Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-08-08

OHiuSs hS nave abdLtt, W tuc SlipilcIJ
ness of the crust at the sides.
CHANGING at the pile of lumber, no
ticed that stake at its base was bent
forward almost horizontally. This stake
had been driven there to partially sup
port the logs at the bottom of the pile.
As looked saw the stake move!
That was not all. We heard another
''thump' as a second log rolled from its
position on the pile.
looked at Lyddy, who had suddenly
halted and was holding me back. In her
face l read what was about to happen,
and the cause.
The snow and ice melting away at the
base Of the pile had caused it to settle,
and as the logs were haped higher and
higher during the winter, the movement,
ever so slight, of the foundation, had
disturbed the equilibrium of the entire
mass.
A comprehension OF the dreadful
danger and its cause came to me in a flash
of consciousness.
II left to myself, l would probably
have tried to scramble to the side of the
rollway. l would have failed and rolled
down to the river.
As it was, trusted wholly to my com
/ panion. She was so clever at contrivine
other things, that felt that she would
think OF sorle way out of our present
difficulty.
She had, up to this moment, clung tc
the rope by which she was drawing up
the sled. Now she let go, aud the sleC
glided backward down the slope. At the
same time, she turned to me and said;
Come, quick! Don't fall-5ut you
must rum"
I obeyed, digging my small heels into
the softening crust, and clingiug to
Lyddy's hand, without a thought that |
was a burden to her. do not think she
thought of It. She wanted to save me
from being crushed under the logs,
which she knew were coming down, and
she had conceived of plan for doing it
if she could only get me over the ground
quickly enough.
Our hastH was accelerated by another
ominous "thump" fron the pile of logs.
We had just reached the place where, a
few moments before, we had slumped
through thu snow betwixt the timbsrs.
Before l bad tins to think what she
meant to do, she thrust me forward aud
l fell into the cavity. Sac sprang in
after me.
Lie down, close as you can't she
breathlessly cried.
obayel, and felt the ice-coll water
with which the snoY was soaked strike
through ny clothing and tricale down
my neck. did not like to lie down fiat
in the cold slu5h, but Liddy forced me
Into it and held me there. She crouched
over me, her face partly upturned, and
her long, coarse hur trailing across my
face.
None too soon. The log came thuu.
dering down. and caught glimpse of
it as it bounced over u.s. The moment
it had passed attempted to rise.
Not yet, dear said my companion
and she pressed down more closely.
The log has gone over l returned,
Eyes, but the others are coming-alI
Of them, I think. Then we will have tc
look out. So lie close as you can, dear,
for there ism quite room enough for me. y
Her voiae shook. She tried to work
herself down By my side, under the tim
bers. Bot the space was too narrow,
and her weight pressed so heavily upon
me that l cried out.
I'll can hardly breathe" l gasped.
And, reaching up her hand, she grasped
the timber, and 50 partially supported
hor weight 50 that she woa'd not press
upon me 50 heavily.
There vas then brief period OF sus-
pense, which must have been much
harder lei Lyddy, who realized our peril,
to bear, than 1t was for me.
we hefrd thlmp' thImp, sounding
dun and distant. Thea moment OF
silence, curing which we could hear each
other Breathing. Then heavy rumble,
another pause, followed by thunderous
sound that shook the ground under US.
The legs were coming down, hundreds
oil then. bounding lmpetuouSly over
each otaer' gaining momentum at every
leap feslstless, noisy stampede, like a
herd IT frightened buffalo, running
down dechvlty, the foremost pushed
and hurried by those behind, whom they
seemed to be striving to outstrlp, III
mad race for the river.
VI course the interval was very brief
one, tut seeme' III our suspense, to be
long. linen dark snado" passed over
us Ink" monstrouS bird, as the noise
becams dea'enlng.
Ny companion pressed closer to me,
and | knew that she drew quick,
hard breath. After that she lay on me
morS heavily, ana tremor, that |
thought was caused by fear, shook her
iorh' was soon 10 learn that there
was another cause
The avalanche OF logs did not all
pass at one time, although the greater
mass Of them did so. For several min
utes they Kept struggling, each one
pounding WIN an lmpetuoslty that
seemed 10 imply purpose to oyertake
the others.
we PROBABLY waited fully ten minutes
after the log rushed pass, before either
OF US spoke or stirred. Then | ventured
to say
81 guess they We all gone, Lyddy."