The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-02-22

BY the smoky faro Of the lamp he could see that
he was standing in q natural tunnel.
that it has been used, too, and some one
has taken deal OF trouble to make it
available. l wonder if there's any other
way out of the place? Isuppose there
isn't"
He rose and walked across the cham
Der to the point where the crevice ap-
peared to continue it's way into the
mountain. There was a narrow slit
showing that the cleft extended still.
farther, but the contracted passage was
only few inches in width. Fastening
the hook of the, lamp upon one of the
points of the pick, he pushed the light
into the crevice as far as he could reach,
and by this means was able to discern
the dim outlines of another chamber
similar to the one in which he was
standing In moving the light about
to get better view, the lamp tunbled
off and rolled out of reach: and in en-
deavoring to recover it with the pick
the point of the latter became so firm
ly fixed in q crack in the rock that
he was unable to extricate it. THAT
was q bright thing to do" he said,
pausing to wipe the perspiration from
his forehead. II suppose it would have
been all the same if my life had depend
cd upon that trumpery excuse for a
light. Fortunately, can get out either
way without it..
He elected to go back by the way he
had come, and when he was once more
in the open air he found that he had
just time to walk back to Tregarthen
before dinner. On the way down the
mountain he debated with himself as
to whether it were best to tell Ludlow
of his discovery at once. There was no
apparent reason why he should not
do so, but he argued that there was
also no occasion for haste; g, delay OF
few days could make no difference.
and in that time he might be able to
gather additional information which
would fit into the discovery and SO
make it more valuable. Taking this
view of the matter, he determined to
say nothing to Ludlow about the exist
ence of the crevice-cave; and in reach
ing this conclusion he forged the first
link in a chain that was to bind him
at time when he would have given
life itself for an hour of freedom.
Passing the furnace on his way to the
village, he called for Ludlow, and they
walked home together. In answer to
his friends question, ,Ringbrand replied
that he had spent the forenoon on the
mountain. GIVE been thinking about
the story you told me this morning"
he added "Can't' you give me more of
the details?"
ssAbout the feud, you mean?"
Eyes
Ludlow complied by giving minute
account of the rise and progress of the
vendetta, repeating his suspicious
about the agency of the Bynums in re-
tarding the work of the McNabb.
what reasons have you for suspect
ing tlem?'' asked Ringbrand.
mo one else had any motive for in.
terfering with us. and am sure that
some one blew down the roof of the
tunnel more than once
How can you be sure of that? ?"
81 saw the marks of the blasts, and I
smelled black powder: our workmen
were using nothing butdynamite. Be-
sides questioned some of the people
living in the valley near the McNabb, !
and several of them had heard the ex-
plosions."
ibid you have the tunnel guarded
at night?'
NO; didn't reach any conclusion