Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-14

refund the missing money. and We bad
arranged to give a grand celebration al
Ihe capln IN honor of the event on the
day of the intended fete Il hapnened maj
Louis ana i We're both at work in tba
Meyer mine. We were sinking the s,art
anu AT tne same time stopping ore out Of
the second level where Charles bad belI
his last Intercourse with living me-, IL
was In the level that my work Law III had
taken Charles place Of engineerI' and IS
1 stepped on the ladders j found Arthur
" no was tramming" the ore on his knees
beside the shaft brushing the edge win
his hands. What are you doing. Artburs-'
said i. Louis and twelve men are al v-orl.
IN the bottom of the shaft coo feet below"
replied he, "and / am clearing the stones
away from the edge, for fear some one
should kick one down. Even a pebble fall
Ing that far would be a serious thing" /
went on to my work, and in about an hour
returned to the shaft to go I'D. There
stood the cage waiting, and / was inst
about to step aboard when / heard tbe
rumble OF the car coming, and waited 10
be hoisted with IL. As he nearec the shaft
Arthur hung back to check the car glanceI
over the top but seeing the cage in no
sition, and that all was right, put his shoul-
der 10 the ponderous machine Had nv
hands been empty 1 would have helDea
him, but j had the transit. With a dun
rumble the car moved over the few remains
ing feet Of tunnel, then, to our horror
slipped in silence through the phantom
a
sound like rushing wings. We had seen
the cage"
My first thought was for the men below.
Dropping the transit, / sprang to the lad
ders and went down faster than / have
ever done before or since From beneath
me rose the echoes Of crashing timber and
rending iron, and a faint, far-off shout ana
from above came Arthur's Mortified cry, Il
have killed them!' BY wonderful good luck
il happened that the party were just In ths
act OF firing blast when the accident &C.
CURED and so escaped being crushed be-
meath the fearful weight OF falling rock and
iron. They tell me that when found them
safe. laughed and cried like an hysterical
girl and Rugged and kissed the great beard
ed men in the frenzy OF my relief.
As soon as we were calm enough to think
We went in search Of Arthur. He was gone.
On set of timbers near the shaft hung his
coat and dinner pail, showing that In his
horror at the dreadful accident he had fed,
not daring TO hear how many he had crush
ed TO death in the dark caverns of the lower
mine. on the day which was to have seen
mis- emancipation from the burden under
which he had been struggling, and when
he was TO have thrown of the dark shadow
OF his brothers guilt and taken once more
his rightful place among his fellows. he was
wandering like rabid beast over the noun
tain passes, or among the deserted tunnels,
haunted and half crazed by a horror worse
than guilt. A crushed and shuddeTing mass
that had been his friend and TIE torn and
mangled bodies of the iaborers whom he
had killed were ever before his eyes. and
his reason was tottering under this last, un-
merited stroke of fate. This We knew, and
each one of us WED with every other to
find him and be the bearer Of the news OF
the marvellous chance which had saved MIN
from lifelong nightmare OF remorse
We separated into two parties, one 70
search the mine and the other 10 mount
and ride out on the trails that wouni up
the snow-capped mountains and away across
the lonely passes to the wild regions OF the
,s,,i, Il tool ha n
underground party. and after searching
every nook and Granny OF the new mine,
led the men into the deserted workings that
opened from il. Nothing can be more shast-
" than such a place. The walls were cav
ing and crushing the rotting timbers, from
which hung long hair-like growths ana
great balloon-shaped fungi white ana moloy'
the wood glowed. family phosphorescent
and a damp. tomb-like chill pervaoed the
quilted Slopes. Being unfamiliar with the
place i had had the maps brought DOWN
and with these guides We ferreted OUT
every corner Of the loathsome place. tlnai-
ly, there remained only one spot unvislted.
a "winze" or short shaft, which had been
sunk from the old level and communicated
with a winding tunnel about hundred leet
below. which had no other outlet Inc iao-
ders had long ago rotted out, so procured
a rope and had the men lower me into ths
black pit. The moment that my feet toucn-
ed the bottom l was conscious Of feellns
Of dread that required all my Will power 10
the dim light of my miners lamp that L
was not alone; close against the wall, IL
rectiy beneath the winze, sat the ngure or
a man. As i approached the light 10 MN
/ nearly screamed with horror. From un-
der the broad tarpaulin hat a skull grinned
at me. His coat and hat were such as an
engineer would wear. the rest OF his gar
ments We're a gentleman's full dress. ana
around his pelvis hung a thickly padded
mpney-belt. In one shriveled hand was a
ball Of hardened clay in which candle had
burned out Beyond doubt it was Charies
Cinnahar. His light had gone out before
he had reached the shaft on the fatal night.
and lost in the darkness he had wandered
here and fallen. and bruised and dazed ne
had crswled beneath the winze and perish
ed his cries lost In the blind workings
above.
Tenderly we carried up the poor remains
OF the wronged gentleman and laid them
to rest in the bleak cemetery beneath tie
HILL The belt and its contents We sealed
and placed in the keeping Of the bank.
Meanwhile, the other searching party nad
discovered Arthur and convinced him mat
his error had caused no loss of life. ana az
night they brought him back LOOKING aeea
and broken by the suffering he had oeen
through. We feared the effect OF the news
of our discovery in the mine upon ms
strained nerves, but knew that he would
hear the rumors regarding IL that nlleo the
town. and so decided TO tell him al once.
Charles death affected him deeply, but
the clearing of his name removed the Keen
ness OF the blow.
A few DAYS later Arthur babe us good
bye. and with his recovered fortune left
forever the scene which his struggle with
fate had made intolerable TO him.
After Mr. Argentine ceased speaking we
smoked in silence for few minutes and
as the guests one by one quietly withdrew.
II was evident that the strange story they
had listened to and the sincerity OF the
( narrator had reused unusual speculation
z