Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-18

Davis went to Wales, but their departure
made very little difference to Chris. the
separation of the past months had been SO
complete.
Presently, however, he received letter
from the Davises asking him to spend a
few days with them, to inspect the new
house and the farms and the coal mines
and the scenery. and to ruralize generally.
He went gladly enough, and had very
pleasant time, almost as pleasant as the
old days at footing. Davis was full of
triumph in his new possessions, but he did
not bore his guest with them. He let
! him off easily as far as mountaineering
and farm-inspecting were concerned, but
on one point he was resolute: Whelan
must go down in coal mine.
Wheian agreed, but he was not very
enthusiastic about the expedition, so it
was postponed time after time until the
day before he intended leaving. At
breakfast Mrs. Davis, remembering that
Chris. had not yet seen the mine, proposed
that they should walk down and visit it
that morning. Davis agreeing, they lost
no time in setting out, but, half way there,
they met the manager, who reminded
Davis that it was a holiday, and the men
were not working.
''Dear me, so it is" said Davis. 81 had
quite forgotten. What is to be done? We
can't let you go back without seeing our
mine, Whelan."
eve can go all the same, can't we?"
asked Madge. 'It is the mine we want to
see, notThe men. | have not been down
myself yet, and want to go so much. You
could find US a guide, | suppose, Mr.
Wyatt% this to the managsr)-"and, if
you have not any engagement yourself to-
day, perhaps you would come with us?'
Mr.. Wyatt said he. should be most
| happy, and set off to find guide, and in
due time the party found themselves wan
dering about in the dark and dirt and bad
air, and trying to pretend that they liked
it because it was a new sensation.
Mr.. Wyatt and the guide had wandered
to little distance Madge was just assert
ing vigorously that she would never allow
any of the children to come into this
dreadful place, and that she wished that
they were all well out of it themselves,
when sudden, ominous sound was heard.
| Instinctively they all stood still and
waited; there was a loud, dull roar-a
shaking, as it seemed, of the very founda-
tions of the earth-a crash, and then the
whole roof of that part of the mine near
which they stood fell in, and there was
dead silence and black darkness.
Davis was the first to speak.
"Nobody need be alarmed if we are all
here" he said. "Madge, are you all right?
Whelan? That's well. And Wyatt and
Derrick ~
Neither Wyatt nor the guide answered /;
they had been some distance away when
the roof fell in, and it was too evident that
they were buried beneath the ruins.
"Well, we are all right" said Davis.
ssLet us be thankful for that, at least l
don't know much of my own mine yet, but
1 know we can't be very low down we
must be quite near the surface, in fact, and
they know at the house where we are, so
we have a good chance of being rescued"
But even while they spoke they heard
other explosions, one after another, in diff
| ferent parts of the mine, and presently
one in their immediate neighborhood was
followed by a rush of hot air, and then by
stream of water, which quickly covered
the bottom of the little space where they
stood
"Good heavens, this is seriousp' ex-
claimed Davis; "little as l know, know
what this means. The water keeps coming
in, and there is no outlet for it. We are
in great danger Madge, where are you ?"
Madge struggled through the fast-rising
water toward her husbands voice, and
chung to him desperately.
"Tom, DEAR" she cried, "you speak of
danger-tell me the truth. Do you mean
is it death p
81 am afraid it is"
She gave little smothered cry, and fell
back into her husbands arm she was not.
a particularly courageous woman, and
there was small wonder if she was terribly
! frightened now. There was long silence,
and then Whelan spoke.
"Good God, Davis, can't you say any
thing to comfort her? To make 1t seem
easier? It's your place to help the poor
child to bear it."
''She has tainted" said Davis shortly;
Kit is best so, she won't feel it so much
when the end comes"
San awful end" said Whelan, shudder-
ing San awful end for her. 1t is madden
ing. If one could only do something to
save her. something to help her"
interested Davis, in spite of his own
horror.
"Why, Whelan," he exclaimed, you
don't mean to say you care for her still ?
That you have been going on caring for
her all these years ~
"Still ?" repeated Whelan. GAIL this
time? Why, of course | do. | should
have gone on all my life and hers, how
ever long we had both lived. You have
made her very happy, Tom, so it is just as
we'll as it is, but if I'd known at the time
what it would cost, don't think l could
have done it, and if you had known l
don't think you would have accepted the
| sacrifice"
"What sacrifice ~
1t was Madge who spoke, starting from
her husbands arms and questioning with
passionate eagerness.
"What sacrifice? I was not fainting
If had been 1 think should still have
heard such words as those. What sacri-
/ fce?p
"Never mind now, Madge," said her
| husband, feeling for her in the dark, lit is
all past now. We have only few mo-
ments left to live. Don't let US say any
thing to disturb them"
Madge flung away his hands angrily.
'sWhat sacrifice? | will know, l will
understand, before die. What sacrifice
! Speak, one of you"
'AIy dear, be reasonable" said Davis
fretfuIly, using the usual 'husbandese"
for "dont contradict me-" sit is a past
matter between Whelan and me-"
She broke away and stood apart from
both of them.
t,It concerns me, too" she said. II
know so much already, Mr.. Whelan, you
know what heard; finish the story"
"As you WILL" said Chris. Tom, /
think have right to tell her now. 1t
is only that we both loved you Madge, as
you heard Just now, but Tom asked me
to give you up to him because he needed
you most, and did so. 1t was hard to
bear at the time-it has been harder
since. but. as it has turned out 50 well, |