Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-07-17
timber directly behind him. The

/
stranger sneaked toward the door O
the bin, into which part of his intended
victims body still protruded.
The lame girls heart almost stood
still with fright. She sank to the mar
row platform, and crouching there II
the upper darkness, watched helplessly
the struggle going on below.
The stranger had leaped upon thu
superintendent, and was attempting t.
throw him into the bin; but Mr.. Girls
void fought bravely for his life. Once
twice he was almost victor. but his
aseailant had him at disadvantage
Already his head and shoulders were
hanging over the dark abyss into which
n carload Of yellow wheat had sunk ant
made no impression OF the great space
Chunk! came a sound above her head
Annie realized with shudder that an
other car had been brought into posi-
ton over the trap-tloor, and was ready
, to be dumped.
, The stranger below had almost over.
come the superintendent, and she say,
the scopndrel glance sidewise toward
! the rope which moved the lever.
Like flash there came upon her for
the first time realization what a ter
rible deed was intended. The body Of
the superintendent. hurled into the bin
would be covered with the flood of grain
and his fate would be unknown for days
and perhaps for weeks and months.
1t was but second now before the
end would come. Already the assailant
had pushed off the superintendent
hands, and she saw body and limbs dis,
appear through the parraw door, She
could not hear 1t fall on the soft mass
| of grain beneath, but she knew it was
there.
The assassin tugged at the door. He
had nothing to do now but to close and
fasten it and pull the lever; and then
thousands ct bushels Of wheat would
bury the unfortunate man as firmly
and fatally us though the car above
should itself fall into the cavern.
Annie sprang to her feet and gazed
moment helplessly about her. Then
there met her glance the long lever
reaching out over the bin. If it only
could be held! If the trap-door were
kept closed 1T would keep back the
grain, and the superintendent might be
saved.
The stranger below had nearly closed
| the thick door. In a memept he would
pull the slender rope.
She looked at the lever. A weight on
the end over the bin would prevent the
traps moving; there was but one way
to accomplish it-she must hold it her.
self.
On hands and knees she climbed to the
edge of the bin; then, reaching far out
on the pole which moved the door, she
took firm grasp. A little tremble told
her that the door had been closed by
the stranger, and she fearlessly swung
Off
The slender pole bent and swayed
with her weight, and she shuddered lest
the lever should still work. If it did
she would be swept down into the abyss
over which she hung helplessly, and
the stream of grain pouring upon her
would mean death to her as we'll as to
the superintendent.
Her small, thin arms and hands were
weak. Already the muscles of he.
wrists were aching with the strain.
Twitch! went the lever. The assassin
was jerking the rope. Again and again
she felt the jerk, but still the little pole
| did not rise with her enough to loosen
1 the trap-door. Although the whole af,
| fair had occupied but a moment, ii
seemed to have been hours. In On In.
slant longer she must loosen her hold
and then
The man was evidently growing i'm,
patient, and she felt jerk Of unusual
power. There followed q cracking
sound; the lever broke, and she was
falling through the darkness, the broken
, piece of the lever still in her hands.
AS soon as she realized anything fur,
ther she was sliding down an Inclined
plane of wheat, and a mans voice, that
| OF the superintendent, was saying some.
thing to her
Far above they could see the CLEAN
of the electric light streaming over the
edge of the bin, with flour dust floa ting
in like notes in a sunbeam.
II saw him throw you in" sebbed the
child, FAN now they'll cover us both!'
"Ne, they won t." answered the super.
intendent. "The trainmen will have to
fix the lever first, and they'll look about
| to see what's the matter"
Presently the door through which he
had fallen was opened, and lantern
was swung In, followed in moment by
n trainman's head
"Hello!" called the man. "Whats the
matter down there?"
| "I'm in here! It's Grlswold," the SUI,
perintendent answered.
Annie heard smothered excla1na.
ton Of astonishmentf from the man. He
summoned help; ropes were brought,
and soon both she and Mr.. Griswold
were drawn up from their perilous po-
sition.
The experience of the night had added
many lines to tle superintendent face
and though he was relieved to find that
the robbers, foiled in the execution OF
their plans, had vanished without dis.
turbing the safe, the memory of what
he had suffered in anticipation remained
with him.
AS for Annie, the little "mill-sprite'
did not lack for rewards and praise
either from the mill-owners or from the
man whose life she had saved.-Youth's
Companion.