Mower County transcript., 1889-10-30


ders from the engine-room where she
stood. Did their presence bode good |
or evilp She must see!
Had she hesitated she would not
have been true to her fathers blood.
To find out what they were doing che
would have to descend the ladders.
She could not take her light7with her
as that would attract attention. For q
moment she felt little doubtful about
being able to take SO perilous a journey
in the dark. but only for q minute.
Opening the small door at the top of
the shaft she saw the first ladder lead-
Ing down into the pit, and grasping
the topmost round with both hands
she began the descent After the Sec
ond step she was in darkness blacker
than night. Round after round she
descended till she reached the first
platform. 1t was small affair; only
a heavy plank nailed between the
buntings. but reaching out she felt the
next ladder, and then the next. On
the fifth platform she stopped and
looked over its edge. About two hum
dred feet below her the small, yellow
fame was visible, moving around now
and then. but too far off to betray any
ones presence. She must 60 farther
down. She had nothing to guide her
but the sense of feeling. The least
slip or the faintest noise would be alike
fatal to her. Cautiously and silently
she felt her way, the water from the
rocks dripping on her, and the rods
from the walking-beam, now far above
her, lunging up and down in their
bearings within reaching distance.
She could almost feel the darkness,
80 heavy it seemed, and the monot-
onous drip-drip of the water was pain
fully distinct. Down, and still down.
till the tenth platform was reached.
Here she made another cautious recon-
noissance. The light was palmer, and
she imagined she saw several dusky
outlines of men moving around; but
she must descend still farther to sec
what they were doing.
She had made the descent many
times before with her father. by the
light Of lamp, and the knowledge
she had gained of the ladders and plat
forms served her now. There were
twenty three ladders in all, each twen-
ty feet long. On the twelfth one was
a broken round. Her calculation was
right, and she passed it safely. When
she reached the fifteenth platform she
stopped again. Looking over its edge
she saw the light was brighter, and it's
glow disclosed the presence of three
men. They were one-two-three, she
counted. platforms below her. Sixty
feet. Nearly to the bottom, but still
she could not make out what they were
doing. She resolved to descend to the
next platform.
The water, which far above was in
drops, now came down in small
streams, and its noise drowned all
other sounds, save the beat of the
plungers in the water cylinders. It
silenced her cautious footsteps, and
she reached the platform without at
tracing their attention. Her heart
was beating quickly with excitement
as she looked down. She was near
enough to see them, and what they
were doing. They were-she could
hardly keep back a cry of alright
one of them had a wrench. and was un-
ccroxuino tho p,,fc f,.o,,, thu half, %l.A
held the guides in which the rods ran!
If they loosened them all it would dis
connect the engine and the pump, and
the rods. with nothing to hold them in
place, would strip the shaft of bunt-
ings and ladders!
The strike! R evenge on the COM
pany! All this flashed through her
mind as she watched them, petrified
with fright The mutterings of their
voices reached her. How many more
bolts to loosen before they would ac-
complish their vile work?
She turned and ran up the ladder.
Gaining the platform she looked down
again. What could she do? Her eyes,
accustomed to the darkness. saw the
wrench steadily at its work, and their
upturned, harsh-looking faces. while
one man held damp above his head
There could not be many more bolts to
take out; she must not stand there aud
see every thing sacrificed to their
malice.
She felt the hard beating of her
heart. 1t almost suffocated her. Her
breath came fast. Then, with strength
augmented by despair, she showed
against the ladder below her. 1t
moved, balanced, and slowly, gather
ing speed as it circled over, fell, crash
ing, crashing-snd she closed her eyes
down into the midst of them! There
was wild cry from the men; the sound
of the falling ladder echoed and
re-echoed against the solid walls of
the shaft until 1T died away. The
water was still dripping. and the rods
were lunging UP and down, but no
sound came from below, save from the
plungers.
Up, now, up! ladder after ladder.