The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1896-05-28

copyright 1895. by J. B. Lippincou Col
They were silent again, and King
brand smelled tobacco smoke. He stood
Inotionless in the darkness. trying to
think of some way in which the cold-
blooded plot could be frustrated, there
seemed to be but one way, and his de-
sire for vengeance cooled a little as he
thought of it, but he crept into a posi-
ton where he could command the widest
range of space in the other chamber,
and watched for the men to cross the
narrow field OF vision on their way back
10 the mine. It seemed hours before
they spoke again, and then the gruffer
voice said: 81 don't believe that thar
lamps gwine out, Buddy" ssa
81 reckon hit air, for Shore" was the
reply; s"but hit don't make no diff
ence; VEAL can fin the way without
hit" $40 VA t3E
A little later the light faded and flick
cred and then went out leaving behind
it darkness that was almost tangible,
and Ringbrand's heart sank as he real
lied that one chance of saving Hester's
father and brother was gone. 1t was
only chance, he knew, for the noun
taineers were two to one, and he'was
not enough of marksman to be sure of
disabling even one of them; neverthe-
less, he had made up his mind to fire
upon them when they came again in
view, trusting to the shortness of the
range to offset his lack of skill with the
weapon.
~ He thought he heard them when they
: left the chamber, and again, after what
seemed an interminable interval, there
was faint rustling such as might have
been made by the two men climbing
out of the cave. The correctness of this
last supposition was confirmed short
ly afterward by the dull rumble of a
distant explosion. and the listener knew
that another of the mysterious attacks
had been successfully made on the
working in the McNabb mine. K
With the certainty that the men had
left the cavern, and that with their dis
appearance his only chance of prevent
ing the-terrible conclusion of their plot
had taken fight, Ringbrand sat up and
strove fiercely to concentrate his mind
upon some expedient that would free
him in time to enable him to warn the
Latimers. For awhile the awful re-
sgonsiBilty resting upon him pushed
him sol near, to the edge of distraction
that connected thought was an impos-
sibility, and he got up and tramped up
and down the familiar limits of his cell
in q feverish agony of helplessness.
Then his brain cleared again, and one
plan after another was considered and
rejected The sandstone was compare
lively soft-could he not dig through
to the other chamber?-yes possibly
but it would take too much time. The
other end of the cavern was filed with
broken rock and earth which had fallen
into the crevice from above--could he
not dig enough of this down to make il
possible to climb out on the heap of de-
bris?--undoubtedly, in time, but the
finding in the mass of single bowldel
too large to be loosened might cost the
lives of two men. No, there must be ne
more experiments.
At last, when the travail of sugges
tion had become well-nigh unbearablt
in its hopeless insistence, he stumbled
over the log; at the same instant, az
if the shock had opened the door of hi
understanding, a possible solution o
the problem, clear and distinct in ever.
detail, flashed upon him like an inspira
ton, and he threw himself down upol
the sand to watch for the coming of thu
daylight, praying with what faith ther'
was in him for strength and dexterit.
to enable him to earn his freedom quick
~. 8A k8~s 1