The Press., 1891-10-29
AN AWFUL SUSPENSE.
THE ADVENTURE THREE MINERS
 HAD IN A PROSPECT HOLE.

Ike Failed tO Hook tI,e Rope ia ti-
 Bucket and Down the Shnft the Iron
 for Death but He Found 1t Too Near
 Big Sandy Thompson and Simpson, his partner, had finished filling the ore bucket with goodly load of the tough, worthless rock in which they had been burrowing for months, and leaning on their shovels watched 1t go swinging slowly up toward the little by patch of daylight that showed the entrance to the shaft l27 feet above them. ..-.
 Down the deep hole came muffied screech ings from the rope as 1t wound upon the drum and the creaking of the i'll adjusted "whim," and they could hear Ike Wisdom x vicious objurgations as he urged their sul len little beast round and round in the dusty circle in which he had ploddeti, pull ing up the bucket. until he had grown one sided.
 Simpson was dumpish and morose He scraped querulously in the rock dust with his shovel and roundly beratet the luck that had sent him to Colorado to dig in d hole for nothing He cursed Colorado and he cursed Park county he cursed the bacon Oh "ulCu uC SuOSiStSN uuUtl, tIN ue [btUHcGl cally said, he was "ashamed to look hog in the face," and he cursed the mine and old Sandy Thompson, who sat idly pound ing away a nice round hole he was finish ing up with artistic care for the reception of dynamite stick.
 Old Sandy grinned guizzically at Simp son through his bushy red whiskers and puffed .silently at the malodorous black pipe, which was the joy of his life. He was used to Simpsons discontented mutteringS and they disturbed the silent phlegmatic old Scot no more than the buzzing of a fly
 IKE'S CARELEsSNEss
 Ike, at the top of the shaft, when the bucket came up. kicked the board under it. The lopsided beast turned in his tracks and let the load swing down, and Ike tugged 1t out on the dump aud emptied it with much panting and effusion of sweat. Then he dragged the ponderous tub back slowly. Empty, 1t was pretty good load for man, being built of thick oil soaked slaves, hooped almost solidly from bottom to top with heavy irons, and, thickly in. crusted with hard, heavy clay and bits of rock driven into every crevice by long use.
 Ike prided himself much on the dexterity with which he handled this big bucket by its great wrought iron bail. He swung 1t jauntily over the mouth of the shaft, and as he had done H thousand times before with graceful success, kicked the bour. from under it as he swung the rope around to hook it in it's accustomed place.
 But the hook changing against the bail peared like a shadow into the shafts dark mouth.
 Ike lunged wildly forward to catch it hio ho1I nd ho t,,o int . l., shaft.
 Down at the cool bottom of the hole Simpson was still at his dismal cursings
 "I wish." said he petulantly, T had never seen this cussed hole. wish l wa. dead I--good God. Sandy. the bucket E looser'
 THE FALLING BUCKET
 Sandy's burly frame flew up like an aero bats. la the twinkliug of an eye he wa. pressed into the corner of the shaft, clutch ing buck SO hard against the rocky wall. that the tips of his tanned fingers whit "ned.
 Simpson had dropped his pick. and he too. w.ls pressing the rocks, holding back his breath. hattening his outstretche, hands against the resistless walls
 And still the open space in the center o the shafts bottom seemed scarcely bis enough to drop hat in.
 Simpson tried to close his eyes, but triet in vain. They were fixed beyond the power of his will upon the falling bucket. Ilt could see it dropping, lungng from side t, side of the narrow hole. He saw it teal clouds of dust from the clay hardpan, saw It reach and strike the deeper layers of DOT phyry.
 It bounded from side to side of the hole striking now and again on jutting fraS ment and tearing it loose, 1t rattled m, clattered against the hard rock. It seeme to come so siowly-far more slowly than il used to when the rope had let it down.
 To Simpson years, centuries seemed [. pass as the bucket changed and rattle, against the sides of the shaft He thou..h facing impending death. He saw his old home in the Missouri bottom lands, hi, mothers face and the face of the mai ir, |. ho waited his return.
 And he SAW the blood dabbed face of th, man he had stabbed over the faro tabl' down in Tuscon. He wished now that h, nad never quarreled with that man THE SUSPENSE ENDED. It was an actual relief to see that tn, bucket was coming faster now; whereve its iron bound sides touched the porphJrN they ground streams of sparks that Eiit tered wickedly in the half darkness. It! rattlings and elangings had merged into l continuous rolling ear stunning roar. H' made his eyes close at last,
 There came crash terrific and resound ing, and Simpson found himself stamlin, stiffly against the rock wall, laughing fee bly, like a hysterical schoolgirl and stu pidly lingering at q long rent in his flame under which he was beginning to feel tn, l smart of an equally long red furrov l scratched across his breast.
 Across the tangle of twisted and ben hoops and splintered, riven staves that filled up the bottom of the shaft he saw olt Sandy also standing sturlily up. Sand! l was gazing up the shaft, his red whsker bristlinS with rage. Simpson followed hi gaze. He saw hanging by his wrcnchet | arms from the fifth round of the ladde that run down the sh1st. Ike Wisdom twisting about to look Eawn upon then l with scared white face He had caught d | random upon the ladder as lie tumbled int, the shaft.
 Sandy shook his fist at the cliuging mar l vehemently "Now. ye think ye're domnet l smart" he roared.
 And they had to lay off three days whil, they went down the trail to Fairplay ale lugged back the half of coal oil barre wherewith they fashioned a new ore bucket All the odd moments of these three day were spent in impressing upon1Ike Wisdom the positive necessity of booking the rop to the new bucket before he kicked ava, the board, Kansas City Times Miles Nerve and Liver Pills act on new principle the liver, stom ach and bowels through the heroes. A ne' discovery. Dr. Miles Pills speedily cur biliousness, bad taste, torpid liver, piles constiDatjon JTnenualed for men womer