The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-03-11

right mind. was among green fields
and woods, L was gathering flowers, L
was cilmolng mountains; and from these
visions L awoke always TO darkness
darkness above, around. darkness below,
hiding the abyss that hnnpered greedlly
for my life. And no friendly face, no
voice, no football near Not a step.
through all these slow. slow hours. III
passing peasant, through the day, had
heard the lonely cry rising from the
depths, he had set It down TO ghost or
plxy, and had passed on his frightened
way regardless.
And now the night was wearing on,
and no rescue. / could not live till
morning. knew that.
My mind wandered again. My mother
waited for me, / must hurry home; but 1
was bound by chain, in outer darkness,
and l was going to die. There was no
Christian In all the land to succor me--1
was forgotten and forsaken, left IN the
pit-and | would unclasp my hands, and
fall and die.
No, I would call again once more.
Help! help! Mercy! helpI"
As my fainting voice died in the dark
depth, and quivered up to the gllmmer-
ing sky. L felt hope die with it. and J
gave up all thought of life. | tnrne9
my eyes towards my grave below, ana
murmured with parchcd lips:
Out of the depths have / cried unto
Thee, O Lordr'
The little rill that had saved my HE
hitherto trickled on, and its sliYery
murmur. as it dropped on the rock pc
low. was the sole sound that broke the
deathly silence around me.
My prayer was over, and had not re-
linquished my hold. ] was stronger
than had deemed myself. would cry
out again, Help helpl helpT
stopped. 1 listened Apund was
floating ON the wind. Compg, gong,
joining the drip, drip, dip . the nil
then dying. then retaining Aas'ehi l, g
with my whole bej1S, L recognized the
sound.
Bells-churcl bells-chimes ringing in
the New Year 80 God, have mercy on
me- have mercy on me!
BELLS ringing In the New Near-bells
Ginning in the ears of friends. telling OF
sadness and of hope-bells clashiug In at
merry intervals, between music and
laughter, loving greetings, kisses and
VIII no one in my fathers house take
ritv on me? Am 7 missed nowhere
The bells chime for feastlng and glad
ness. and am Lere hanging between
life and death. The jaws of the grave
are beneath me. my joints are broken
and the bells chime on. Would 1t not bC
a GOOD deed ON this New Years Day &c
save me? O feasters and jewellers, hem
mel
"Helpl helpl 1t is Christmas time
Help. for Christ's sake, good people'
The bells float nearer and drown the
dripof the trucking water; and ] cry,
"Helpl helpl" saying, Now viii l call
till die" A film grows over my eyes,
but my voice Is strong and desperate, as
L shout. christmas tidel For Christ's
sake, help. good Christians!
A great light-a flash Of tirel For q
moment 1 deem it death; then, gazing
upward. L see, amid glare of torches
faces-oh, they were angels to mel
eager faces peering downward. And
close by me swings a torch, let down
into the depths; its light falls on my
haggard face-a great shout rends the
night sky.
"He is herei-he is safei-he livesw
I cannot speak. though my lips move
and my heart stands still rs l see one
two. three daring men swing themselves
over the abyss-miners, used to danger
and in n moment stout arms are around
me. and 1 am borne upward, carried
gently like a child, placed an instant OF
my feet. and then laid down tenderly on
the heath. I am so weary, and faint, and
worn, that 1 lie with closed eyes, never
striving to say word of thanks.
go not so near the briIIS, madam,
entreatp' ] heard voice = sharply
Then 1 open my aching IL Ietween
me and the shaft there Is white
figure; between me and ~ sky there
bends white face. and tears fall down
upon my brow fast and warm. 1t was
my betrothed, tIorlan. But even when
she stole her little hand into mine-mine
so cramped aud numbed that it gave nc
response to her tenderness-and even
when she stopped and pressed her lips
upon my check, I could not breathe a
word to thank her.
Yet Florian, dear wife, let me tell thee
now, that from the depths of my happy
heart there rose n hymn of JOY, and /
understood from that moment that thou
vert mine, and 1 owed my life to thy
love.
Then thy sweet lips breathed words
that fell upon my soul like mamma
words of tenderness and pity that made
the torture of those 81 ow hours in the
pit fade away, so Nigh tv did this reward
seem for my sufferings.
was carried to Trevesy. and as the
men bore me along, you walking by my
side, 1 heard them tell the tale of my
servants fright when my horse returned
home alone, and how they came to yolu
father for tidings of me. Then they
whispered of the painful search through
the day and night-the tracking of my
horses hoofs upon the snow. and the
story OF the scared peasant, who all nigh
long had heard the cry OF tortured
ghosts issuing from the earth. And TIN
story seized upon my Flonan's hear
with deadly fear. and turning back upol
the black moor. she tracked the hoof
marks till they stopped upon tn,
brink of the old, forgotten shaft, tn
shaft of the worked-out mine, wei
named the Great Wheal Mercy.
There was l found and saved by he
I had loved so long. And, dearest, as
slowly came back TO life on that Ney
Years morning. aud family whispered {
you OF my long IoNc, my I.'-io 9iieiiN
my pent-up sorrow, you, IN Your grea
pity, thinking of my sufferings in tn
shafts, poured out all your maiden heart
And your loving words, my Florian
we're sweeter to me than even the trick
ling spring had been in Great Wines
! Mercy.
So in a month you were my wife, an
now sit by n happy hearth; and iooiSin
| down on the bright faces OF wife an
child, [ thank God for that crownin
mercy, thy love, dear one, which save
me ON New Years Day from dreadf'
death in the shaft of Great Wheal Mere,
An Electric Fire TelI-TaIe.