The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-01-18

up, and his hand Played unconscicHsly
amcng the loose PIECES
Suddenly he remembered once seeing
/, his father drop stone down n "cave-in,
and that his father had said it was a
very deep hole, because of tho long time
they had to wait to hear the stone touch
bottom. So he took a bit of coal in his
hand, held 1t over the ledge and dropped
1t. Instantly there came back little
sharp clink that sounded very near.
Not moment was to be lost. Again
he let himself down by his hands, took
long breath, let go, and fell-about
four inches.
After another long breath of relief,
| Tony began exploring on his hands and
knees. He did not intend to risk falling
off any higher lodges. The floor still
sloped downward, and Tony almost
walked on his head as he crawled along.
Presently he bumped upagainst another
pillar, or was it the side wall? He felt
carefully along for some distance, and
decided that it was the wall; then rising
up from his knees, which was cramped
and cut, he ventured to walk or rather,
creep, feeling the wall all the while
with his hands, which gave him GER
tain sense of security.
But he yet felt as IL at any moment
he might step into hole, and he did
step into deep pools of water, getting
wet up to his knees, and sometimes he
stumbled over stalagmites = curious
ringed formations made by water drop
ping upon the mine floor-but by dint
of pluck he gained headway.
Also, he began to grow used to the
utter blackness, as he found that how
ever needful the sense of sight seems,
there are other senses that will take its
place. He was certainly kept on the
alert To guard his face from sharp
projections of the wall; to find a safe
footing before ever he dared plant a
foot-waving his leg before him as a
measuring-worm waves it's head-above
all, to keep from swallowing the ring;
Tony's mind and body were well occu-
pied, even though his eyes were of no
use to him.
He now felt sure from the sound of his
footsteps that he had left the great open
chamber with it's pillars, and had en-
tered tho gangway, or corridor, which
connected this old mine with the new
one. He knew, for he had heard his
father say so, that this gangway was
forked at certain point, leading in one
direction down into the working mine,
and in the other direction bringing one
out upon the surface of the ground.
How was Tony to choose the right
way, when he did not know whether the
To- 80, ,;c.lt 90 +l,,
left?
This difficulty was a serious one, for,
although he could not get hopelessly
lost, he could not lose much precious
time. However, he thought that if the
worst came he might meet miner in
the new gangway who would show him
the way out.
So he took heart and plodded on
warily. His hearing was uncomfortably
sharp. Every noise seemed important,
and now and then came a sound which
made his heart thump 1t was a crack
ling, sometimes succeeded by a falling
sound, and it brought to Tonys mind all
that he had ever heard of miners buried
beneath falls of coal.
This old mine had lost many of it's
supports. Sometimes the huge pillars
had been "robbed, as it is called by the
miners, who hated to see so much good
coal wasted, and also found it easier
mining than drilling into solid
"breast' Then they would neglect to
put in wooden props, or where they did
put them in, these props would decay,
and then tho wall overhead, already
cracked by the action of springs, would
tumble in by sheer, unsupported weight.
Tony felt - and had good reasons
to feel-that at any moment he was
likely to be crushed by tons of coal and
rock.
The floor was now getting soft and
culmy, as is the case when much trod-
len upon by men and mules, so he
thought he must be nearing the fork,
or else, that without knowing it, he had
entered the new gangway.
He quickened his steps little, and in
another moment bumped his head
against great wooden door, and at the
same time got a big splinter in one of
his hands.
He did not mind either the bump or
the splinter, however, in his JOY at
finding himself in some definite place,
and no longer wandering about blindly
in those vague, dreadful chambers, kept
in constant suspense between pits in the
floors and cracks in the ceiling. Tony
was sure there would be some men on
the other side who would show him
short way out to the surface, so he
knocked hard with his fist, calling out
at the same time.
He thumped with all his might, and
vainly strove to open the heavy timber
door himself, but it was fastened on the
other side, and presently he heard the
mems voices die away in distance.
Then the brave little fellow sat down in
the darkness and cried like girl.
He pictured himself dying there de-
serted by every body; he pictured Ap
wandering lonely in the ravine, and not
caring to pick fossils; he thought of his
fathers coming home and asking for
him, and giving him up for lost, for
Tony was not just now in state of mind
to reason, and it didn't occur to him that
his father would come with lantern
and rescue him.
Itseemed hours, days, since he had torn
himself away from Ap, and started upon
his terrible journey. And now the lady