The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1878-08-27

found out afterward that he'd played it
down In the shaft as mean as one man
can play it on another at sich time
You see there was FIVE of 'em in the
lower drift, an when the burnin timbers
of the upper works began to drop down
they all made a rush fur The main shat
The cage was on an they couldn't get
out till the rope came down. They could
see flicker of light up above, an yelled
ill they was boarse watchiu' that glim-
mer CROWN brighter'n brighter ev'ry
minute, an KNOWN thet the sba(tin' TIM
herd blaze mighty soon an cut off all
hope of their ever gettin' out. 1t was q
terrible thought an you can't blame Bill
Slocum fur grabbin' the rope as soon as
it dropped down to 'em.. Harry Miller
jumped ilongside of him, yelhn'-- q.
.sLet go,sd-nsye. let gei They cast
liftftwo OF u.s. Let go yerself, shouted
Slocum, turnin' round on him like IT,
ger. s5es ea.,t
"sMy old mothers up there yelled
Slocum, pointin' up the shaft.
"'My wife's waitin' for me- howls
Miller. sew
e can with that he knocks Slocum
down in the Drift an goes up the rope
hand over hand before the others could
stop him-they'd a killed him on the
spot ef he hedn't climbed the rope as be
did. Sarved Mn rightp Kerrect, mis-
ter; they'd ssrved him mighty well right
an no mistake, but he beat thet game
He'd just strength enough 10 tie the slack
round his waist wen he gave way all at
once, an hung on to the end OF the rope
like dead weight, an Dandy Ferguson q
haulin' him out O. the fiery jaws O. death
Down went the rope agin, an Slocum
was tied on an hauled up, Ferguson
workin' the win'lass like giant The
cords stood out on his neck like black
snake whips, an the sweat poured off
him like sluice stream. Two Cornish
men stood by him tryin' to make him let
them roll up the rope whileshe rested,
but be cussed 'em an told 'em to dry up ;
he said he was at the wheel. an he'd stay
there ef he died fur it. Wen Slocum
came up the fire was all aroun' an over
the win'lsss, an the two Cornishmen
grabbed Bill an carried him o1t--they
couldn't STAN the heat Ferguson sent
down the rope agin' an up came Sam
Hildretb, with jist strength enough to
make fur the door.
The roof over the biler an the pitch
on the door pr SIS was smokin'. Jist as
the rope went down fur the fourth time,
an we loafin' round on the outside
watchin', Dandy Ferguson standin' there
like a man at the stake, expectin' every
minute to see him drop, an not man
of US with gumption enough to think
what was wanted, woman rushes into
the fiery furnace an sings wet blanket
over the bravest, gamest man in the State
o. Californy.
"Thats the ticket" shouted Fergu.
son. you're a trump, whoever you
are, my girl, an l won't furgit ye, live
or die"
An he didn't. It was Sam Hildreth's
sister Maggie, an wen she came out o.
the smoke an fame with her dress in a
blaze. she calls out sharp to- the men
"Keep that blanket wet. There's wa.
ter in the tank. I'll marry the fust man
thet throws bucket O. water over Dan
dy Ferguson-rll marry him eff he's q
Chinaman."
ssThem's her identical words, mister.
The men didn't need no further orders,
cause, you see, Maggie Hildreth was the
han'somest girl in the country, an the
best, an he'd ev'ry young buck fur miles
aroun' close at her heels, handicappin'
each other fur smiles. But her brother
Sam saved her from them galoots-saved
her fur q better man-by victim the
blanket himself. About this time the
heat was terrible, one man in the drift
an other half way up, crawlin' fast
enough in ordinary circumstances, but
hardly fast enough with death racin'
down on his savior at two.forty gait.
WheE Jack Harmon came. out O. the
shaft he stood minute in the scantlin'
swayin' back an forth like drunken
man, blinded by smoke, an bewilderd,
an ef Ferguson bedn't caught him he'd
gone back agin Two more of us he'd
got in with buckets o. WATERFRONT all
there was in the tank; bat it seemed to
dry of as fast as we poured on, fur the
blanket was smokin'. When the rope
went down the last time to haul up Joe
Harper, the scantlin' was burnin' an the
upper timbers was beginnin' to blaze ~
The whirlin' smoke hid Ferguson from
US, but we knowed that eff he didn't CONF
out soon the whole shebang'd give way
an bury him; the sides was in ligh
blaze, an the. place where the win'les'
stood was the only spot where even Dan
|dy Ferguson could worked. 1t mus
q bin an awful strain on him-that las
puff-bnt he never owned 1t, an bimeby
up comes Joe, the bravest man in th
camp, reckon, barrin' Dandy Ferguson
cause you see he wouldn't tech the rop
till they'd all been hauled up; be tiet
ev'ry man on except the coward Miller
an then came through the blazin' shat
himself watchin' the little tongues O. fir
shoot out from the sides ev'ry once in
while as If they'd lick the life thread il
two.
Gas Joe grabbed the upper chains th
shaft lit up with hiss an roar, as
the fire was mad at losin' its prey. 10
got out and Ferguson staggered ava
from the win'less,. but his luck went bac
on him at the last minute He stumble
and fell just as he came to the tramwa
at the door, an the whole buildin' cam
down on him with crash. A hundre
then forgot danger an death, an rushe
into the flames, but Miller, the man tht
played 1t so sneakin' mean down in th
shaft, got to him fust an dragged biz
out. Ev'rybody thought he was dea,
an the crowd carried him and Miller
who dropped insensible after he'd g
Ferguson QUITO the camp.
"But Dandy Ferguson lived throug
lit. though for weeks he lay between Ii
! an death, an for months he didn't st
out of q dark room. But there WASH
no lack O. help an prayers an faitbf
J nurses to bring him round No, si
, an there wasn't man, woman or chi
! within hundred miles O. the Chappar
mine lhet wouldn't q crawled on the
hands an knees to watch one hour
/ his bedside. ar, thought IL ono q, the hi