Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-02-28

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| rugged that Amos could not conceive the
| possibility of its being mistaken for the road
| even in fog, and but for the peculiar man
ner Of the dog ho would have declined to
! follow.
Presently they came upon great heaps of
! Stag and coal-dust so long forgotten that
weeds and grass had found home there
| But there was no place whore Hope could be
! hidden, dead or alive, unless it were that sol
! itary clump Of furze and hazel-bushes in the
| distance.
Gipsy stopped as il suddenly arrested, a
movement Of his long ears told that he was
! listening then he stood rigid, with his tail
| set rs if lac had come upon his game. He
| gave Il short sharp bark. bounded forward to
reach the bushes. looked back as if to call his
master, scurri,d here aud there as if to find
entrance. and harkod ms if he were wild.
His master was quickly after him, and, but
| that lac was brought to a sudden stop 10y
something that sounded to him like far-of
! whisper of his own name, he might have fall
| en- forward and shared the fate Of the poor
creature p,r,hug Of cold and hunger in the
! depths below. so completely had the thick
fringe of hazrls hid the old pits yawning
! mouth.
Thus checked, with his heart almost at a
stand still, he lay down upon the ground, and
| urustiug his head into the gap between the
bushes looked scarchngly down with shud-
| derng dread
1t was an awful depth. and but that the
| cleaning water below served As reflector Of
the sky, he might have failed to discern the
| dark figure seated on the beam, with white
face raised so pitcously to the light.
! And now he was sure he heard his own
name, family mingled with AN imploring cry
! for succor and rs he answered her cry with
the one word Hope :" his sudden JOY at her
| discovery living was dashed with fears lest
| she should die ere rescue was possible.
! A faint scream rising from beneath told
that he was at least heard. Again he called
and loudly, to bid her be of good cheer
! Then leaving Gipsy on guard, he darted of
helter-skclter pausing only to send loud
| halloo upon the wind from time to time, un-
ill., as he was well lnigh spent his call was an
swerod.
The blacksmith's wife aud Mrs Applegarth
had thought it ill-omened that three Of the
| pitmen slung coils Of rope around them when
| they joined the search and Amos had more
than once been tempted to empty from his
| pockets the good things the cook had cram
med them with in token Of her sympathy
| lie had fancied the weight impedcd his prog
ress lie had cause to be thankful be was so
| laden.
Geordie, whose long legs best fitted him
/
| village for more help and sundry appliances
and, spurred by compunction, he did not loi-
! ter by the way.
There was little consultation at the mouth
| Of the pit, where Gipsy stood like a sentry,
and barked on their approach.
The hazol has tenacious grip OF the soil ;
| it, tough out-spreading roots twiniug and in
| toracing Aud now Amos showed himself
| less a novice than the pitmcn deemed.
If 1 4 u H. 4
! telling them be had been bred a s,a-fowler on
the coast, would have ventured on the de-
scent had not their experience told them the
| line was far too short.
| One Of their number, foresering this on
| his first glance downward. had scu,'ded of
| for bare life to the II, Arrest mine at work but
| the brief afternoon had made strides as swift
| before the man returned with cable and com
rades to help.
Still there was stretch Of daylight left
! when Amos was slowly lowered in rope
| cradle, Guiding it, descent fowler-wise down
| the face of the shaft. while anxious prayers
went up to heaven from the rough beings, so
| prompt at the call Of dUty-Wc,ley's disci-
! pies one and nil-and Gipsy could hardly be
! restrained from l-aping aft,r him
He gained the bottom in safety, only in
time to catch the form Of Hope as she was
dropping from her narrow perch. ENpecta-
| ton and JOY had oyertoppod eNhaustiou hu-
man nature could no longer bear the strain.
When two pitm,n, sluug together. reached
the side of the keeper, they found him stand
| ing moro than waist high in water, sustain
ing Hope with one arm, and pouring brandy
down her throat from the flask Of the good
naturtd cook. sort Of hammock was made,
| into which she wa, lifted. still in a state of
| Inconsistencies and Amos looping his foot
| in a rope Stirrup, prepared for the hazardous
ascent, while the men below stcadied the i'm
promptp cradle with a eye.
There was breathleSs hush as the twain
We're landed clear of the haZelr ON the bank,
aud there Was somr doubt wheth,r Hope was
| living or dead.
Gipsy bark, i and leaprd ,xcitcdly Farmer
Applrgnrth's big fingers united the girls
choking hat strings Amos kneoltd down and
chafed her rigid bands the fresh air blew
upon her face more brandy was administer
ed nnd under the influence Of one or all
reNtomtiv,s h,r languid lids unrloSed
Women rs well as mcu had come bar head
ed from the village on hearing Gtordie's
news. and there was general shout at this
token of life The men then turned with u
| will to release their captive brethren, and hy
the time they were landed, Hope was tatlnG
rayenously the bread and meat from Amos
Hcdley's pockets, soaked though they had
been in the pit
She was carried home to the fam in Dame
Applegarths own rockingham and there
was no lack of volunteers for the service.
Bat Amos, who had felt his own strength eel
lapse when there was no longer demand up
on it, was content, Ike GipSy, to walk be-
side, and now and then stretch out hand TO
wrap close around her the blanket which the
rising wind displaced. Hope was too feeble
for many words. but her thanks had been
sufficiently eloquent, and Amos WAS doubly
blest
Wet cold, hunger, exposure, and enforced
wak-fulness for eght-aud forty hours would
try the strongest wOman's frame. Hope was
on the verge of fever and when the first
use she found for speech was to bid Amos
hasten to Sir William and warn him that
Nick Faw and the two escaped Foachcrs were
going to break into the hall that very night,
she was accredited with delirium. She said
she had thought of little else all the while
she was down the pit and implored him to
lose no time in warning his master, But he
fingered incredulous, and she grew impatient.
And then, as fever grew, her mind did begin
to wander, and all her pent-up love was un-
sealed and found unconscious utterance in
broken words and CALCULATIONS of alternate
fear and gratitude. She was once more in
the darksome pit, cramping on her narrow
perch, and yet afraid to move limb lest she
should have fresh struggle win the ICY wa
ter below her; praying for dehyerance, and
crying that she should die, and Amos would
not scorn her then. Anon she implored Nick
Faw and Joey Dobson not to murder Amos
to spare the poor doggie-anon she mutterod
fragments of the nefarious colloquy by the
rocky ridge ou the hill side, with self-gratula-
tlons that she had heard it all, Then she
was fleeing from pursuit now falling, falling
into the bottomless pit every now and again
she would look wildly round her and shrek
for Amos to save her-not to let her die there
of cold and hunger.
1t was all dsjointed tangle, pitiable to
listen to as evidence of the ordeal she had
undergone, and the fever that ran riot
through her veins yet such is the inconsist-
ency of man, that a thrill of satisfaction stir
red the pulses of Amos at her unconscious ad-
missions in spite of the new dread lest she
should be lost as soon as found.
She had been laid ON huge blue and white