Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-03-17

really believe it was nothing more than a
Dottle. We shant be gone minute.
You can stay in the dark, Mary, until We
return
1t was useless for Mary to protest,
winch she did emphatically, asserting that
she would not allow the young men to 90
messing themselves over with all that
nasty taliow. Charley would wait for no
apoios1es; and thrusting the scrap of
talloW- candle end into my hand for he
was guide and knew the way and the
whereabouts OF the article which we had
come to IND, he preceded me through
the surgery into the deserted celler.
Charley search was not at first quite
successful. l could do nothing towards
assisting him, but stood patiently in the
middle OF the cellar with the scrap OF
candle-end gradually diminishing be-
tween my fingers, the wick getting long.
er and longer and the hight more and
more obscure.
At last Charley's voice spoke encour-
agement. My part of the transaction
was not lively one, and felt partic-
ularly glad that we were not to return to
the d1awlng-room discounted. Boys
don't like to be thought stupid, and to
have returned to the doctor emty- handed
would have been the signal for volley of
| 'chaff'' from the doctor and chorus from
the expectant ladies.
Heres the tramway sure enough said
Charley, from behind two old packing
cases, "but | can't get it out without your
help. Just put that beastly candle down
| somewhere and give us hand behind
here
/ Charleys request was easier made than
accomplished. The "beastly CANDLE as
heSchose to call it, was naked and unpro-
tected by any candlestick, and to keep
the light in under these circumstances
was not such an easy matter. We were
not at all anxious to be left in the dark,
which tate very nearly overlook u.s. for I
made three dismal attempts at setting up
the candle, and failed egregiously on
every occasion.
Charley was getting impatient, and
again summoned me to his assistance in
authoritative tones from behind the large
packing ceases.
A bright thought suddenly struck me-
At my side was an open bag containing
, sandal least, it seemed like sand to me !;
but had no time to stop and examine
its contents very closely. plunged the
, candle end into the sand, and to my Joy l
: saw that 1t stood up firmly in its ampromp-
: tn resting place. But l could not help
t noticing that the wick had now got to an
J. enormous size, and that at its end was an
4 ugly fiery lump which threatened every
/ moment to detach itself and tumble
among the sand. 1 went to Charley's
: assistance, and by dint of good deal of
0 pulling and hauling we managed at last
v to extricate the doctors tramway from its
n obscure hiding place.
v We emerged from behind the packing
y cases.
. "Whcre did you put the candlc?" said
d Charley; for the light had now got so
G dim that it was difficult matter to see
: at all.
SIN that bag of sand.'
o "Bag of sand ."-where?"
r. went towards it, heard crash be-
> hind me. The tramway had fallen from
" Charley's shoulder, ana felt myself
o suddenly dragged back Just as I had 90
d within reach Of the candle.
II heard but three words, and they were
d not spoken, but literally Kissed into my
d ears.
r 'Sand! It's gunpowder."
/; I very nearly dropped. That awful
a cold shiver which we have most of Us ex
t. perlenced, ran oil over me, and then
turned around and faced Charley II,
g looked like death, and cold sweat wa
7e breaking out on his face. There was NJ
,e time to be lost. An enormous blossom O.
II. red fire was now hanging to the chaTet
lii wick. which any moment might fal
n among the gunpowder, and then it wa
It easy to guess what would follow Their
IN was enough there to blow mp the nous
it twenty times over.
re ''Does your hand shake?" said Charley
N ''Do you think you dare try?"
My nerve-I was very yonng, you mus
remember was quite gone. I tIied one
e twice; ana SO did Charley; but we wer
O, both trembling in every limb A nervou
,e twitch of the hand would have destroyed
a ever soul in that house in less than min
,e ute. Charley had said rightly that Their
k. was no time to be lost. There was littl
e. good in our standing there looking at on,
Id another and waiting for death There W.
q were powerless to save one another or an,
1e one, had been proved.
ar Charley was the bolder of the two
or and luckily knew his way in the dark
a. He literally dragged me out of the cellar
of did not know where 1 was going, ant
" expected that every mement would be m,
ar last. At last heard him say:
W Mary! Mary. say, look here view
? forgotten that bit of candle you lent US
IS You'd better go and fetch it now, or some
,e think or other may catch fire. Run along
d at once will you?''
f. Hand in hand we stood in the darl
l. stone passage. Two minutes would de
N eide our fate. It was decided in les
3 than one. We were saved
e. The servant knew nothing about thu
le gunpowder, and so fearlessly approached
ii it, snatched up the candle and joined u
,e in the passage.
d 1t was marvellous escape certainly
k and the wonder of it was considerabi,
< heightened by our being told afterward.
II that the charred end of the wick did fall
but upon the floor, and within foot O
r the exposed gunpowder, I think we both
h added little warm boyish thankseiver
n to our prayers that night. We are big
d boys both of us now, but doubt if either
OF us will forget our adventure with the
Y. the end of the candle"