River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-10-31

often enough with him to know how TO
attend to his duties"
To be sure; if he's willin'. am"
he said. taking up his pail. There's
nothin' special only to keep her well
lied.
IN do that"
IF you don't they can't blame me.
I've always attended to my part. and
oh, well. goodnight" and he banged
the door behind him. and Alice was
alone.
AlOnei With twelve weary hours
ahead of her, and the pu6-puG-puf
OF the steam at regular intervals out
side, and the p0and-pOlHd-p pound of
the cog-wheels. meshing into each
other. inside, as her only companyl
She took up the Oil-ean and went
around the engine. with the lamp in
her hand. oiling every part until she
came to the walking-beam which car
ried the rods to the water-cylinders at
the bottom of the shaft. Itcame quite
| close TO her. and then, with a savage
grind. disappeared in the darkness,
only to come back again. bringing
with it the cold. damp air from the
| shaft, and a volume of water viii CHI
she could hear rushing and roaring
/ outside Back and forth it moved,
approaching till it almost touched her
dress, and then disappearing; but re-
mOrselessly the engine drove it on.
with its steady pu6-puf-puf, and
| -p0uHd-pOUHd. until Alice
grew weary of watching and listening.
Setting down her lamp. she walked to
the greasy. high backed chair and
watched the ceaseless revolutions of
the fly-wheel.
The steam whispered TO her in the
cylinder and through the pipes at each
successive stroke, and the water
| rOared outside. making the night dis
/ mai and dreary, but Alice was bravo
aud determined, though once she
climbed to the high window and looked
/ out across the waste land to see if
there was a light burning at home
She did not see any; it must be late
What, eleven o'clock she had been
! there nearly five hours. It was time
to oil the engine again. and with it the
bearings and pins on the walking
beam.
She had left her lamp standing on
the stone foundation out by the shaft.
and by its dim light she oiled the
guides and liuk-pin. With the can in
her hand she approached the walking
beam, going and coming on its long
sweep. To oil the pins she would
have TO jump on it, A misstep would
be fatal; it worked closely between
the two walls OF stone. pausing at the
end Ot each stroke before beginning
another. As it passed her, going one
way. she saw the round hole in its
frame frightened by use. and fastened
her eYes on it. Quickly, as she had
often seen her father do. she sprang
forward; her foot landed lightly
in it. and her hand clutched the
/ angle in the iron above. Then
the walking-beam started the other
way, carryiuging her on its resistlcss
course. Out-out-out it went. till
she hung over the yawning pit and
heard the water dripping on the rocks
below; now back on its long, circular
sweep. Out once more. deity pour
ing oil on the massive journals. hang
ing there as it stopped before going
back.
One. two. three seconds. it seemed.
as she hung there, till it moved again.
She looked down into the darkness be-
low. clinging tightly to the greasy
iron. a quick. startled glance into the
depths, blacker than night. but "A
small, yellow flame. far down. caught
her eyes
The walking-beam gave its accus-
toned jerk; back she cane, her heart
beating quickly. and jumped to the
stone where her lamp was placed.
Who was down the shaft?
The shaft had long been abandoned.
and was only used to pump the water
from new workings on higher ground.
/ Whoever was down there had come in
that way, Alice knew. as there was no
other way to go down but on the lad
ders from the engine-rOOm where she
stood. Did their presence bOde good
or evil? She must see!
Had she hesitated she would not
have been true to her fathers blood.
To find out what they were doing she
would have to descend the ladders.
She could not take er light with her
as that would attract attention. For a
moment she felt little doubtful about
being able to take so perilOus a journey
in the dark, but only for a minute.
/ Opening the small door at the top of
eshaft 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. ID was a 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 hun
I dred feet below her the small. yellow
/ flame was visible, moving around now
4 and then. hut too far off tC betray any
ones presence. She must go farther
down She had nothing to guide her
I but the sense of feeling. The least
/ slip or the faintest noise would be alike
/ fatal 10 her. Cautiously and silently
/ she felt her way, the yater from the
rocks dripping on her, and the rods
| from the walking-beam. low far above
/ her, lunging up and down in their
bearings within reaching distance.
She could almost feel the darkness.
so heavy it seemed. and the monot-
onous drip-drip Of the water was pain
I fully distinct. Down. and still down.
till the tenth platform was reached.
/ Here she made another cautious recon-
noissauce. The light was palmer. and
she imagined she saw several dusky
outlines of men moving around; but
she must descend still farther to see
what they were doing.
She had made the descent many
times before with her father. by the
light Of a lamp, and the knowledge
she had gained Of the ladders and plat
forms served her now. There were
t 4.