Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-14

worse and I could not stand up In the
vault without feeling of the most pro-
found nausea. 1t was the nausea of de-
SPAR. II anybody ever has analysed just
ing the harm Of II, I would grope around
for the hammer and pound ony the door,
only to choke more and to hear the NUT
NED thuds OF the responses from the out
side.
Two feet from light and air and love
and life and utterly shut on from them
all. 1t was horrible to think of, and I
am sure a thousand times worse than IL
l had been enton5ed In a mine ten thou
sand feet deep or had been buried in the
sands of desert a hundred miles from
water and green trees. Slowly 1 felt my
strength going, and at last 1 could not
walls, to the knocking on the outside and
I sank to the floor with my head against
the cold steel wall between the light of
the world and the darkness of death. AS
lay there painting 1 heard the dull thud
of the beating on the outside, and it soon
came as beating of time, or rather eter-
nifty; measure of music to soothe me to
sleep, and 1 sank away into semi-con-
seriousness and seemed to be dreaming
You know. they say that when a man
is dying under unnatural or violent cir
cumstances all his past life comes back to
MIN, even In minute detail. 1t did not
quite appear to me that all my life was
passing in review before me in my dun
geon: but 1t did seem as If the youth of
was once again in that little telegraph
station on the Missouri river catching the
ciickety-click-click of the instrument on
my TABLE and which always seemed to me
as important as ships deck is to an adj
mlral seemed to be hearing the calls
OF operators all along the line but I gave
no response, and then the scene changed.
i as d H. ooes SO suddenly and unaccountably
~ dreams, and l was at my instrument in
the bank listening with all of a lover,
easefness Tor the first call of Kate Yer
non on over the wire had put up for her.
~ was very faint and far off. and
thlnk must have smiled as 1 bent INV
ear closer to the instrument to catch the
sound, having in mind my sweetheart Of
sre+ ooner END of the wire essayine her
nrst attempt in handling the lightning
for moment it was vague enou@h ,s.itb
It's modest little clickety-click-click huf all
r. I once IT seemed to say something to me.
l toula not distinguish at first, but pres
entity it took form and / could catct ~,
ear mad taught her. It was tho letter
IN, lepeated over and over again. lust as
a al operators do when they want some
respond promptly. Then it was rho .i.oL1
ety-cilck-cllck Of the letters thar forr,a,
my my, name and l smiled to think that az n
60 80 eai MN, nins 10 talk says mamma first,
o 81 Nate was saving first in this new Ian,
suase or the wires that she was Iaa
the name of her teacher
ar out there was something more than ,
a,,,, M the sensations was experiencing.
IMAM a dream. I knew that some sonnd
ntst De shaping my dream for me. ana
,Wlthout Knowing what was do
,ms ana Wit, with an odd feeling of the very
ments took up the hammer and sounded
my can TO Kate. In response to VIVA,
was nearing Instantly the CALI was re-
i pea,ea and my name followed Now I
seemed 10 throw off the nightmare. and
reused myself. Striking with the hammer
on on the door l called to Kate by name. end
tnen distinct enough. though muffled
a the ciickety-click-click on the cutter
uoor' ana Kate was telling me in the nys
ferrous manual of Morse A message 90
courage and hope Va
ANA what wonderful strength is homo
Now that had established communication
win the outside world, I took great cour-
age Immediately, though 1 did not un6er-
STAND just what or how 1 was going to do
TO be saved, for 1 confess that was NOT
very clear headed at this time. 1 thought
oniy OF telegraphing to ST. Louis for the
combination, and had actually sienaled to
nate 10 do so at once, and i would try to
keep up until word was received when to
my indignation. she laughed at me over
the wires, that is the door plate. and told
me to telegraph right then and there to her
what the combination was and she would
do the rest N
How plain and simple that was, and l
had never thought of it. Neither had /
thought of telegraphing to her from INV
prison, and 1t was only because she was a
woman that she ever thought of sending
word through that dull door to me with a
hammer She has since told me that some
men never will learn anything unless it is
hammered into them, and 1 rever saw a
word Anyway, when three minutes after
l had told her what the combina ton was
the door opened and fell forward into the
fresh air of the world of sunshine Kate
caught me in her arms and 1t was her
voice heard family and far off as / had
heard the clickety-click-click of her tap
ping that led me back to life and light and
love once more
And you lived happily ever after?'' in
quired, after so long a silence that 1 was
surprised at myself.
My boy" said the banker, earnestly
she has saved my life hundred times
since that, and 1 wouldn't trade her for all
the other women in the world. And when
she sees this story in print" he added
laughing, "I'll need to have my life saved
again, but she won't do it, I'll bet a horse
and harness"
She must draw the line somewhere"
said I.