Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-06-28

walk on lie thought he must be near
that portion now. Indeed. the next
step might bring him to the end OF the
platform; another might plunge him
| into the depths.
He pushed his foot cautiously for
ward; it needed but a space OF three
feet to verify this fear. From that
point on there was only the narrow
path Of plank above the dizzy height, q
path which none but builders and sail
ors would have dared to venture on in
the broad light Of day s.
But Jep had no time to hesitate.
His purstiels were even now crossing
I on the gate that covered the mouth ct
the shaft They had marked his pro-
gress and were hot upon his track. The
limit of their lantern flashed out and
revealed him to their eyes.
..There he isl cried the foremost.
Dye mind 'iin9 A bit of brat not
worth chasin', but Ill have i'm now it
it takes the life o me-
ats a pretty run he's give us any
way" painted the other. Catch i'm,
Jerry; give it to i'm Drop i'm over the
| trestle" &
The man with the lantern sprang
forward, while Jep. desperate with fear,
dropped to his knees and crawled out
upon the narrow plank, grasping the
edges of it firmly as he went, lighted
dilnly for moment on his perilous
way by the lanterns rays, the footsteps
of the foremost ruffian sounding at his
heels in quick pursuit.
But it was only for moment. Then,
behind him, there was cry OF horror,
under him something crashing heavily
down among the forest Of timbers,
around him impenetrable darkness
again In the eagerness of swift pur-
suit the man had failed to see that his
path was at an end; he had rushed of
into space and had gone plunging
| through the open trestle to his death
But .Jep did not know what had hap
pened The cry only sent wilder fear
into his heart and nerved him to greater
effort
Finally he came to the end of the
plank walk. Before him his hands
touched nothing. He almost lost his
balance, and recoiled in sudden terror
from the edge of this black abyss. But
he imagined that the men were still fol-
lowing him. He thought he heard
them crawling on the plank almost at
his heels. In his wild dread of them
anything was better than capture.
He turned quickly in his tracks and
let himself down at the edge of the
plank, swinging by his hands. How far
below him the solid earth was he did
not know; he hardly stopped to think.
The fear of those whom he believed to
| be above him led him into desperate
chances.
He dropped But less than six feet
below him lay the solid EARTH and he
was not harmed The shock of sur
prise weakened him. though. and for a
minute he lay quite still.
Somewhere above him he heard an
footsteps, and still fearful he rose to
his feet and began to grope his way
down the hill along the base timbers of
the trestling
Soon he saw Il light coming up tow
ard him. 1t was carried by the pump
man, who had heard Jerry's cry of
distress and had come out to investi-
gate.
why, Jep," he cried, as the rays
from his lantern flashed into the boys
white face, what ails We. .Jep? an
where's the father2''
In a few words Jep told his story,
and then they both hurried back to
the breaker. Just outside the door of
the engine room they found Jep's fa-
Their, bound and gagged, and cruelty,
though not fatally beaten, and they
helped him inside out of the storm, re-
stored him to consciousness, and then
Jep, taking the pumpman's lantern.
went to the nearest cottage for help.
Afterward they found the fallen ruff
fan lying across the sill of trestle,
bent quite dead. His companion, afraid
to go forward and unable to return
through the dark wilderness of the
breaker, was captured tried, convicted
of participating in the assault and sent
to prison. Homer Greene in New
York World
f..