Middletown transcript., 1897-06-26

! place, giVl3g orders here, sending Gl
d TVctiUH5 there, mixing ttt6 necessat
y preparations for going down mo lh'
b mine with methodic4l promptness.
n 'tNow then. my men," he called
Is standing on The platform at the mouth
of the shaft, .'who is ready to go witt
9 n.eP 1t is likely there are men down
here needing our help"
Q As he glanced over the crowd his
9 eyes net Ezra's, and a few seconds
later the sturdy long lmbed country
l lad stood in the case with half doz m
miners.
. The superintendent raised his hat as
3 signal to the engineer, and they drop
J ped swiftly into the grind, ,ssnoisome
darkness.
At tue foot of the shaft they found
a group of excited miners with inco-
herent and contradictory stories of
} what had happened. The superinten-
dent questioned them sharply for mo-
ment then hurried his men forward.
They went along the main gangway
for some distance, then turned down a
slope where the scattered debris, smash.
ed cars and broken timber, served as
trail to indicate the direction of the ex-
plosion.
Ezra had never been in coal mine
before, and the succession of black,
stifling galleries was like a hideous
dream. He grasped the lantern, Gov
cred with wire gaLz, aud kept his
place at Mr.. Rae's side. At length
they came to chamber showing such
a scene of wreck and destruction-fal-
len timbers and loose coal blackiDg the
way, pillars cracking and Grazing, the
rlof sqCe king, with huge blocks ready
to fail-that the miners paused and
said it was not safe to enter.
The superintendent turned authori-
lively.
"Mulhull is in there" he said. 81
want one of you to go with me.'
The miners muttered about the dead
ly after-damp, and pointed to the super
intendent's safety lamp where the fame
already gave evidence of the presence
of gas.
Zone hundred dollars to the man
who goes" announced the superinten-
dent. 81 can do nothing alone" No
one stirred. 1.-TWO hundred dollars. %
''Three hundred"
Ezra started. Three hundred dollars
was What he had expected 10 get for
his pork. He stepped forward and fol-
lowed the superinteE dent.
The dark hole ahead looked like the
very pit of death, and out of the black
ness Ezra seemed to ses Polly's face
shining, grieved and reproachful. The
lad felt suddenly mean and ashamed.
Should he be hired to be brave or take
money to help save mems lives? Polly /,
would be ashamed of him.
Ina flash he forgot his reasons for
being nary. "I'll go with you
for nothing, sir, he said to the super
intendent.
Mr.. Rae nodded and placed his fin
gers on his lips with warning gesture. :
He knew even loudly spoken word
might bring down some of the uns te- :
Die masses poised above their heads. !,
They made their way carefully, stoop- :
ing under leaning timbers, crawling on :;
heir hands and knees, all the time :
everywhere under the fallen r
props and masses of rock where the
'ody of man might be caught. Sud-
lenly the superintendent uttered low :.
Right at his feet the ).
light of his lantern showed the head
md shoulders of a man So burnt aud ),
,lackened as to be almost indistin-
!uishable from the heap of loose Goa / : :,
hat covered the rest of the body. The = :,
wo sprang fiercely to work digging :,
With their hands, lifting, pull
ng. Before they succet ded in freeing :.
lie body they were Joined by two Of :" :.
he miners. who had grown ashamed :.
+ their fears.
At length, stumbling and swaying =
Ike drunken men, half overcome by =
he noxious gas that had rapidly ac- 20
umulated, they bore the mangled, ,p-
arently lifeless body in the main gang
ray. There the current of air from ~ -,
ne ventilatiDg fans WIS like The breath -
new life. -
The "thers cant We get them oe
Iip" asked Ez 4.
Thank God, here are no olhers,n
us cred he superintendent. THAT
reast WAS rtmried unsafe for work. ID
lg. The fre-boss was directed to ~
lake an investigation and make ar -
lngement for displLcing the gas. b tb
here would have been no dang er, Tut III
ON this lantern which found be- tai
de him. he went in with naked pol
ght. He has paid the penalty for such an
.iminal recklessness, tho d. not al.
link he will die. 4"
When they got back to-day, dazzled,
nd blinking in the golden sunlight the Nj,
told Ezra to come to his Gu
fice that evening. AM
do,
So Ezra waited and told over and ~ IT,
J an admiring, awe-struek audience ror
The Sun the wonderful tale of his Ba
iyenturers in the mine. AS the time exv
,proached for his visit to Mr.. Rae's ]
lice he grew i'll at ease He dragged of
mself reluctantly along the street I o obs
. tall brick building feeling that the eig
.rdest task of his life was before him. d, Do
II had been trying day for snperin- bu,
ndent. He looked up wearily and !
as Ezra, with his hat YER l.
8 eyes, siouched awkwardly into his Iul
80 A.. <ft4o, -