Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-07-06
BURIED IN A MINE.

Was l ever down in coal mine? Yes, once. l will tell you the story.
 had some friends living in the coal mining region of Pennsylvania. and l was induced to pay them visit. While there l was asked to descend into one of the most famous mines and see how the hard, black fuel which affords us such grateful sensations on cold winter night is procured from the bowels of the earth.
 Now have a strong natural desire to see everything new and strange: but then l am also very cautious, and do not care to put my life in peril merely to gratify my curiosity. so hesitated and reflected little before l answered.:
 Il should like to see the miners at work, if it could be done without risk of life"
 A pretty, bright blue eyed young lady who was present, and to whom had taken a great fancy, burst out with ringing laugh.
 Surely you are not afraid, Mir. Ma ples?" she exclaimed, with mischievous twinkle of her blue eyes that did more to urge me on than the arguments of all her relations could have done in a month, for no man likes to be thought coward in the presence of beauty.
 T certainly would not like to be con- sidered afraid, Miss Stuart, merely be- cause l have repelling sense of dan geri' l replied Surely you do not think it necessary for a man to be foolhardy in order to prove that he is not poltroon? 1 believe every one is in some degree afraid when he sees danger, but some people are gifted with the faculty of see ing danger where others do not
 And sometimes where it does not exist"
 "It may be-"
 And you possess that gift largely" she laughed.
 Nay, Miss Stuart; you hardly do me justice. l at least claim to be reason able In the case of mining coal. neither you n0r any one else who is familiar with past occurrences in the mines can truthfully declare that there is not all the tune danger down in those dark and awful depths and that every one who dcscends tlither be it for minute or a month. carries his life in his hands,"
 Well al laast am not afraid" she rejoined. somewhat boastingly; "and l have been down there as many times as am years old
 "A matter of nineteen?" I observed.
 Exactly nineteen. she smiled We'll then, make it twenty, and will accompany you, said
 'A5rped,' was her proud response.
 The instant she said this experienced q strange sensation, like presentiment of evil. and would gladly have had my promise Unspoken. But 1t was too late for me to think of changing my declara- tion even had tine danger been a thou sand times more apparent. for am one of those stubbornly firm individuals who always five up to my given word, let the consequences 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 lady have mentioned
 | The descent for the first two hundred feet was in a large bucket, lowered by a windlass. and do not think that any one for the first time ever yet took that plunge into the awful abyss of darkness and mystery without an inward shrink ing akin to horror, however careless and indifferent may have been his outward assumption
 One of our party, who was connected with the mines and was to act as our guide on the present occasion. carried a Davy lamp fastened to his cap, and by this feeble light we could dimly see each others faces and the black, damp walls which surrounded us as down, down, ever down. we kept sinking deeper and deeper into thn bowels of the black pit, well knowing that the slightest accident might land Us suddenly on the shores of eternity.
 The two gentlemen and myself looked grave as became the place and the oc- casion; but pretty Sibyl Stuart was full of talk and animation, rattling on from one thing to another, never seeming tc care for reply, but apparently satisfied to hear the sound of her own voice. Was she really needless of any possible dan ger, or was this light chatter done tc cover serious fancies and misgivings? could not believe the words came from z heart as light and free as they seemed tc represent.
 Reaching our first landing. we began our exploration through long, dark gal leries. where every here and there |; heavy prop supported the rocky roof with the thin layer of foundation sup ported in turn in the same manner, stil below us, tier on tier, 50 that the yield ing of any weak spot far down in thost awful depths might precipitate thousand of square feet into one shapeless mas and bury us forever from human sight
 Still as there was no more danger ap parently of this occurring now than a any time within the past twenty years there was no good reason for my taking tiIt adUJect t4.uU CUnoIueratIOn, except that of my being still haunted by that presentiment of evil, of which have spoken.
 Our guide led the way to some nov, ing lights which we could see sparkling in the profound darkness, and we soor found ourselves at the top of another shaft, where another descent of a hun dred and fifty feet was made in bucket after which followed some rough climb ing over rocks and Assures, with here and there a descent by ladders, whcl proved both precarious and tiresome till at last we stood upon ledge iron which, a hundred feet still below us. WI beheld a hundred moving lights, anC heard the peculiar sound of the miner at their daily toll of digging out anC breaking the black Jumps of coal tha were intended to find their way to tn, bright world above.
 There they are" exclaimed our fai Companion, vivaciously, looking. witt their red bobbing lights and shadowy forms. like so many lientls of Pandemon iuml Would you like to go down among them, Mir. Maples?''
 "lf you are satisfied where you are Miss Stuart, l will venture to say hay, had enough" was my reply. with a kinC