River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-03-21


work this epSgine, and ali the ladies are
We made our way INTO Tic kitchen, and
| don't thin4t they were quite prepared
for our sudGsa appearance or the ener-
getic appca3SCharley made for a candle.
In a little SOON adjoi3ling the kitchen
a maid was. ssashing up plates and glasses
by the ligiiE'of The very smallest portion
of tallow candle, whose wick was at
that mome9t OF a portentous length, and
considerably The uncertain rays
which the csadle tbrew upog the melan-
choly party
Here, TOSS will dc, said energetic
Charley, se;sing the s<sap ofcandle, and,
in the energy, extracting it from the
humble sc.flet whir$f contained it, |
really belieSe it was nothing more than
bottle W. shan he gone minute
You can st,;g in the dDrk, Mary, until We
return"
1t was uaeless for Mary to protest,
which she all emphal:cally, asserting that
she would not allow The young men to go
messing themselves cYer with all that
nasty taIlew. Charles would wait for no
apologies; and shrusting the scrap of
was guide and knew the way and the
whereabouts Of the a.ticle which we had
come to 6Ra, he preceded me through
the surgery into the deserted celler
Charley search Was not at first quite
successtul / could ae nothing towards
assisting h;,n, but stood patiently in the
middle Of ,he cellar with the scrap OF
candle-end gradually diminishing be-
tween my Fingers, the.wick getting long
er and logger and the light more and
more obScsFe.
AT last t'harieys Ftnce spoke encour-
agement. My part. Of the transaction
was not u lively ore, and | felt partic-
ularly glass that we were not to return to
the drawing discounted. Boys
don't like.to he thoAght stupid, and to
have retugued to theAioctor emty handed
would have been the:signal for a volley OF
"chaff' fratl the doctor and chorus from
the expecs8nt ladies'
"Here fhe tramw8y sure enough said
Charley, fei,m behind two old packing
cases, "bpt can't get it out without your
help. Jugr put that, beastly candle down
somewheqe and give. us a hand behind
here r
Charley q request was easier made than
accomplished. The "beastly candle" as
he chose 10 call it, was naked and unpro
tected by any candiestick, and TO keep
the light lin under: these circumstances
was not a5ch an easy matter. We were
not at all pnxious Ii be left in the dark,
which ial@ very nearly overlook us, for l
made three dismal attempts at setting up
the cand!s, and failed egregiously on
every ocsasion.
Charley was getting inpatient, and
again summoned nae 10 his assistance in
authoritative tones from behind the large
packing s3,ses.
A briebt thought suddenly struck me.
AT my siie was an open bag containing
sandal seast, it seemed like sand to me;
but ! had no time to stop and examine
its contests very closely. plunged the
candle ei:l into the sand, and to my JOY |
saw that dt stood up firmly in its impronp-
tn resting place. But | could nor help
noticing that the wick had now got to an
enormous size, and that at its end was an
ugly iierS lump which threatened every
moment ito detach itself and tumble
among ire sand. went to Charley's
assistance, and by dint of good deal of
pulling Gnd hauling we managed at last
to extricate the doctors tramway from its
obscure hiding-place.
we erEJrged nom behind the packing
cases.
"Whei@ did you put the candlel' said
Charley; for the light had now got so
dim that 1t was difficult matter to see
at all.
''Tn tllat bag of sand"
"Bag al sandp'--wherc!N
went towards it. heard a crash be
hind me. The iramway had fallen from
Charleys shoulder and l felt myself
suddenly, dragged back just as had got
within reach of the candle.
/ hears but three words, and they were
not spoken, but literally Kissed into my
ears. :
"Sand. it's gunpowder"
| very nearly dropped That awful
cold shivsr which we have most of Us ex-
perie'.cc9, ran all over me, and then
turned aeound and faced Charley. He
looked ike death, and cold sweat was
breaking out on his face. There was no
time 10 he lost An enormous blossom of
red fire vas now banging to the charred
wick, wnich any moment might fall
among lse gunpowder, and then it was
easy TO guess what would follow. There
was enofgh there 10 blow mp the house
twenty ismes over
"Does your hand shaker" said Charley.
DO youtthink you dare tryE
Ny n yge-I was very yOnng, you must
rememlsr- was quite gone. ! tried once
twice; aji1 so did Charley; but we were
both treelbling in every limb. A nervous
twitch ~ the hand would have destroyed
ever souEin that house in less than a min
ute. Charley had said rightly that there
was no t$ne TO bc lost. There was little
good in our staading there looking at one
another sud waiting for death. There we
were p0Wcrless to save one another or any
one, had seen proved.
Charls@g was the bolder Of the two;
and lucsJly knew his way in the dark.
He iterSiIy dragged me out Of The cellar.
| did nos know where | was going, and
expected. that every mement would be my
last. Af:last heard him say
Mare Mary. say, look here we've
forgoltea that bit Of candle you lent us.
You'd b4tter 90 and fetch itnow, or sole
think ot@other may catch fire. Run along
at once aill you3"
Hand Ia hand we stood in The dark
stone passagc Two minutes would de-
eide cpts fate. 1t vas decided in less
than oi3,. We were saved.
The servant knew nothing about the
and so fearlessly approached
it. snat,iied up the candle and joined us
in the Iasssage.
It wasS a marvellous escape certainly,
and the monder Of it was considerably
neigbteEad by our being told afterwards
that the Sharred end Of the wick did fall,
bat upos$ the floor, and within loot OF
the OK poScd gubpowder, think we both
added aittle warm boyish thanksgiven
to our pi:ayers that night. We are big
boys boii; Of Us now, but / doubt ifeither
If us Wis forget our adventure with the
the end Of the candle
Tho Seaaaeo saIIs fniz an ecdnfa. N