Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-06-07
BURIED IN A MINE.

TIA, I ever down in a coal miner Yes,
,.s will tell you the story.
~ IS,d some friends living in the coal
'.I,c region of Pennsylvania. and
D' induced to pay them visit. While
,'.,I was asked to descend into one of
most famous mines and see how the
"a black fuel which affords us such
~,sml sensations on cold winter night
ssorcc,red from the bowels of the earth.
yow have a strong natural desire to
.ssrerything new and strange; but then
LAM also very cautious, and do not care
amt my life in peril merely to crafty
NJ curiosity, so hesitated and reelected
,Gne before answered:
81 should like to see the miners at
rors il it could be done without risk Of
He'
A uretty bright blue eyed young lady
rho was present, and to whom | had
,tpu A great fancy. burst out with ii
ringing laugh.
Surely you are not afraid, Mr.. Ma
oIes;" she exclaimed. with mischievous
tviukle Of her blue eyes that did more to
uue me on than the arguments of all
bpr relations could have done in d month";
for no man likes to be thought u coward
in tIe presence of beauty
a certainly would not like to be con
ddered afraid, Miss Stuart. merely be-
cause have repelling sense of dan
Nrl" replied Surely you do not think
necessary for man to be fooIhardy in
order to prove that he is not a poltroon?
believe every one is in some degree
afraid when he sees danger. but some
people are gifted with the faculty of see
hg danger where others do not.
"And sometimes where it does not
exist
ut may be-"
AMI you possess that gift largely
she laughed
Nay, Miss Stuart; you hardly do me
Justice at least claim to be reason
able In the case of mining coal, neither
you nor any one else who is familiar
With past occurrences in the mines can
nuthfully declare that there is not all
The lime danger down in those dark and
awful depths, and that every one who
tecends thither, be it for minute or a
month, carries his life in his hands"
well at least am not afraid" she
njolned somewhat boastingly: land !
have been down there as many times as
lam years old. "
"A matter of nineteenp" l observed
Exactly nineteen" she smiled
We'll, then, make it twenty, and
will accompany you" said.
Agreed, was her proud response.
The instant she said this | experienced
a strange sensation, like a presentiment
Of evil, and would gladly have had my
promise unspoken But it was too late
'or me to think of changing my declara-
lion, even had the danger been thou
sand times more apparent, for | am one
Of those stubbornly firm individuals who
Always live up to my given word, let the
cohsequences be what they may; and so
we prepared ourselves, and went down
INTO the mine--a party of four of us
Two gentlemen besides myself, and the
aly have mentioned.
Inc descent for the first two hundred
lee' was In large bucket, lowered by
Slndlass; and do not think that any
one Tor the first time ever yet took that
plunge INTO the awful abyss of darkness
ana mystery without an inward shrink
as AKIN to horror, however careless and
indifferent may have been his outward
assumption.
ohe OF our party who was connected
WIN the mines and was to act as our
su'ue on the present occasion. carried a
uaVy lamp fastened to his cap, and by
ms feeble light we could dimly see each
O''efs faces and the black, damp walls
N"cil surrounded us as down, down,
s'er down, we kept sinking deeper and
WIPER INTO the bowels of the black pit,
well showing that the slightest accident
usht land us suddenly on the shores Of
eternity.
'"e TWO gentlemen and myself looked
save as became the place and the oc-
VISION but pretty Sibyl Stuart was full
YAK ana animation. rafting on from
O'e tiilng to another never seeming to
,a 'or reply, but apparently satisfied
" near The sound of her own voice Was
sue really Needless of any possible dan
s sa' Ut was this light chatter done to
o oo'u serious fancies and misgivings? D.,
SOuiu not believe the words came from a
e"'' as light and free as they seemed to
represent.
u uachIns our first landing, we began
H w.; exploration through long, dark gal
bA Where every here and there a
w Way prop supported the rocky roof,
"n the thin layer of foundation sup
p pe' In turn in the same manner, still
NV" US tier on tier, so that the yield
So h y, any weak spot far down in those
n ',u' uepths might precipitate thousands
ans fuare feet into one shapeless mass
~" S oury us forever from human sight.
NJ. s'ul as there was no more danger APP
an. n'iy OF this occurring now than at
,Ls ''n'e within the past twenty years,
''>'e was no good reason for my taking
tho, SUBJECT into consideration, except
broso VI my being still haunted by that
spoken. "
lus IL guide led the way to some NOV
in H. ashts which we could see sparkling
fonns s profound darkness, and we soon
shat, ourselves at the top of another
drod "nere another descent of hun
afte, a'iu ilfty feet was made in bucket;
iDo W. which followed some rough climb
ana V y, rocks and assures, with here
prora mere descent by ladders, which
I'm ~, ' Doth precarious and tiresome,
who, 'aSt we stood upon ledge from
hundred Scei still below us we