The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1881-03-10

ANA WOODS, L was Ratner1ng mowers, l.
was climbing mountains; and from these
visions I awoke always to darkness
darkness above, around, darkness below,
hiding the abyss that hungered greedily
for my life. And no friendly face, no
through all these slow, slow hours. If
passing peasant, through the day, had
heard the lonely cry rising from the
depths, he had set it down to ghost or
pixy, 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.
Ny mind wandered again. My mother
waited for me, 1 must hurry home; but I
was bound by a chain, in outer darkness,
and I was going to die. There was no
| Christian in all the land to succor me-
was forgotten and forsaken, left in the
pit-and I would unclasp my hands, and
fall and die.
No, I would call again once more.
"Help! helpl Mercy! helpl"
As my fainting voice died in the dark
depth, and quivered up to the glimmer-
ing sky. 1 felt hope die with it. and ]
gave up all thought of life. / turned
my eyes towards my grave below, and
murmured with parchcd lips:
."Out of the depths have 1 cried unto
Thee, o Lord!"
The little rill that had saved my life
hitherto trickled on, and its silvery
murmur. as it dropped on the rock be-
low, was the sole sound that broke the
deathly silence around me.
My prayer was over, and | had not re-
lnquished my hold. I was stronger
1 H. III - ---0f r,1,,l1 ad-,
out again, "Helpt helpI help!"
floating ON the wind. Coming, going,
joining the drip, drip, drip of the rill-
then dying, then returning. Listening
with my whole being, 1 recognized the
sound.
Bells-church b~ells-chimes ringing in
the New Year. 80 God, have mercy on
me! have mercy III mel"
Bells ringing in the New Year-bells
Ginning in the ears of friends, telling OF
sadness and of hope-bells clashing in at
merry intervals, between music and
laughter, loving greetings, kisses and
joy.
VIII no n in my fathers house take
pity on me? Am / missed nowhere ?
The bells chime for feasting and glad
ness; and / am Eere hanging between
life and death. The jaws of the grave
are beneath me, my joints are broken
and the bells chime on. Would it not be
a good deed on this New Years Day to
save me? o feasters and jewellers, hear
mel
"Help! help! It is Christmas time!
Help, for Christs sake, good peoplel'
The bells float nearer and drown the
drip of the trickling water; and I cry,
"Helpl helpl" saying, "Now will I call
till I die" film grows over my eyes,
but my voice is strong and desperate, as
I shout, christmas tidel For Christ's
sake, help, good ChristiansY
A great light@a fash of firel For q
moment 1 deem it death; then, gazing
upward. I see, amid a 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 here!-he is safel-he livesl"
I cannot speak, though my lips move
and my heart stands still as 1 see one
two, three daring men swing Themselves
over the abyss-miners, used to dnngei
>, and in q moment stout arms are AROUND
me, uUu l. du1 DOIi0 uDNdTu, CiI1ltt
gently like n child, placed IN instant o.
my feet, and then laid down tenderly OF
the heath. I am so weary, and faint, anc
worn, that I lie with closed eyes, neve.
striving to say q word Of thanks.
$50 not SO near the brink, madam,
entreat!' I heard n voice cry sharply
Then Iopen my aching lids, and between
me and the shaft there kneels a whit
figure; between me and the sky ther
bends q white face, and tears fall dow
upon my brow fast and warm. 1t wa
my betrothcd, klorian. But even whel
she stole her little hand into mine-min,
so clIlmped md numbed that it gave n
response to her tenderness-and eve
when she stopped and pressed her lip
, upon my cheek, 1 could not breathe
word to thank her.
Yet Florian, dear wife, let me tell the,
now, that from the depths of my happ,
, heart there rose a hymn of Joy, and
understood IRON that moment that tho
vert mine, and I owed my life to til,
love.
Then thy sweet lips breathedr word
that fell upon my soul like mamma
words of tenderness and pity that made
the torture of those slow hours in tn
/ pit fade away, SO nigh ty did this rewar
seem for my su~fferings.
I was carried to Trevesy, and as tn
men bore me along, you walking by IN
side, I heard them tell the tale of m
, servants fright when my horse returne
, home alone, and how they came to you
!, father for tidings of me. Then the
|, whispered of the painful search through
the day and night-the tracking of m,
' horses hoofs upon the snow. and th
story of the scared peasant, who all nigl
! long had heard the cry of torture
' ghosts issuing from the earth. And tn
story seized upon my Florian's hea,
with deadly fear, and turning back upo
|. the black moor. she tracked the. hoo
T marks till they stopped upon I'll
: brink of the old, forgotten shaft, tt
> shaft of the worked-out mine, we
. named the Great Wheal Mercy.
. There was I found and saved by h
= I had loved so long. And, dearest, as
NJ slowly came back to life on that Ne
y Years morning, and family whispered
V you of my long love, my patient silene
4 my pent-up sorrow, you. in your gre
q pity, thinking of my sufferings in I'll
4 shafts, poured out all your maiden hear
7 And your loving words, my Florial
were sweeter to me than even the trio
n ling spring had been in Great Whe
v Mercy.
So in q month you were my wife, an
h now I sit by a happy hearth; and lookir
~ down on the bright faces of wife al
m child, I thank God for that crownir
a mercy, thy love, dear one, which say
me on New Years Day from a dreadf
=, death in the shaft of Great Wheal Nero
r