News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-06-26

would be safe. Il man in the door
way was not tive feet away. The
outline Of his figur was dimly disceni-
bic in the darkness
Jep rose to Elxir[set, held his hands
out before him AID moved cautiously
forward. The nexs moment he came
in contact with the stool on which the
lantern had stood, tipped it over STUN
bid over it and fell heavily to the
| floor.
The man III the doorway started,
turned and looked back into the room,
but in the darkness he could see moth
ing.
"Hellor he shouted, who's there"
For answer Jep scrambled to his feet
and CROPPED his way, regardless of noise,
to the steps.
But the man did not attempt to fol
! low him. He turned instead to the
open door and called to his companion:
Jerry hello, Jerry! Come back here
wi the lantern, quickN
But Jep, having reached the steps,
climbed up to them, opened the door
and the next moment was ascending
the longer flight of steps that led to the
screen room.
Down in the engine room he heard
the two men moving about, apparently
in the search for him. He knew that
! they would follow him, and he felt that
| in some way he must make his escape
from them. Without considering where
| the course would lead to, he dropped
to his knees, and with one hand on the
iron sheathed shute he began climbing
alongside of it up the long slope of the
screen room.
The two men having finished their
hasty tour of the engine room were al
ready on the first steps of the flight
which the boy had just ascended. Jep
heard them and knew that he must
make haste. Coming to the lower
screen he felt his yy&L along under 1t
till he reaelt ltzs-cTle; sss.sfftside wall of the
breaker; then, rising again to his feet
and placing his hand against the wall,
he walked up the narrow cleated pas
sage that led to the dump room at the
head Just as the lantern, in the hands
| of his pursuers, flashed its light across
| the dust laden timbers of the screen
room.
whoever it was he must "a come
this way" said the leader.
"Ye're sure ye didn't imagine it,
Jack ?" questioned the other.
There he exclaimed, suddenly
stopping, did We hear thatF
1t was u noise like the sound of a
slammirg door, coming from some
where above them in the breaker.
Both men hurried across the shutes to
the passage through which Jep had
just disappeared and began to ascend it.
The noise they had heard was indeed
that of slalnming door, the handle OF
which had inadvertently slipped from
Jep's grasp as he closed it behind him
on his way to the head of the breaker.
A new scheme of escape had come into
his mind. 1t was simply to cross the
mouth of the shaft and pass out by the
car tracks to the trestling and thence
to the hills, whence came the mine cars
with their loads.
w
by the dump shute bars to the weigh
platform, and the ce to the carriage
way of the shaft 1t was easy enough
now to follow the .ails of the mine car
track Bat it was well for him to be
sure that the horizontal gates were Gov
ering the mouth bf the shaft; other
wise he might 60 stumbling into the pit
and plunge down 100 feet to the bot
tom of the mine,
So he felt his lay very cautiously,
and finding the q In place stepped
On it with lg bot, realizing that
nothing savt ase I'd wood Stats lay
between him Je mt death. Once
across the opaTt moved on more
rapidly throu- house and out
!: !: !: !: !: !: !: !: ! :
fnetworkV rect 10
height; off int glow II
the sky RI hghts of the
town; every'uuS complete i'm
penetrable dafiS He knew there
was a hand1 ) 4 ing along by the
side OF the TX The safety of mer
and mules. He for it, gcasped il
and touching it he went he made
still greater haste He almost ran.
Suddenly he -s bped, with new
fear striking in In his heart He re
membered that tke company had takeI
advantage of thescessation of work a
the mines to bull "A a new trestle here Il
the breaker. He5 knew that it was no
yet completed, AID that over the new
part there was only a line of marrow
planks laid on the Eents for men t.
walk on. He thought he must be nea
that portion now. Indeed, the mex
step might bring 1liln to the end of tn
platform; another might plunge hin
into the depths,
He pushed his foot cautiously for
ward; it needed but space of thre
feet to verify this fear. From tha
point on there was only the marrow
path of plank above the dizzy height ;
path which none but builders and sail
ors would have dared to venture on il
the broad light of day.
But Jep had no time to hesitate
His pursuers were even now CROSSING
on the gate that covered the mouth o
the shaft They had marked his pro
gress and were hot upon his track. Th
limit of their lantern flashed out ant
revealed him to their eyes,
''There he isl cried the foremost.
, ''D'ye mind 'im2 A bit of brat no
worth chasin', but I'll have i'm now
it takes the life o mer'
' ''It's pretty run he's give us any
! Way," painted the other. Catch i'm