Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-07-11


were coming, he went down the ladder.
His hand trembled as he lit the candle,
and even its feeble ray failed to Heassure
him. for it only served to render visible
hooks and erannies in the rock that were
friChtful possibilities of demons and ban
shoes. Then he sat down on rock and
felt for the talismanic paper in his bosom
which was warranted an infallible charm
against all dangers. Holding his candle
above his head, and peering into the dark
ness, he began his search. A bat flew down
and nut out his candle No sooner had he
!, lit the candle again than jumping-otf
place appeared magically beneath his feet,
and he sat down pale and faint. The can
die was half consumed before he found a
likely place for diamonds. After, digging
for some time, and rejecting several speci-
mems. he found one which delighted him.
It was as large as pigeons egg, somewhat
rough and encrusted on parts of the outside
put showing like pure crystal in Others.
Wrapping it carefully in his handkerchief
Mickey started up the ladder. The ladder
was slippery, and as he had to carry the
shovel he found the climbing difficult.
When he was halfway up he stopped and
| felt in his pocket to be sure that his dia-
mond was there.
When he reached the top he was exul-
tant, and stood on the ladder humming to
himself:
Digging dusky diamons underneath the ground.
He raised his hand TO throw the shovel
out upon the grass, when his foot slipped,
He made
CLUTCH AT THE CLAMMY ROCK,
but il was in vain, and the boy went down
the shaft as the shovel dropped softly in
the grass.
A half an hour later Mickey came to
with dislocated ankle He suffered but
little main. however, when he remained
quiet. While lying there in the heart OF
the mountains he could hear the snoring
of tugs and the warning ferry-boat bell IN
the creek below. Listening to thesesounds
he fell into fitful slumber.
In the morning, when the gray mist was
beginning to lift off the marsh near the
lighthouse, a flock of crows lit on the wall
around the mouth OF the shaft. From the
neck of one crow hung little bell. The
crow walked gravoly around the wall, shy
ing when the bell tinkled, and evidently
inquiriug of one another what object their
black brother had in carrying such a thing
around. when there came up through the
shaft the cry:
"Jackr'
When the word was repeated Jack was
the only crow on the wall, for the Others
had flown to the top of u tall pine tree near
BY. Jack cooked his head on one side and
looked down into the blackness OF the hole.
He seemed to recognize the voice. for ne
Jumped down on the first round of the lad
der, hesitated, and then flew out and away
TO Join the other crows on the tree top |
There was flutter among the crows q loud
cawing, as though those grave judges were
settling some great question. Inc sun
was coming up from among the Berkshire
hills now, and the light penetrated almost
to the bottom of the shaft. Again the bell
tinkled, and the invitation came from the
bottom of the well. The crow dropped
down the ladder one round at time, and
at last stood upon MickCy's breast. He
uttered his pleasure i'll hoarse cultural
croaks as Mickey careSsed him. The dia-
mond seeker took from his pocket the pa
per in which the candle had been wrapped
and wrote upon it in trembling characters
these words
Mother, l am in the quarry hole-cum fur me-
Carefully folding the message, he pinned |
it around the clapper of the bell. The
crow did not want to leave him. Seven |
times Mickey folded his wings close to his
body and threw him up into the shaft, and
each time he auttered back and was caress-
ed and the operation repeated. But the |
eighth time the black messenger flew out |
into the sunshine and across the fields into
the open window Of the Finn shanty.
MRS. FINN HAD SLEPT VERY LITTLE
on the previous night Her boy had gone
away without eating his supper, and she
had lain awake listening for his returning
footsteps The tides of her emotion were
conflicting. Sometimes she anticipated
with fierce delight the pleasure she would
have in whipping him. But what If he
never came back to lie whipped? Perhaps
she had washed him too clean the previous
evening! Then she thought of him as a
blue-eyed, Yellow haired baby, that de-
lighted in eating coal and "scrapin' out
the molasses pail" His remarkable pro-
gress as a student also occurred to her.
How he had mastered the intTicacies of the
alphabet and the more abstruSe problems
in the brief biographies of cats and dogs.
Indeed, he wa: a brave lad; there was none
other on Coney Island like him.
When the crow flew into the window
there was far-away, retrospective look in
Mrs. Firms eyes and her lashes were wet.
But she knew her boy would come back.
He couldn't stay away from his mother. In
the full assurance of this belief Mrs. Finn
has laid napkin on one corner OF the table
and had had set out all those dainties of
which she knew he was fond. There was a
little dish of blackberry jam and two boiled .
eggs, cup of goat milk, and little lump !
of butter, which Mrs. Finn had deity |
fashioned into miniature cOcanut. The
crow was hungry. Flying upon the table,
with his bill and began to eat it. With an
exclamation of horror at the sacrilege of
the crow, Mrs. Finn seized him.
''We'n see did the schoolmaster tell lies
laist night whin he said ye'd be flynn till
We were dead if We had red ribbon tied t
ye."
Holding him down in her lap Mrs. Finn
took the red ribbon from the window casing
where Mickey had hung it on the previous
evening. Tying it ;ecurely to the crows
tail, she dropped him upon the floor. he
ran out into the yard. Fluttering out he
hind him, q thin, red streamer, came the
ribbon. He few on the fence and the rib
bon fell in graceful curves around him rs
he Shrank away from its awful touch. If
ever crows wings did lifting they did it
that morning.
HIS CROAH OF TERROR CAME
n muffled down tones as he rose In the air
above the shanty. Upward he rose, and
ever circling around and ever threatening
him with its snake-like suggestions came
the ribbon. Mrs. Finn shaded her eyes
with her hand and watched him struggle
upward until he appeared but dim, black
speck against the blue. The speck began
| TO grow larger. The crow was coming
down. Still his red pursuer trailed behind !
him, streaming out as if in mockery of his
mad efforts, and again curling around him
when he stopped in his mad flight as if try