The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1896-07-31
90 Nj.
THE BUILDING OF A STAIR.
copyright. 1905. by j. B. Lippineott Col

always certain to bear fruit after their |
kind. When Ringbrand flung himself |
) down beside the log to wait for the
dawn, he fully intended keeping awake |
. in order to take advantage of the earliest
eight for the beginning of the new en-
>deavor. So ran the alert determination;
suthewho watches may not lie quietly.
with closed eyes, and when Ringbrand
esprang to his feet out of a sound sleep
the morning was far advanced.
Repfoaching himself remorsefully
for his want of vigilance, he recalled the |
"details of the plan which had suggested |
itself in the night, and went Immediate
ly to work. He first ascertained half
the length of the log by measuring it
with the rope. and with the dimension
"thus obtained he gauged the varying
width of the cavern until he found a
point where the walls approached each
ether so nearly as tomalse the interven-
ing space correspond exactly with his
measurement.
The next step was to cut the log into
two pieces of equal length, and, drag
cling it out into the better light under
the aperture, he narrowly missed throw
ing it down upon another package of
food similar to the one found in the
. same spot on the previous morning. 1t
was a welcome surprise, and he stopped
work long enough to devour the hard
corn-bread and greasy bacon, thinking
that the sdaintiest breakfast ever
brought him by the well-trained waiter
. in the grill-room of his New York club
@ had not been eaten with n keener relish.
@ 1T must be the woman" he solilo- 4
quized; lit can't be anyone else; and if
these fellows have put their devilish
plot in motion I'll get no more rations
@ from that source, because they were to
send her away to-day. After all, though,
I don't know as it makes much differ
ence; if another night finds me still in
this hole l shan't care much what be-
comes of me-"
Putting the shadow of despondency
into words had the effect of defining it,
and he shook it off resolutely. "That'l
never do; there must be no ifs and ands
about it: I've just got to get out of here
while this daylight lasts"
He swallowed the last mouthful of
bread and fell to work again. beginning
to cut a groove around the middle of the
log by incessant and careful strokes of
, the pick. In turning the piece of
timber, he saw where the Inountaineer's
shot had plowed deep furrow in it,
and he knew then that the bruise on his
arm had been made by the glancing and
,half-spent bullet. He scarcely needed
the grim reminder, and as he bent patti
emily to his work he thought how quick
by the school of priyation and hardship
begins to impress it's lessons of indiffer-
ence upon the mind.
There are many things easier of ac-
complishment than the cutting in two
of siX-inch stick OF tough oaIs with the
Gull point of pick as a substitute for
an AK; and the muscles of Ringbrand's
back and arms were in painfulrebellion,
and his hands were sore and blistered,
long before the thing was done. AS n
college man, he had been rather fond af
athletics. and the training of the
university gymnasium, reaching up
through the everything years of Sc
dentary habit, gave him the power of
endurance and enabled him to keep
steadily at work in spite of the protests
of back and arms and hands; but this
did not lessen the acuteness of the pain,
nor did it dull the keen agony of appre-
Q hension that seized upon him as he saw
chow slowly the cutting progressed.
Notwithstanding his perseverance and
0 the feverish energy with which he
worked, the hands of his watch marked
o the hour of noon when the last remain
ing fibers of the wood gave way under
the blows of the pick, and, stopping
only long enough to get drink of water
. from the pool, he carried the pieces to
INT lott ,oI Io,,f hn mn
ment with the rope, and began to fit
one of them breast-high between the
vertical walls as the first round of his
ladder.
by Jovei talk about special provi-
dence-what chance would l have If
this bit of timber hadn't tumbled down
: here?" 1t was n comfort to think aloud
in the dead silence of the place. Now,
if l can wedge this so it will hold me"
A half-dezen trials went for nothing,
and he sat down to worry it out in
theory. Its too long-that's what's
the matter with it; but if 1 cut it off it
may be too short for the next place, and
that won't do. Let me see; wonder if
/ coslldn't dig little step for the lower
end"
He was on his feet again in a moment.
picking q shallow hole in the soft sand
, stone. The expedient answered the
purpose, and when the log was adjusted
he tried it, first by Titles and then by
climbing up and jumping upon it. 1t
held, and he forgot his aches and pains
in the exultant Joy of success.
THAT demonstrated if l can fit one.
] can fit the others. And I'll get the
hang of it presently. SOL can work
faster. at oughtn't to take more than
six of these to carry me to the top; six,
or possibly seven"-scanning the cleft
above him-"and I've got five hours or
such a matter to do it in. At that rate
it'll be dark when Ieget back to Lud-
lows; but that won't matter. An hour
will give me all the time want at Toms
and we can figure safely up to ten
O'Clock" Then the folly of planning
so far ahead while he was still in a
prison that for two days and n half had
resisted all his efforts to break it
struck him like the rebuke of task
master, and he slid down from the log
with mild imprecation pointed at
hiss own vagaries. That's just like
me-" he muttered, sending my imagin
alton across the river before the bridge