Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-06-11
CHAPTER ".
THE LEGEND OF THE HEART.


When l had gone few PAGES down
the hole it widened suddenly SO that
were able to stand upright and light
our candles. Now there was no doubt
that we were in the tunnel of an old
mine. rudely-dug shaft that turned
this way and that as it followed the
windings Of the ore body.
Along this tunnel we went for thirty
or forty PAGES, creeping over the fallen
powders and twisting ourselves be-
tween the brown stalactites that in the
course of ages had formed upon the
roof and floor, till presently we reached
an obstacle that barred our further
progress. a huge mass OF rock, which at
some time or other had fallen from the
roof of the tunnel and blocked it.
looked at it and said:
Now, senior, think that we shall
have to go back. You remember the
writing tells US that this mine, al
though so rich, was unsafe because Of
the rottenness of the rock. Doubtless
they propped it in the old days, but
the timbers have decayed long ago"
s'Yes, he answered, 1--WE can do moth
ing here without help, and, Ignatio, l
don't like the look of the roof; it is full
of cracks"
AS these last words left his lips
piece of stone, the size of childs
head, fell from above almost at his
feet.
Speak softly" 1 whispered, 'the
ring of your voice is bringing down
the roof"
Then 1 stopped to pick up the fallen
stone, thinking that it might show ore.
and, as l did so, my hand touched
something sharp, which 1 lifted and
held to the candle. It was the Jaw
bone of a man, yellow with age and de-
cayed by damp. / showed it to the
senior, and, kneeling down, we ex-
amined the bed of the tunnel together,
and not uselessly, for there we found
the remainder of the skull and some
fragments of an arm-bone, but the rest
of the skeleton lay under the great
bowlder in front of US.
HE was coming out of the mine
when the rock fell upon him, poor fell
low" whispered the senior. Look
here" and he pointed to a little heap of
something that cleaned in the candle
light.
1t was free gold, six or seven ounces
of it, almost pure, and for the most
part in small nuggets that once We're
contained in bag which had long since
rottcd away.
Doubtless, after the mine was closed,
some Aztec, who knew it's secret, had
made practice of working there for
his own benefit, till one day as he was
coming out the rock fell upon him and
crushed him, leaving his spirit to haunt
the place forever.
There is no doubt about the mine
being rich" whispered the senior; but,
all the same, l think that we had bet
ter get out of it. l hear odd noises and
rum blings which brighten ne. Come,
Ignatio," and he turned to lead the way
towards the opening.
Two PAGES further I saw him strike
his shin against piece of rock that
stood up six or eight inches from the
floor bed of the tunnel, and the pain of
the blow was SO sharp that, forgetting
where he was, he called out loudly.
Next instant there was a curious
sound above me as of something being
torn, and 10! 1 lay upon my face on
the rock, and upon ne rested huge
mass Of stone.
/ Say that it rested upon me, bat this
is not altogether true, for, had it been
SO, that stone would have killed me at
once as = beetle is killed be-
meath the foot OF Il man, instead Of TAX
ing more than tvo-and-twcnty years to
do it. The greater part of its weight
was borne by the piece of rock against
which the senior had struck his leg, Il
point of the fallen bow1der only press
ing into lny back and grinding me
against the ground. Now we were in
darkness. for he senior had Keen
knocked down also and his candle ex-
tinguishcd. and in he midst of my tor
lures, it came into my mind that must
be dead.
Presently, however, heard his voice,
saying: ''Ignatio, do you live. 1gnatio?
Now l thought fer a moment, and
even in my pain l remembered that
moro of f1le roof yvo1,l6 surely give
ere long, and that if NY friend stayed
here he must die with me. Nothing
could save ne: | was doomed to Il slow
death beneath the stone: and yet if l
told him this l knew that he would not
go. Therefore | answered ae strongly
as could.
fTo BE CONTINUED