The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-07-04
AN AWFUL SUSPENSE.
THE ADVENTURE THREE MINERS
HAD IN A PROSPECT HOLE,

Ike Failed to Hook the Rope to the
Bucket and Down the Shaft the Iron
Bound Barrel Fell-Simpson Had Sighed
for Death but He Found It Too Near.
Big Sandy Thompson and Simpson, his
partner, had finished filing the ore bucket
with goodly load Of the tough, worthless
rock In which they had been burrowing fol
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 IL wound upon the
drum and the creaking Of the ill adjusted
"whim," and they could hear Ike Wisdom's
vicious objurgations as he urged their sal
len little beast round aud round In the
dusty circle in which he had plodded, pull
ing up the bucket, until he had grown one
sided.
Simpson was dumpsh and morose. He
scraped querulously in the rock dust with
his shovel and roundly berated the luck that
had sent him 80 Colorado to dig in hole
for nothing. He cursed Colorado and he
cursed Park county he cursed the bacor
on which he subsisted until, as he patheti-
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 nice round hole he was finish.
ing up with artistic care for the reception
of dynamite stick.
Old Sandy grinned quizzcally at Simp,
sou 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 mutterihgs
and they disturbed the silent phlegmatio
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 1t out on the dump and emptied it
with much painting and elfusion Of sweat.
Then he dragged the ponderous tub back
slowly. Empty, it was pretty good load
for a man, being built Of thick, oil soaked
slaves, hoopea almost solidly from bottom
to top with heavy irons, and thickly in
crusted with hard, heavy clay and bits o.
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 it
jauntily over the mouth Of the shaft, and
as he had done thousand times before
with graceful success, kicked the board
from under it as be swung the rope around
to hook 1t in its accustomed place.
But the hook changing against the bail
failed to catch. The great bucket disap.
peared like shadow into the shafts dark
mouth.
Ike lunged wildly forward to catch it,
lost bis foothold and he, too. went into the
shaft.
Down at the cool bottom of the hole
Simpson was still at his dismal cursngs.
~ WISH" said he petulantly, 81 had
never seen this cussed hole. wish | was
dead. I-good God, Sandy, the buckets
looseW
THE FALLING BUCKET
Sandy's burly frame flew up like an aero
bats. In the twinkling of an eye he was
pressed into the corner of the shaft, clutch
| ing back so hard against the rocky walls
that the tips of his tanned fingers whit
ened.
Simpson had dropped his pick, and he,
too, was pressing the rocks, holding back
his breath, aattening his outstretched
hands against the resistless walls.
And still the open space in the center Of
the shafts bottom seemed scarcely big
enough to drop a hat in.
Simpson tried to close his eyes, but tried
in vain. They were fixed beyond the power
of his will upon the falling bucket. He
could see it dropping, lunging from side to
| side OF the narrow hole. He saw it tear
clouds OF dust from the clay hardpan, saw
1t reach aud strike the deeper layers of por-
phyry.
1t bounded from side to side OF the hole;
striking now and again on jutting frag.
ment and tearing it loose, it ratified and
to come so slowly-far more slowly than IL
used to when the rope had let it down.
To Simpson years, centuries seemed to
pass as the bucket changed and ratified
against the sides Of the shaft. He thought
with the all vivid rapidity Of men thus
facing impending death. He saw his old
home in the Missouri bottom lands, his
mothers face and the face of the maiden
who waited his return.
| And he saw the blood dabbed face OF the
man he had stabbed over the faro table
down in Tuscon. He wished now that he
had never quarreled with that man.
THE SUSPENSE ENDED.
1t was an actual relief to see that the
bucket was coming faster now; wherever
its iron bound sides touched the porphyry
they ground streams Of sparks that gilt
tered wickedly in the half darkness. It's
ratings and clangings had merged into a
continuous rolling ear stunning roar, He
made his eyes close at last.
| There came crash terrific and resound-
ing, and Simpson found himself standing
stiffly against the rock wall, laughing fee
bly, like a hysterical schoolgirl and stu
pidly lingering at a long rent In his flannel
under which he was beginning to feel the
smart of an equally long red furrow
scratched across his breast.
| Across the tangle of twisted and bent
hoops and splintered, riven slaves that filled
up the bottom Of the shaft he saw old
Sandy also standing sturdily up, Sandy
was gazing up the shaft, his red whiskers
bristling with rage. Simpson followed his
gaze. He saw hanging by his wrenched
arms from the fifth round of the ladder
that run down the shaft Ike Wisdom,
twisting about to look down upon them
with scared white face. He had caught at
random upon the ladderas he tumbled into
the shaft.
Sandy shook his fist at the olinging man
vehemently. "Now, ye think ye're domned
smart" he roared.
And they had to lay off three days while
they went down the trail to Fairplay and
lugged back the half of coal oil barrel