The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-06-12
SHE'S ALL THE
WORLD TO NIE.
By HALL GAME,
author Of "Thc Mdarman," 1.-THE Deem
StCr," etc.
CHAPTER XIV


Macbeth.
The shaft of the old lead mine down
which Christian lcapcd was 40 feet deem.
yet he was not killed. he was not even
hurt. AT the bottom was 10 feet of water.
and this had broken his dreadful fall On
coming to the surface, one stroke in the
first instant of dazcd consciousness had
landed him on narrow lodge of rock that
raked downward with the seam. But what
was his position when he realized itY II
seemed to be worse than death ITSELF it
was living death; it was life in the arms
of deathi it was burial in an open grave
He heard steps overhead, and in the
agony of fear he shouted But the steps
went by like IA swift breath of wind, and
no one answered Then he reflected that
these must have been the footsteps of the
police Thank God they had not heard
his voice. To be rescued by them must
have been ruin more terrible than all.
Doubtless they knew of his share in to-
nights attempted crime knowing this,
they must know by what fatality he was
buried here, Christian now realized that
death encircled him on every side. To re-
main in this pit was death; to be lifted out
of 1t was death no less surely; to escape
was hopeless. He looked up at the sky.
1t was small square patch of leaden gray
against the impenetrable blackness of his
prison walls.
Standing on the ledge of rock and steady
ing himself with one hand he lifted the
other stealthily upward to feel the sides of
the shaft. They We're of rock and were
precipitous, but had rugged projecting
pieces on which it was possible to lay hold.
AS he grasped one Of these sickening
pang of hope shot through him and wound
ed him worse than despair But it was
swift. 1t was gone in an instant. The
piece Of rock gave way in his hand and
tunbled into the water below him with
hollow splash. The sides Of the shaft were
of a crumbling stone.
Now indeed he knew how hopeless was
his plight. He dare not cry for help He
must stand still as death in this deep tomb.
To attract attention would of itself be
death. To ramain down the shaft would
also be certain death. To climb to the
surface was Impossible. Christians heart
sank. His position was terrible.
This conflict of soul did not last long.
The heart socn chung to the nearest hope
Cry for help he must BE dragged ont Of
this grave he should, let the issue be what
it could or would. To lie here and die was
not human. To live in the living present
was the first duty, the first necessity, be
the price of life no less than future death.
Christian reflected that the police when
he heard their footsteps, had been running
to Lockjaw creek. 1t would take them
five minutes to reach it. When they rot
there and saw the boats on the shingle,
they would know that their men had es-
capped them. Then they would hasten
back. In ten minutes they would pass the
mouth of tn" shaft again. Five of these
ten minutes must have gone already. II
he were to be rescued, he must know
about when they ought to return, so that
he might shout when they were within
hail He remembered that their footsteps
had gone from him like the wind. The
long shaft and 60 feet of dull dead rock
and earth had carried them off in an in
slant
Christian began to reckon the moments.
His thoughts came too fast. He knew they
must deceive him as to time. Minutes in
this perilous position might count with
him for hours. He took out his watch,
meaning to listen for the beat of its sec
onds. The watch had stopped. No doubt
it was full of water. Christian heart beat
loud enough. Then he began to count
one, two, three But his mind was in a
whirl. He lost his reckoning. He found
that he had stopped counting and forgotten
the number. Whether five minutes or 90
had passed he could not be sure.
Hafkl He heard something overhead.
We're they footsteps those thuds that fell
on the ear like the first rumble of a distant
thundercloudy Yes, some one was near
him. Now was his time to call, but his
tongue was cleaying to his mouth. Then
he heard words spoken at the mouth Of the
shaft They rumhled down to him like
words shouted through hollow black pill
lar
Here men, said one, "let's tumble
him into the lead mine. No harm will it
do him now, poor craythur
But another voice, laden with the note
Of fearful agony, cried, "No, no, nor'
eve must do something. No time to
lose now. The fac's is agen us. Let's
make slant for it, anyway Lift again
up"
Christian shuddercd at the sound of hui
man voices. Buried, as he was, 60 feet
b'INltn tlle clItili OlVN Cdhle 10 INN llhC
the voice that the wind might make on a
tempcstuous night if, as it reached your
ear, it whispered words and fled away.
The men were gone. Christians blood
was chilled What had happened? Was
some one deadY Who was it, Christian
shuddcrod at the thought Of what might
have occurred if the dead body had been
tossed over him into the pit. Had the pu-
lice overstepped their duty? We're they the
potce2 Did he not remember one of the
voices, or bothP Christian $ cntempest soul
was overwhelmed with agony. He could
not be sure that in very truth he was CON
scious of anything that occurred
Time passed-hc knew not how long or
short-and again he heard voices overhead,
They were not the voices that he had heard
before.
They have escaped us, said one.
Their boats are gone from the creek
now. "
These then, were the police, and with
fresh flood of agony Christian realized
that the other men had been his friends.
What fatality had prevented him from cry
Ing aloud to the only persons on earth who
could in very truth have rescued and saved
himy The voices above were dying away.
"StopW cried Christian. Despair made
him bravo Enar ,nada hin, fptpiaSS Rut