The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-11-12

knoll, ana with the protruding eyes Of
doomed men watched the steady up
crawling Of the stream, so different from
tht song whispering brook Of an hour ago
The awful silence was oppressive, while
the heavy darkness gathered on every
side rs If 10 extinguish our feeble lights
Both of our heads were hatless, and
small stream Of crimson trickled from
Dud's forehead--a wound that he had
received from a juttiug rock or some
obstacle overhead.
The. situation was terrifying.
was almost certain that death was
inevitable, but singularly enough my
whole attention was centered on my
miserable companion. l gazed steadily
at him, wondering what his thoughts
must be, and if all his past life was hur-
rying before him in review, as l had
often heard it said mems lives would do
when death seemed inevitable. Silently
and steadily, like some great yellow SER
pent, the brook crawled into the mar.
row chamber and coiled fold on fold
We had already moved back to higher
ground once, and now il was inching up
about our feet again. Our heads were
against the highest part of the rock
roof, so it would be better to keep our
places than to move back TO more
trying position which would be no safer
To my dying day shall never forget
the feelings that crept over me at the
water stole up along my body cold and
slimy. 1t seemed that was being grad
ually swallowed by some foul mon.
ster. The submerged portions of my
body seemed severed from the trunk
while sure death enveloped me- A sen.
sation of insufferable closeness almost
choked me, while the very helplessness
of the situation added a thousand terrors.
Dudley sat as one In a profound stu
por, one hand grasping the two inches
of tallow yet left, his other scraping pit
eously along the rough wall, as though
seeking an exit for its petrifed owner.
For my part l became strangely quiet
after time, while sense of indiffer-
ence possessed me. A sort of resigna.
| tion to the inevitable suppose, for the
| floods continued to press upward Our
| shoulders were now just above the
waters, while my hand grew so weary
| of holding the candle that it seemed as
| if about to sink below the surface de.
| spite my every effort.
Neither of us had spoken for some
time, when Dudley suddenly turned t.
me. II can't stand it any longer" he
said simply, Tell them goodby at home
for me if you ever get out, and he rose
as if to launch himself forward. saw
his object at once and reached out tC
grasp him. Hold on, Dud," said; 81
don't believe it is going to get any high
en-" 1T doesn't make any difference,
he repeated. 1--WE both can't live lonq
in this small space anyhow" and h,
sank from view. l felt him touch me-
as he rolled over, and clutched at hi
body to lift him to the surface, but j
escaped my grasp and a succession o
bubbles told me that further effort wa
useless-he was drowned. His candl,
, had of course gone with him, and
questioned whether it would not be bes
for me to extinguish my own since /
! was fast exhausting the oxygen tha
was an absolute necessity to my life
But could not decide to snuff ont tina
feeble light 1t was almost like life itself
| cannot describe to you my feeling
, as | sat hundred feet underground
2 with only breathing space Of five o
+ six feet about my head, the water at m
p chin and the cold form Of my dea
companion at my feet, 1t seemed as
B this mental torture lasted for hour
D when, 10, " great joy seized me-the foo
., had ceased to rise. But its abatemer
4 must be far swifter or | would perish mi
n erably from mere exhaustion. In ha
+ an hour the water sank so low that
: managed to get under the rock, an
t with loudly beating heart saw one
9 more the bright, sweet light Of day.
!. was about o'clock in the afternoon
h and found that tremendous rain ha
g fallen, which accounted for the torrel
i- in the cave.
IS hurried Oft 10 the village as fast
my stiff limbs could carry me and toI
L my story. A score of men went baC
d with me aud recovered the body of II
s. comrade.
/ In that fearful race for life he hi
Y, saved mine at the cost Of his own.-.
(. B. ID. i'm Short Stories.