The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-10-02

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again. 1t may be well to mention that
this chamber was dark room, and was
occupied by the brothers as a sleeping
apartment. A few minutes after this
Teddy Horley bounded up the steps and
entered the living-room, which was be-
tween the dark chamber and his moth
er's bedroom. Finding his mother alb.
sent, he crossed the hall and knocked al
Miss Layne's door. The little maiden
hushed her song and opened it.
..',Oh, Teddy, it's you, is itP" she
"Sure it is, swateness. Who else
could it beP''
81 thought it was Patsy" she said,
tantalizingly.
Then there was struggle, a stided
scream, and smack, smack of lips.
The noise disturbed tipsy Patsy, and he
rose from his bed and opened the door
entering into the hallway. The scuffie
outside continued and there was more
smacking. Presently Alice cried:
sob, Teddy Horley, you're perfectly
horrid, and l don't like you one bit,
there!"
"Now, darlint!" began Teddy.
"Don't darlint me; 1 don't like you.
You are better looking and finer dressed
than Patsy, but he is thousand times
better than you.'
I" Perhaps ye're in airnest," said Ted
dy, little passlonately. ''There's many
thrue work spoken in jest"
"Well, am in earnest. 1 do like
Patsy, and if he'd ask me to marry him
this day, I'd jump at the chance. So
there, now, you have the truth"
Then the door was slammed, and l
heard Teddy walking slowly back into
his mothers room. Presently there
came knock at my door, and when
cried "Come in,'' Patsy's freckled face
appeared on the threshold. spoke to
him kindly and invited him to have a
chair. He sat down, and l saw that
what he had heard had sobered him.
After moments silence he cleared his
throat and began: II ee.E
"Did ye hear what she said?"
eyes, Patsy" replied.
can do We belaive she names it?"
he continued, eagerly.
" have no doubt of tn
"God bless her swate soul! I'm not
the man for her, an l niver tot she
cared for me. If could only bring me-
self to belaiye it's thrue, I'd be q differ
ent man."
He sat in silence for some time and
then rose to go. When he reached the
door he turned and said:
81 was a bit drunk when l come
home tonight. It's hard work be-
yont here in the tunnel, but sware to
We that afther tonight there'll never a
drap of pwhisky pass my lips"
babe him good night and God speed
in this new-formed resolution, and he
shook my hand warmly. Mrs. Horley
came home and she and Patsy had
supper together. Teddy was out.
took a short walk that evening, and
coming home passed Patsy and Alice
on one of the cross-streets walking
together, arm in arm. did not hear
what they were saying, but felt convinced
Patsy had declared his love and been
made happy with Alice's acknowledge.
ment that the passion was reciprocated.
The next morning Patsy came to my
room before he went to his work. He
seized my hand, and look of supreme
happiness shot from his gray eyes.
I" She seq she'll have me, sor," he
said, "an' we'll be married ez soon ez
l get through work on the tunnel. I'm
happy man, but for wan thing-it's
Teddy. Poor bye, he takes it to heart,
an is not himself at all. God knows
I'm his brother, an would rather lose
me roight hand than bring harm to
him."
"Oh, that will be all right. He'll
get over his disappointment in a few
days." l said, to console him.
81 wish l could think sou he said,
moving toward the door, and these were
the last words ever heard the poor fell
low utter.
PART 1.-THE CATASTROPHE.
Every reader of the Free Press has
heard of the terrible tunnel disaster,
the details of which electrified the whole
country. Teddy and Patsy Horley were
employed in the tunnel as laborers, and
worked side by side in the same relief
The morning of my last interview with
poor Patsy, they went to their work as
usual, and for the first time in their
lives spoke never word of kindly cheer
or brotherly badinage as they walked
swiftly through the streets. The better
to make plain what follows, it will be
necessary to say that the entrance to the
tunnel proper, on the New York side, is
through a circular, perpendicular shaft,
thirty feet in diameter, and about sixty
feet deep. This is a working shaft, the
bottom of which isused for the reception
of waste matter, as it is excavated, and
before it is taken away. Thirty feet be-
low the surface of the ground is an " air
lock-" which is the sole means of COM
munication between the tunnel and the
outer air. 1t is necessary to keep the
air inside the tunnel sufficiently COM
pressed to maintain a pressure of seven
teen pounds to the square inch, and the
&C air lock serves similar purpose to
the lock of canal, equalizing the pres
sure of the air to those passing in or out,
as "a canal lock balances the level of the
water. AS matter of course, there
are two doors, one at each end of this
lock, only one of which can be opened
at once, while the lock itself is fifteen
feet long by six feet and six inches wide,
allowing for the passage, in case of ne
cessity, of thirty men at once.
As they were preparing to go down