The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-05-21

| by the overIiaH-sng foliage. Lac door
stood wire-0i3ea and o great fire Laced
on the hearth. In the full light and
heat sat man. uakernpt and hard
| featured, viii mug of yellow eartlsen-
/ ware in hissas:taa. from which he slipped
occasionally, NJ lie he gazed into the
Goals. Finishing his draught, he emp
tied the few drops which remained in
the bottom On the Goals; they caught in
| Jack Renshaw's life awoke at the SIGHT.
stAre you a moonshiner?a
The man started to his feet and faced
around, surveying the figure on the
| threshold with doubtful scowl Eye
bean't a deputy, be yep
Il am no police officer, but person
who is willing to buy you out at good
/ price, il you are what take you to be-
He drew some money from his pocket
and laid it on the rough slab which did
service as table, rightly judging that
/ this would be the most powerful argu-
/ ment he could offer. The hard lines in
| the other face relaxed, but he was sus-
/ picious still.
s.What do Fou want the place forp''
THAT is my own affair. You wouldn't
believe it if / were TO say that / wanted
my own high wines without adultera-
tioii. ou nave u qudIltiLy % the stuH
on hand, | SUPPOSED Name your price,
if you want to take up my offer.''
s'Will we give in yer gun?o asked the
man, his eyes dropping to the handsome
| fowling- piece which Renshaw carried,
| and in ten minutes after that they had
struck a. bargain.
''Ye've treated me liberal, and I amt
| akin for yer reasons declared the
moonshiner. Its my opinion that a
man hez a right to make little liker if
he wants it-jest as good right to bile
| his corn up inter sweet mash as hominy.
Tain't much of still and there amt
much stock on hand, but yen find all
| the tools down Their in the cellar. It's
a good hole for hidin' if the revenuers
find We out.
He pointed out the trap in the floor,
SO artfully concealed that it might be
readily overlooked, gathered together
some small paraphernalia of his own,
and went out at the door, which Rem
shaw had entered such short time
| since, and the latter was left in posses
sion.
There are many ways of committing
suicide, and it was with the deliberate
intention of drinking himself to death
that Jack Renshaw had driven his bar
gain. He waited awhile to make sure
that the other would not return, then
closed the door and descended through
the trap This led to a narrow passage
which extended for few yards into the
hill, and was terminated by a low door
of rougiily-hewn slabs. 1t was a cave
like aperture in which Jack found HIM
self, furnace and boiler at one end,
some barrels, mostly empty, standing
around, and key which was not emp
ty, balanced across one of these, with
spigot in the end.
Enough for my purpose he NUT
tered, measuring its contents by the
weight. But the fierce craving appe-
tite which had assaulted him at sight of
the moonshiner's mug had departed.
Some sense of his own degradation in
sleeping body and soul in such a spell
of oblivion IS this he contemplated, with
held him from beginning what he in
tended TO be his last orgie. And while
he hesitated, a swifter agent of death
was racing close on his track.
The bright blaze of his campfire had
crept among tie dry grass and fallen
sticks, had caught the underground,
and from that gathered force until it
rose III great columns over the tree-tops
The woods were like finder, and the
showers of sparks that were driven be-
foge the wind fell to spring up in. "a hum
dred new tongues of flames.
Had he been in the cabin, ignorant of
the underground refuge, there would
have been no time for escape. As he
was. Jack found his breathing oppress-
ed; he gasped in the close sultriness,
and flung open the door, to be met by
rush OF overpowering heat, great puffs
of dense smoke, and to hear the fierce
cracking of the flames overhead. He
closed the door again, and staggered
back to the furthest-corner, to fall half
.senseless on his face, and clenehed his
hands in arc:1v us the heat grew more
intense Oh, for water now! What
was tic fierce liquor within his reach
worth compared to the smallest swallow
of water2 Tie agony seemed to have
lasted for hours when sullen crash
penetrated To the spot where he lay; the
very earth about him was shaken,
dust of hot ashes filled the atmosphere,
and with wild fear of being buried
where he lay, he became insensible.
How Icing it was before consciousness
returned he had no means of knowing.
Complete darkness surrounded him, but
the load witch had oppressed his chest
was ligl4ened. The ovenlike heat had
abated, and the slight sounds which had
penetrated to him during the burning
uitd SibOpStitS1 SCfscO0s }ssszs
He rallied at last, and tried to find
light by means of the matches he had in
his pocket, but they had charred in the
metal box. 1t was some time before he
could make OUT just what had happen
ed-that, as the cabin was consumed
the rude stone chimney had fallen into
the underground passage, bursting open
the door and half-filling the chamber
with smoking debris
The thought of suicide was driven far
from Jack now. Menaced first by fire,
and now by slow starvation, life took
upon itself bright colors for life's own
sake He shuddered as if just awaken
ed from some horrible dream.
1t is impossible to tell all he endured
as he set about the work which lay be-
fore him. of digging his way from that
close marrow cavern to the breadth and
light and freedom of the outer world.
He had no better tool than the broken
stave of barrel and he was suffering
at the outset from intelerable thirst;
but little drops of dampness penetrated
the sides of his tunnel, little by little
gathered in the hollows he seooped out;
his clothing took up the moisture, and
his fevered skin drank of it.
With that great want appeased. came
the pangs of hunger, which he had no
means of allaying. but through all he
never went near the moonshiner's key.
II J.Y1~ Il 1xx