Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1896-10-01
TIE nI.II nINE - A SrAIn

Good resolutions, backed by whatever
plea of advisability or necessity, are not
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
for the beginning of the new en-
b. Nvor. So ran the alert determination;
Sewho watches may not lie quietly
.ss-t - .~'.. eyes, and Wien -''i-Tur
sprsr eco ret or nj SOL ., s-rrp
the morning y IS faF al N.,.i.
Repro hing himself -CuoIse1ully
for his wani of vigilance, he recalled the
details of the plan which had suggested
itself in the night, and wen; Immediate
~ to work. lie first ascertained half
the length of the log by measuring il
with the rope, and with the dimension
thus obtained he gagged the varying
width of the cavern until he found a
point where the walls approached each
other so nearly as TO make the intcrven-
ing space correspond exactly with his
measurement.
The next step WIS to cut the log into
two pieces of equal length, and, drag
cling il out into the better light under
the aperture, he narrowly missed throw
ing 1t down upon another package of
food similar TO the one found in the
same sfc. oh 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 daintiest breakfast ever
brought him by the well-trained waiter
in the grill-rbGIa If his New York clp'
haF rot a-s- eaten with a keener relish.
Il mus 5e the woman" h Solilo-
oalzcd, -, can't 1e anyone else. and if
these fellows have put their devilish
plot in motion III get no more rations
from that source, because they were to
send her away to-day. After all, though,
j don't know as il makes much differ
night finds me still in
this hole l shan't care much what be-
comes of me-"
Putting the shadow of dependency
into words had the effect of defining il,
aud he shook it of resolutely. "That'u
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
10 cut 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 mountaineer's
shot had plowed a deep furrow in it,
and he knew then that the bruise on his
arm had been made by the CHANGING and
half-spent bullet. He scarcely needed
the grim reminder. and as he bent patti
entity to his work he thought how quick
~ the school of privation and hardship
begins to impress its lessons of indiffer-
ence upon the mind.
There are many things easier of ae-
copplishment than the cutting in two
<<N-inch stick of tough OAK with the
point of a pick as a substitute for
:; and the muscles of Ringbrand's
fand arms were in painful rebellion,
This hands were sore and blistered,
long before the thing was done. As a
, college man, he had been rather fond AZ
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 acuteaess of the pain.
nor did il dull the keen agony of appre-
hension that seized upon him as he saw
how slowly the cutting progressed.
Notwithstanding his perseverance and
the feverish energy with which he
worked, the hands of his watch marked
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 10 get drink of water
from the pool, he carried the pieces to
the point determined by the measure
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 Jove. talk about special provi-
dence-what chance would l have il
this bit of timber hadn't tumbled down
here?" 1t was a comfort to think aloud
in the dead silence of the place. ''Now,
If can wedge this so it will hold me"
A half-dozen trials went for nothing,
and he sat down 10 worry it out in
theory. Its too long-tbat's what's
the matter with it: but If cut ii off il
may be too short for the next place, and
that won't do. Let me see; wonder IL
couldn't dig little step for the lower
cpd"
e was on his feet again in moment,
sng a shallow hole in the soft sand
~, The expedient answered the
nd-shen the log was adjusted
.frst by Titles and then by
:. md jumping upon IL. 1t
- s-Rot his aches and pains
..rr 10y Of success.
80 -'sE. rstesit; II can fit one,
rrs. And I'll get the
lily. 30 can work
It TO take more than
go ty me TO the top; six
- T-scanning the cleft
i've got five hours OF