The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1883-02-03

in ten for life, when he crawled into the
blackness of the walled up pit to save
his fellow-workmen, that he had deliber-
ately taken the risk. Father Ryan said
something to the foreman, carefully
lowering his voice, that Honor might not /
hear of .sfre-damp."
$50 told the boy, your reverence.
But he was determined to go. could |
not stop him"
There was nothing for us to do but to
wait. The men were In the heart<of the
hill, which rose before Us in the warm
sunshine, with the black seams -yawning
through the grass and weeds. 1t was
impossible now to reach them. If alive
they were doubtless struggling through
the back passages of the mine toward
! the outlet which Teddy had found.
Every man of the crowd believed the
boy to be mistaken. It was not likely
that such an opening could exist, and no
miner ever have discovered it. But no
body had the heart to hint doubt with
| Honor and the wives and mothers OF the
buried men to hear it. So the crowd witt
ed; whispering to each other, listening
| in silence for some sound from within, -
cry,-a mufaed knocking which
should show that the buried men still
lived. As long as there was chance OF
their escape by any back passage, how
ever slight, the men feared to begin work
on the heap of fallen slate at the mouth
of the pit. as any concussion might bring
down masses of earth from the room OF
the chambers, already loosened by the
explosion.
Honor came up to the Methodist pir-
son. "How long will it take Teddy to
bring them out, sir ?"
The good old man avoided ber eye.
THAT depends on-well, really, don't
know where the passage is. Now, my
poor soul, let us trust In God. He will
take care of Teddy in the pit just as we'll
as if he were here beside you.
But want him beside me, sir. The
Lords always left Teddy to me to take
care Of want him, sir. l want my
! little by"
MIR. Knox began to speak, but his
voice failed He shook his head and
: turned away. I saw that he had but lit
tie hope.
At that moment a dull rumbling was
: heard. Every man looked at his neigh
q bors. One of the miners, muttered fire
E damp" which is another name for death
in these pits; but the others were silent
4
a heavy crash. There had been another
: explosion, and the roof of the main cham
Der had probably fallen. Shrieks of des
. pair went up from the women.
'.[ts all over p said Father Ryan.
: .'Look at him r cried Honor, wildly
. pointing down the road. "Me by Ted
dy!'
o There, coming up the road, black a'
2 negroes, were the nine men, every one
4 of them .alive and shouting, Teddy lead
ing the van. They had reached the
. mouth of the opening and had dragged
i each other through, and had time to come
down from Pressley's hills before thu
4 second explosion.
!. There was town-meeting that night
,' It was gathering which would seen
q queer and old-fashioned enough. now
4 adays. There was O great table set II
f the town hall, ard every housewife sen
= something to be eaten, from Mrs. Judg,
= Larkin's frosted cake, to poor Honor
: loaf of bread; and rich and poor came
: the miners and their wives in their Sun
% daysclothes, to shake hands and reioic'
together. The Methodist and Presby
/ terian clergymen offered prayer, ant
+ Father Ryan and Judge Larkin mad
speeches, and there was plenty of joke
+ and laughing and kindly feeling. Blu
4 most of the glory of the occasion fell t.
Teddy's share. In his speech welcom
ing the company, Judge Larkin men
~ toned him as boy worth nothing in
IS shop, or school, and onl.
:, y showing ability in a mine by getting on
!, of it. He proposed, therefore. that
subscription be raised in the tcwn, t.
~ enable Teddy to follow his vocation G
+ naturalist, to which he had SO evidentl
. been called. There was great deal G
,r cheering, and large collection we
!. taken up. But I suspect that the judg
himself took Teddy's fortunes IN ham
- after that, for the collection would onl.
= keep him at school for year or two
= But after school he worked his wa
q q through college, coming home ever
= vacation. The whole town was proud c
y = him, and so am 7, for Teddy is now
. respected and most enthusiastic profes
u for of mineralogy and botany in larg
y western college.