Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-01-05

only sank his fingers into soft punk,
which broke off when he put any strain
upon it.
There was nothing substantial to
rest his feet upon either, as he soon
found out by running his feet around
as far as he could.
He began to be somewhat fright
ened. 1t really was a bad business.
He could not stand in his present
cramped position long and retain the
use of his muscles. Already he felt a
numbness in his fingers as the blood
left them. He couldn't climb up with
out something to grasp; he couldn't
get out below.
The sides of his prison? They were
too thick to dig through with his
nails for outside of the lining of rot
ten wood he knew there was a heavy
rind of live tough fiber and bark, how
thick he could only imagine. He
might cut through it if he had an ak,
but with nothing else.
The thought of cutting suggested to
him that he had knife with him but
where was it? At last he recalled that
it was in the upper breast pocket OF
his flannel shirt-he had on no coat.
But it wouldn't do him any good,
The blade would be broken or dulled
long before he could cut an opening
through the walls. Even supposing,
what was we'll nigh impossible, that in
his cramped position he could keep at
the task that long.
He began to grow desperate, when
there came Il sudden idea to him,
which made him rack his mind fol-
some plan to get at his knife.
The upper pocket of his shirt was
considerably below his shoulders The
| furthest down he could get his hands
was to the level of his face.
Nevertheless he tried repeatedly to
twist his arms so as to reach the
pocket, forcing himself into all kind;
of positions and getting more desper-
ate every minute. But all his attempt:
were in vain.
His head began to swim with the
exertion and the close, foul air, and
his body sank little as his knees
bent under him.
As his shoulders dropped he felt his
shirt begin to rise about his neck; the
collar touched his ear. Instantly he
was filled with a fresh hope.
His shirt evidently must have caught
on some roughness of the wood against
which his back was resting, and, as his
body sank, had been held fast.
Would it not be possible to raise his
shirt sufficiently in this way for him tC
reach his pocket?
He doubled himself up more, and
iammed himself further down into the
cavity. His shirt held fast to the
rough walls of the hollow and rose
above his ears. He sank more and
more.
When ut last he could squeeze him
self down no further, he bent his elbow
and, after some wonderful contortions
got his fingers into the pocket and
pulled out the knife.
Then for moment or 80 he was
quiet, resting and trying to recover
his strength. After a few moment he
Strengthened up and, grasping the
knife firmly, began to dig in the woot
above.
In short time the knife was cut
ting the solid wood of the trunk. He
kept on until he had made quite little
cavity,
Changing the knife to the othei
hand, he did the same to the opposite
wall. 1t was hard and tedious work
and his hands and arms ached, and he
had to stop several times and rest, bu
kept at it.
When he thought he had the hole
deep enough, he contrived, after some
difficulty, to grasp the knife between
his teeth.
Then, reaching up, he caught tho
fingers of each hand in the cavities OF
the opposite sides, and, exerting al
his strength, drew himself ZIP a foot
or more.
By using all his muscle he managed
TO hold himself there, while he kicked
into the soft punk below with his toes
In minute he had a couple OF resting
places for his feet resting places
which took a part of the strain off o
his arms, though they wouldn't have
supported his entire weight had h'
trusted them to hold him.
Again he attacked the wood abov'
him with the knife. holding on will