Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-11-12
CHAPTER Nv.
THE LEGEND OF THE HEART

OF cracks"
AS these last words left his lips a
piece of stone, the size of child's
head, fell from above almost at his
feet.
''speak SOFTLY" whispered, "the
ring Of your voice is bringing down
Then stopped to pick up the fallen
stone, thinking that it might show ore,
and, as did SO, my hand touched
something sharp, which l lifted and
held to the candle. 1t was the jaw
bone of man, yellow with age and de.
senior, and, kneeling down, we ex-
amined the bed of the tunnel together,
and not uselessly, for there we found
the remainder of the skull and some
fragments of an arm-bone, but the rest
OF the skeleton lay under the great
bowlder in front of us.
HE was coming out OF the mine
when the rock fell upon him, poor,fe
low," whispered the senior. Look
here" and he pointed to little heap of
something that CLEANED in the candle,
light.
1t was free gold, six or seven ounces
Of it, almost pure, and for the most
part in small nuggets that once were
contained in bag which had long since
rotted away.
Doubtless, after the mine was closed,
some Aztec, who knew it's secret, had
made practice Of working there for
his own benefit, till one day as he was
coming out the rock fell upon him and
crushed him, leaving his spirit to haunt
the place forever.
'.There is no doubt about the mine
being rich" whispered the senior; "but,
all the same, think that we had bet
ter get out of it. hear odd noises and
rumblings which brighten me. Come,
Ignatio," and he turned to lead the way
towards the opening.
Two PAGES further l saw him strike
his shin against piece of rock that
floor bed of the tunnel, and the pain OF
the blow was SO sharp that, forgetting
where he was, he called out loudly.
Next instant there was curious
sound above me as of something being
torn, and lol lay upon my face on
| the rock, and upon me rested q huge
mass of stone.
say that it rested upon me, but this
is not altogether true, for, had 1t beer
so, that stone would have killed me al
once as beetle is killed be
meath the foot of a man, instead of talk
| ing more than Internationally years tt
do it. The greater part of its weight
was borne by the piece of rock agains
which the senior had struck his leg, {
point Of the fallen bowlder only press
ing into my back and grinding m.
against the ground. Now we were il
darkness, for the senior had beer
knocked down also and his candle ex
tinguished, and, in The midst of my tor
lures, it came into my mind that mus
be dead.
Presently, however, heard his voice
saying: "Ignatio, do you live, Ignatio?
Now l thought for moment, ant
even in my pain | remembered tina
more of the roof would surely civ,
ere long, and that if my friend stayet
here he must die with me. Nothing
could save me; ! was doomed to SLOW
i death beneath the stone; and yet il
go. Therefore | answered us strongl,
as could.
ely, senior, am safe, and do blu
stay to light candle. will follow
YOU"
''You are lying to me" he answered
"your voice comes from the level of tn
floor" And as he spoke l heard tn
scratching sound of a match.
So soon as he fonnd his candle an,
lit it, he l1nelt down and looked at me
Then he looked at the roof above, an,
following his glance with difficulty
saw that next to the hole whence tn
bowlder had fallen hung huge blocl
of stone, that trcnbled like a lea
whenever he moved or spoke, SUI
rounded by great cracks from whicl
water dropped.
For the love Of God, fy!" whis
pered. SIN few hours it will be owe
with me, and you cannot help me, ar
a dead man; do not stop here to shar
my fate"
For moment he seemed to hesitate
then his courage came back to him, an
he answered hoarsely:
"We entered this place togethe,
friend, and we will go out together, Q
not at AL. You must be fixed by til
rock and not crushed, or you woul
not speak of living for hours. Let m
examined the fallen rock by the ligh
of the candle. "Thank God! there
hope" he said at last, ''the bowlde
rests upon the ground and upon tn
stone against which | struck my lee
for only one point of it is fixed in you
back. DO you think that anything
broken, Ignatio?"
II cannot say, senior. my pain is gres
and ] lam being slowly crushed to deatl
but believe that as yet my bones a,
whole. Fly, senior, beg Of YOU"
81 will not" he answered, sullenl,
IT am going to roll this rock off YOU p
Then, lifting with all his gres
strength, he strove to move the ston
but without avail, for it was bcyon
, the power of mortal man to stir it, an
: all the while the black mass tremble
above his head.
81 must go for help" he said pre-
emily.
"Yes, yes, senor," I answered; &c
for help;" for knew well that befol
he could return with any, more
the roof would have fallen shutting n
in to perish by inches, or perhaps crus
ing the life out of me in mercy. The
remembered, and added:
"Stay moment before you go; W
are noble. l will give you somethin
Feel here round my neck, there is
little chain-now draw it over II
head-so. You see token hangs to
If ever you are in trouble with the i
dams, take their chief man apart al
show him this, and he will die for W
II need be. y