The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1885-09-05
If not paid in advance, $l.25

"Youmust. The ends fast to crow.
bar. l can't find anybody. They're all
hunting for YOU"
81 can'tp' she cried, piteously.
"Then I'll leave you" shouted
"Its getting late; It's your last
chancer
There was ghastly stiffness for few
moments. Iwound the line around the
bar and around my waist.
Look outP' she screamed. heard
the beam go rafting down, and fear.
ful strain tlghtened the cord. Thought
It would cut me in two. For moment
thought was going over. Happily,
the ridge Of earth was protection. The
rope loUsened.
"Haul easy" she cried ~ can catch
my feet In the sides; the earth is soft.
wound the rope around the bar and
myself. l was in perfect snarl
Suddenly the rope grew loose, there
was no weight. Was she lost? Every.
thing grew black, and knew nothing.
When came to, there were two men
bending over ME, trying to force brandy
in my mouth.
"Where's BessIe9" God be thanked
she answered me herself! She had
climbed up the last few yards by the
broken timbers. The earth was torn up
around me, my hands were raw and
bleeding, and bear the marks of the
rope on my body to this day.
Just then we heard shouting, and
Mr.. Little and Mr.. Gray rode up, and the
latter wasn't ashamed to kiss Bessie Just
as her father did, and before all the
people.
George was up in the lap Of Mr.. Lit
tie, and Smarty lay down at my feet,
worn out. A party of the searchers met
the poor baby and dog, and caught at
the fearful meaning in the baby's inco-
herent words, dashed up to the well, and
found us both on the brink.
They could not believe 1t was l who
had rescued her till they saw my hands
and the rope and the crowbar still firm
in the earth.
Grandpa was there, and kissed me and
cried over me, as If too had been down
the well,
Miss Bessie had lost her way In the
dark after long ride across the plains,
and her horse had stumbled oyer the
planks and fallen through and broken
his spine. Miss Bessie's habit had
caught on projecting beam, and she
clung there two nights and nearly two
days. Yet with all the horrors of her
situation, she was only fifteen feet down.
When Mr.. Little learned that our
ranch was mortgaged, he went to Mr..
Davieson, paid the money. and gave the
farm back to grandfather. He made me
present of sum Of money, and Mr.
Gray gave George like present.
In the two years since that time, our
ranch has come to be one Of the most
! prosperous III the country. We have o
fine herd of cattle, and an immense
poultry-yard, and grandfather hires a
man to help him, while l have a Swede
| girl to work in the house.
Miss Bessie is Mrs Gray now, and still
my best friend. She never rides alone,
and is less daring than she used to be.
! am happy to say no one ever re-
preached grandfather for his careless
ness in leaving the well so poorly pro-
tected. He suffered enough for it, and
it is filed in now.
Though Mrs. Gray never says any
thing, yet think she often mourns for
the noble black horse, who, with shoes
on, saddle and bride, found burial on
the plains-the plains where he had so
often roamed with his fearless young
mistress under the blue Colorado skies,
in the shadow of the Rockies.