Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-03-21

saved. There seems little ground for
hope, and as the time drags on, and no
rescuer comes to his aid, a terrible de-
spair takes possession of his heart.
"Oh, God!" he cries, "spare me,
spare me for the sake Of my helpless
family"
But no one comes, and he thinks that
he is doomed to die alone in the dark
ness of that licing grare.
The clock strikes six, and Mary, John
Fayne's wife, looks anxiously forth
from the window of their cot, hoping
to see the welcome form of her hus-
band returning from the mine, but
sight of him does not gladden. her eyes.
A half hour passes by, and the waiting
wife begins to fear that some danger
has come to the absent one. Another
half hour has gone, and now the ex-
pected one is an hour late. For the
last few moments the terrible fear that
had arisen in the mind of the miners
wife, has become almost certainty.
At last she can wait no longer. and
throwing shawl over her head she
hastens to the neighboring hamlet, and
rouses party of miners to go to the
old North Mountain mine, to search for
the missing one.
"Oh, hasten! hasten" she cries, as
she fees over the ground at the head of
the rescue party. Love seemed to give
her new strength, and speed. The mine
was soon reached, and the very pillar
meath which John Fayne had been
buried was found. They saw that he
had been at work here, and they also
saw that an extensive leave in" had
occurred. These men were experienced
miners, and they shook their heads
gravely when the almost frantic wife
asked them if there was any hope.
"No, there is no hope for poor John
Fayne. 1t would take days to remove
that mass of coal and rock, and he
would then be dead, as he no doubt
nos is, for I think he must have been
instantly crushed" said an aged miner
to companion.
The work of removing the fall" was
commenced, and after time the be-
reaved wife was induced to return home
to her babe. She had not gone far
when boy gave her letter which had
arrived but an hour before. She opened
it, and found that it was from her faith
er, and it contained a sum of money
that seemed almost like wealth to her !;
but what was better, her father asked
her forgiveness for his cruel conduct,
and implored her to come with her hus-
band, and cheer his declining years by
making his home her own.
"Too late! too late! Oh, if John
were only alive to share my Joy! Oh,
God he is lost to me, and life is but
sorrow now no wealth can bring me
happiness" she said.
She had now reached her own cot, and
had opened the door, when suddenly
she reeled back and uttered the name {:
"John!"
Nopen can describe the thrilling Joy,
the heart and soul OF gladness, that she
threw into that cry. The next moment
she would have fallen fainting to the
ground, but the strong arms of John
Fayne, aliUe and in the flesh, caught her
to his breast. In moment she recov-
cred, kissed back to consciousness by
the husband she mourned as dead.
How did he escape? How came he
here? He had, as we have said, given
up all hope of escape, when he felt the
floor upon which he rested giving way,
and in another moment he fell with q
portion of the floor into chamber of a
loper vein of the mine. He was. some
what bruised by the fall, but not seri-
ously injured, and as there was ready
way Of egress from the lower vein, he
soon made his way to the surface of the
earth once more, and hastened to his
home. At this precise time the rescue
party were entering the upper vein, and
consequently they failed to meet.
Thus was the peril escaped. and COM
fort and happiness came to the miner
and his family, who was no longer COM
PEELED by necessity to go
Down in coal mine, underneath the ground,
Where no ray of sunshine ever can BIO found"