S mean, furo-1l lnn1t.e'- Oh
more; ten minutes, it may have been, OF
but an instant of time; I know not, nor
does 1T matter if l could compute it.
There was tine, then, when 1 was re-
signed to my flte. But, good Heavens [!
was lresigned o it in the shape in which
it next came toappal me? Stranger +! 1
felt the water growing hot about my
limbs, though it was only vet mid-leg
deep felt I, ahd the same moment
heard the roar of'the furnace that was
to turn it into steam, before it could get
deep enough to down me!
"You shudder. 1t was hideous. But
did L shrek, and shrivel, and crumble
down upon the i'm floor, and lose my
senses LII that hcrld agony of fear
NO! though my praln swan, and the
life-blood that c,rdled at nv heart
seemed about to sagnate there forever,
still I knew I was bo hoarse, too help
less, from my precious efforts, to cry
out more. But L sfuck, feebly at first
and then strongly frantically, with nv
clenched fist agaiBt the sides of the
boiler, There wer people moving near
who must hear myPlows. Gould not I
hear the grating of hains, the shuffling
of feet, the very raj lie of a rope-hear
them all within a few inches of
me? L did; but he gurgling water,
that was growing hfter and hotter about
my extremities, mde more noise than
the steaming cad Iron than did my
frenzied blows against its sides.
Latterly had hardly changed my
position; but now ,he growing heat of
the water made he plash to and fro
lifting myself willy out of it was i'm
possible, but [ ctlld not remain quiet.
L stumbled upon something-it was
mallet chance tool the smith had
left there behfnd sin, With what wild
Joy did | seize it with what eager con-
fdence did 1 now led my first blows
with it against the walls of my prison
But scarce had ihteanitted them for a
moment, when 1 heard the clang of the
iron door as the fremh flung it wide to
feed the flames that wire TO torture me
My knocking was VI heard, though
could hear him toss tie sticks into the
furnace beneath me, md drive to the
door when his oven ws fully crammed.
" Had I hope yet? 4 had; but it rose
in my mind side by ide with the fear
that I might now beome the agent of
preparing myself a mde frightful death.
Yes ! when thoughtof that furnace,
with its fresh fed fimes curling be-
meath the iron upon which I stood,
more frightful death ven than that of
being boiled alive Had 1 discovered
that mallet but SHIRT time sooner, I
would, by its aid, resft to the only ex-
pedient now left me.
" 1t was this : I remembered having a
marlinspike in my picket and in less
time than [ have takel in limiting at the
of thu using it, I had
made an impression Q the sides of tine
boiler, and soon succeeded in driving it
through. The water gushed through
the aperture-would hey see it? No /!
the jet could only plaY against wooden
partition, which mus hide the steam
from view, it must tickle down upon
The decks before the leakage could
be discovered. Should I drive another
hole to make the leakage greater? Why,
the water within seemed already to be
diminished, 10 hot had become
hat which remained. Should more es-
cape, would I not hear it bubble and
Mss upon the fiery plates of iron that
we're already scorehing the soles of my
eet2
"Ah there is O movement-voices.
heal. them calling for crow-bar. The
cracks al they pry off the
olanking. They have seen the leak
hey are trying to get at it. Good
Heaven why don't they dampen the
ire3 Why do they call for the---the-----
"Stranger, look at that finger 1t
AN never regain its natural size but it
las already done all the service that
nan could expect from SO humble a
member. Sir, the hole would have been
plugged upon the instant unless had
my finger through it
81 heard the cry of horror as they
aw it without---the shout to drown the
ire---the first stroke of the cold water
,ump They say, too, that I was SEN
ible when they took me out but III
nothing more until they
brought me julep to my bedside after
yard. And that iulep -
Cooling, was it?"
"Stranger p
Ben turned away his head and wept.
lie could say no more.