Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-02-06

~ Young man bowed viii
crestfsllsn air. mo time could
P:s's ! yo,I +: ....ss1,. h H.. e .ps:ass- a':n
he broke OF quite suddenly. q shall Ger
tainly set out wherever you wish, he went
on, more slowly, In an altered voice; and
l sincerely regret II I've unwittingly done
anything 70 annoy you In any way. The
fact IS the talk carried ME away. II va
art that mislsd ms / didn't mean, I'm
And even - he spoke, they whisked, nm
awares. into the darkness ofa tunnel.
CHAPTER IL.
rW0's coxPANY
Elma was Just engaged in debating with
herself internally how q young lady Of per-
travelling without . chaperon, ought to
behave under such trying circumstances,
after having allowed herself to be drawn
into miliar conversation
with . most attractive young artist, when
all of . sudden . rapid Jerk Of the carriage
against her will from this awkward dilem-
MIA. Something sharp pulled up their
train unexpectedly. She was sware of .
loud noise and q crash in front, almost in
~tan,aneonsly followed by = thrilling jar
"a low, dull thud-a sound OF broken
CASA gu ok. blank .stoppage. Next m
'ant she found herself flung wildly for
artist. for his part, wish outstretched
hands. was vainly e~ndeavoring to break the
5orce of the TALL for her.
All she knew for the first few minutes
Was merely that there had been an accident
to the train, and they were standing still
now in the darkness Ofthe tunnel.
For some seconds she paused. and gasped
hard FIR breath nnA triad In vain n rocoll
her scattered senses. Then slowly she
sunk back OIL the seat ono more, vaguely
conscious hat something terrible had hap
pened to the train, but that neither she
nor her companion were seriously injur-
ed.
Warning bent forward toward her with sym
pathetic kindliness.
You're not hurt, 1 .hope."
he said, holding out one hand to
help hes rise. Stand up Q minute, and see
if you're anything worse than soy srely
shaken. No? That's right, then! That's
we'll, rs far ss it goes. But I'm afraid the
on you"
Elma stood up, with tears gathering fast
in her eyes. She'd have given the world to
cry now. tor the jar had half-stunnsd her
and shaken her brain; but before the artists
face she was ashamed to give FREQ play to
her feelings. So sho only answsred, in .
careless sort oftOne.
"Oh, it's nothing much, I think. Ny
head feels rather queer; but I've
no bones broken. A collision. l suppose.
Oughtn't we to get out at Once and see
what's happened to the other psopls?"
Cyril Warning moved hastily to the door,
and, letting down the window, tried with y
outside. But the door wouldn't open. As
often happens in such accidents, the jar
had damned it. He tried the other side,
and with some difficulty at last succeeded
in forcing it open. Then he descended
cautiously on to the siX-foot-way, and held
out his hand to help Elma from the
carriage.
1t was no collision. he "a " ut once, but q
far more curious and unusual accident.
Looking ahead through the tunnel, all
was black as night. A dense wall Of earth
seemed to block and ill in the whole space
in front of them. Part OF one broken and
shattered carriage lay tossed about in wild
confusion o II the ground close by. Their
own had escaped, All the rest was dark,
ness.
In a moment. Cyril rightly OWNED what
must nave happened to the train. The root
of the tunnel had caved in on top OF it. At
least one ~carriage-the one Immediately in
front OF them-iiad been crushed and shat
tered by the force of its iali. Their W
WIS tHc lASt, dtlu ~ tIuu DcSIi SdFCO as II ny
. miracle. 1t lay Just outside the scene OF
the subsistence.
One thought rose instinctively at once in
the young mans mind. They must first
see il anyone was injured in the other COM
partments, or among the debris OF the
broken carriage; aud then they must make
tor the open mouth of the tunnel, through
which the light of day still cleaned bright
He peered in hastily at the other three
windows. Not q sou in any one Of
the remaining compartments 1t was
. very empty train, he had noticed
himself, when he got in at Tilgate;
front compartment OF their carriage, a fat
old lady with a big black bag, had bundled
out ut Chetwood. They were alone in the
tunnel at this end of the train, at least; their
sole duty now was to make haste and save
themselves.
He gazed overhead. The tunnel was
bricked in with All arch on top. The way
through in front was blocked, of course by
the fallen mass OF water-logged sandstone.
He glanced back toward the open mouth. A
curious circumstance. half way down to the
opening. attracted at once his keen and
practiced eye.
Strange to say, the roof at one spot was
not q true arc OF u circle. 1t buiged slight
ly downward. in a tiattened arch, as il
III ~ ~ WIZ Nv VAS NJ o~tA III
hard upon it. Great heavens! What was
this? Another trouble in store! He looked
again. still more earnestly, and stared with
horror.
In the twinkling of un eye his reason
told him, beyond the shadow Of a doubt,
what was happening at the bulge, A sec
ond TALL was just about to take place close
by them. Clearly, there We're two weak
points In the roof oil the tunnel.
One had already given way in front;
the other was OH the very eve OF
giving way behind them. If it fell, they
were Imprisoned between two impossible
walls OF sand and earth. Without nne in
stant's delay he turned and seized his conn
panion's hand hastily.
"Quick! quick!' he cried in . voice Of
eager warning. "Rnn, run Tor your life to
the mouth of the tunnel! Here, come!
You've only justine! It's going, its go
ing!"
But Elma's feminine instinct worked
quicker and truer than even Cyril Warnings
manly reason. She didn't know why; she
couldn't sayhow; but in that one invisible
moment OF time she had taken in and
grapsed to the full all the varying ter
rors of the situation. Instead OF
running, however, she held back
her companion with q nervous force she
could never before have imagined herself
capable vi exertsnG.
Ito be continued.)
Lr