The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-08-19
AN AWFUL susPENsE.
The ADvESTuRE THREE MINERS HAD Il a
PROSPECT HOLE.


Big Sandy Thompson and Simpson, his
partner, had finished filing the ore buck
ct with goodly load ofthe tough, worth
les rock ia which they had been bur
rowing for months. and leaning On their
shovels wstched II go swinging slowly
up toward the little 4 by patch Of day
light that showed the entrance 70 the
shsft, l27 feet above them
Down the deep hole came mufiied
screechings from the rope as It wound
upon the drum and the ereaking OF the
III adjusted avhius" and they could hear
Ike Wisdom's vicious objurgatioHs as be
ureed their sulien little beast round and
round in the dusty circles in which ne
had plodded, pulling up the bucket, IN
Ill be had grown onesided.
Simpson was dumpish and morose. he
scraped querulously in the reck Dust
with his shovel and roundly berated the
luck that had sent him to Colorado to
dig in a hole for nothing. He cursed
Colorado and he cursed Parker county;
he cursed the bacon on which be sub
sisted until, as he pathetically said, be
Was ashamed TO look hog in the face,
and he cursed the mine and old Sandy
Thompson, who sat idly pounding away
a nice round hole be was finishing up
with artistic care for the reception Of
dynamite stick.
Old Sandy grinned quizzically at SimP-
son through his bushy red whiskers and
vuffed silently at the mzlodorOus black
pipe, which was the Joy Of his life. He
was used 10 Simpsons discontented NUT
terings and they disturbed the silent
phlegmatic old Scot no more than the
buzzing Of = 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 it out on the dump and
euptied it with much painting and effu-
sion Of sweat. Then he dragged the pom
.ierous tub back slowly. Empty, It was
q pretty good load for man, being built
of thick, oil soaked slaves, hooPed almost
solidly from bottom TO top with heavy
irons and thickly incrusted with hard
heavy clay and bits Of rock driven into
every crevice by long use.
Ike prided himself much on the dex
terity with which he handled this 0ie
bucket by its great wrought iron bail
He swung it jauntily over the mouth o
the shaft, and as he mad done thousanS
times before with graceful success, kick
ed the board from under il as he swunI
the rope around to hook it in its aecus
toned place.
But the hook changing against the bai
failed TO catch. The great bucket disap
peared ike s shadow into the shaft
dark mouth.
Ike lunged wildly forward to catch
lost his fcothold and be, too, went int
the shaft
Down at the cool bottom Of the hol
simpson was still at his dismal cursin
Il wish" said be petulantly, Il ha
never seen this cussed hole wish
was dead. I-gOOd God, Sandy, th
buckets loose"
THE FALLING BUCKET.
Sandy's burly frame few up Ike Z
acrobzt's. In the twinkling Of an eye
was pressed into the corner Of the shat
clutching back 60 hard against the rock
walls that the tips OF his fingers whitel
ed.
Simpson had dropped his pick, and b
too, was pressing the rocks, holding baE
his breath, hattening his outstretchs
hands against the resistless walls.
And still the open space in the cent
Of the shsft's bottom seemed scarcely b
enough to drop hat in
simpson tried 10 close his eyes b
tried in vain. They were fixed beyor
the power Of his viii upon the falliI
bucket. He could zee it dropping, lun
ing fro m side to side Of the narrow hol
He ssw it tear clouds of dust from Il
clay hardpan, saw it reach and stril
deeper Layers Of porphyry.
II bounded from side TO side Of Il
hole, striking now and again on jutiiI
fragment and tearing it loose; it rattle
and clattered against the hard rock.
seemed TO come 50 slowly-far mo
slowly than if used TO when the rope hs
let il down
To Simpson years, centuries seemed
pass as the bucket changed and rattle
against the sides Of the SHAFT. He thougl
with all the vivid rapidity of men thI
facing impending death. He saw his ol
home in the Missouri bottom lands, h
mothers face and the face Of the maide
who waited for his return.
And he saw the blood-dabbled face {
the man he had stabbed over the far
table down in Tucson. He wished no.
that he had never quarreled with ths
man.
TIE SURPRISE ENDED.
1t was 81 actual relief to see that th
bucket was coming faster now. Its rai
things and clangings had merged into
continuous rolling, esr-stunning roar. II
made his eyes close at last.
There came a crash, terrific and re
sounding, and Simpson found himsel
standing stifly against the rock wall
laughing fesbly like a hysterical school
girl, and stupidity lingering at long ren
in his flannel, under which he was be
ginning 10 feel the smart Of an equal,
long red furrow scratched across hi
breast.
Across the tsngle of twisted and ben
hoops and splihtered, riren slaves tha
filled the bottom of the shaft he saw oil,
Sandy also standing sturdily up. Sand,
was gazing up the shaft, his red whisker
bristiing with rage Simpson followeS
his gaze. He zw hanging by hi
wrenched arms from the fifth round o
the ladder that run down the shaft, TX,