Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-07-22


eral would have pressed forward, but it
was useless to sacrifice life in such des-
perate attempt. Far above them they
could hear the elanking of the engines
sounding family and the rush and whir
of the ventilating fans. Before long the
way might become clearer and possible
to follow. At present they could only
wait, hoping for some message from the
darkness and believing that their hopes
were in vain. Yet presently there fell
upon their ears, faint at first and seem
ingly distant, but gradually coming
nearer. the sounds of footsteps. They
could tell that whoever was coming to-
ward them was making slow and diff
cult progress. The football grew faint
sometimes. and once died away alto
gcther, but gradually the sound became
more distinct and was accompanied mt
intervals by harsh, grunting cough,
ard continually by the noise of deep,
sobbing breathing.
In this suspense two of the men could
restrain themselves no longer. They
dashed into tho thick curtain of smoke
and raappeared rfter an interval. sup
porting Egliniog between them.
The bard looked very different now
from when, not more than two hours
ago, he was ambling TRANQUILITY over the
hills. His white hair and beard were
turned black by 4 coating of SCOT and
grit, his dress was torn and smoking,
the beaver mask cap lad fallen from his
head, and his eyes were protruding from
their sockets in the severity of his exer-
ton. But he still grappled burden,
which he half supported. half dragged.
in seeming Inconsistencies of the pres
ence of the two men who had come to
his assistance and We're holding him ON
either side. That burden was the same
which score of years before Elspeth
Vaughan had borne tenderly and breath
lessly up the hill path to the doctors
cottage ut Sainton. The man who lay
senscless at his feet had been the child
who had lain so motionless and seeming
ly without life between himself and Els
peth when he had revived that wild cure
which had been wrought ON the princes
dead son.
Egiiniog looked down upon the death
like face, and there came to him with a
bitter pang of remembrance the knowl-
edge that never between this son of
his and himself in the life of either
had there passed one spoken word or
, friendly glance. He saw the pale, set
features, the cage come swinging down
the shaft, and the body of the rescued
man placed in it. Ho heard the cheers
of tie crowd ringing around IL top
, of the pit in clamorous joy at the first
evidence of success from below. Then
Egliniog turned, and with a sudden loud
CRY, which echoed around the dark vault,
returned again into the darkness.
A groan like sound of anger rose
! from the crowd of miners as they saw
what he had done and listened to the
noise of his desperate footsteps. Their
sound grew faint in the distance and at
last abruptly ceased. The men avoided
each others eyes in the faint light, and
no one spoke. This time they waited
without hope.
Slowly the ventilating fans overcame
the smoke, driving portion Of it mp the
shaft and dispensing the remainder in
thin vapor among the other passages Of
the mine After another hour of suspense
the rcscuers were able to penetrate into
the passage where the explosion had oc-
cured They had passed for some way
through the mirky and malodorous at
mosphere before they stumbled ON the
body of man, whom they easily recog-
nized lying upon his face, with his
arms stretched out in front Of him. A
little farther woman lay, her head on
her arm as if she had fallen asleep. So
close were they together that the out
stretched fingers of the man almost
touched the skirt Of the woman's dress
Yet Elspeth could not have known Of
the loyal attempt to rescue her. for In
that stew of suffocation she must have
died long before Egliniog had struggled
to her feet.