The Brookhaven leader., 1883-08-30

Inc men NJ the northern emu are
working toward him, deepening the
cutting in his direction. and while he
PAGES back and forth a dozen or more
of the workmen are rapidly extending
their work toward that part of the ex-
cavation.
BE careful how you jump round
there" he calls sharply to some men
| on the surface who are hosting up the
earth removed by the shovels of the la
| borers below: them banks amt none
too strong. You know. Johnson" he
saws to one of the men who are peer
| ing down at him from above, ''set some
one to moving the dirt further from the
edge along there; and be mighty quick
about il, too
lit is too hot to hurry grumble
some of the men at the top as johnson
tells them of Gaskell's orders.
But if it is hot up there, where the
breeze is blowing. it is far worse down
where Gaskcll and the others are. 1t
is not very light there, and the air is
close and heavy. Some of the younger
men are complaining Of the heat in no
gentle tones.
That's no good" SAYS Gaskell to
go to work. 1t amt a-going to be no
cooler for all your cussing."
IAN you're right there. Muster Gas
kell, comments a brawny Irishman
near; '.it's not swearin' that'll cool the
air for Mike, and it's like to make it
dale hotter for him in the next worruld,
or else Father Casey's liar.
There is laugh at this, and Mikes
grumblings and curses are silenced for
a time.
its time Mahaffey was back" Gas
kell is beginning, when a handful of
sand and gravel falls close to him.
Mind what you're about up there"
he calls, but as he looks up he sees
there is no one near the edge, and just
then larger handful of earth falls on
the other side of him. He turns to see
from whence it has fallen, and all the
color in his cheek leaves it instantly,
for all along on the western wall of the
cutting, where he had declared boards
should be placed. pebbles are falling
and the loose sand is sliding down.
Gaskell well knows what all this
means.
snake for the ladders, men, he calls.
"And quick, too" he adds, hurriedly.
Some of the men have already pushed
their work beyond him, and these are
between him and the nearest ladder.
Almost as soon as Gaskell, they per-
ceive the danger, and, dropping their
tools, they hurry toward the ladder,
hustling and beating each other in their
mad haste. These will save them
selves, Caskell thinks; but what of the
others?
Hurry, men! hurry!' he calls sharp
", and swiftly the men, their faces
blanched with fear, fly past him.
And now the sand is sliding down
rapidly, and the cutting is shallower by
foot or more in the half minute since
Gaskell gave the alarm, and still the
men are running past and are crowding
about the foot OF the ladder nearest, too
much crazed by terror to hasten to the
ladders beyond, where they might be
| safe. From where he stands Gaskell
looks at the throng.
Pretty poor chance for me-, he
says to himself; and just then the sand
stops sliding, and for moment the rat
Ting of pebbles stops.
"A false alarm, may be-" Gaskell
says, half aloud.
The men are nearly all up the ladder
by this time, and Gaskell himself is
moving toward it as the last laborer
comes near him. He is an old man,
! too old for such work, Gaskell has often
said, and he did not mean to have him
| employed below the surface.
Il didn't know you were here, JIM
he says to the elder man. johnson
should have kept you up there with
him. But you must be mighty quick
now to get out of this
The other scarcely heeds what Gas
kell is saying, but pushes on as fast as his
rheumatic legs will let him, and Gas
kell follows. When they have gone a
few feet further the sand once more be-
gins sliding and the pebbles fall more
rap dly. Frank gives groan as he
| perceives this.
Hurry, JIM" he calls; you are
older than l, so you must go up the lad
der first"
| As they hasten onward over the yield
! ing sand now covering the bottom of
the dark path an abandoned tool, which
| the uncertain feet of the old man have
! strangely missed, is stumbled upon by
Gaskell, who falls heavily.
Hurry, Jim," he calls once more, as
he rises, bruised, and with difficulty;
you'll get there safe"
1t is but a few moments since the
alarm was given, but now the sand is
| falling all about him, and as Frank adj
vances few PAGES from where he fell,
part of the western wall comes down
upon him in one swift, terrible rush.
| Round about him rises the soft yellow
sand. To his knees, to his waist, then
higher to his neck, and the rush is
stayed.
AS Jim painfully tolls up the ladder
and reaches the surface, a dozen voices
call to him:
Where's Mr.. Gaskell?"
down there" answers Jim, point
ing in a bewildered way to the pit from
which he has escaped.
At this the others hasten to the edge,
! Just as the western wall falls, but few
feet to the north of them.
Its all up with poor Mr.. Gaskell, "
say several voices.
mo, it isn't; can see him." some
one says who is peering cautiously over
lest the treacherous earth should give
way at that point also, and then they
hear Franks clear voice:
I'm here, boys. Sorry to give you
another job, but guess you'll have to
dig me out of this; can't get out alone,
you know"
| IaI4 Ill