The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-03-26

AVA WV MINI 4 ~ no fuzsAss
s1(S, u o'slock, b6s ws coda lSsp 10
oogM q tps t,qs, q my wSsdh had
By, and still old lin ~, with rigid faos
and stAstng eyes, SlSsping biz burden. In
srsaW ssiss. at Last !: spoke '
How long Gan we hold out, Mr.. Car
sonf I'm feared to go. I've been q god
less nan all my time
THAT reused me. examined our posi-
ton carefully. The passage was about
/ eight yards wide at this point and mea-
sqfcd about 20 PAGES from the end to
where that solid wall Of coal blocked our
path to the outer world. As the bore ran
level with the foot Of the north shaft, we
were about 40 feet below the clear surface.
We had no food, and our lamps would
burn, say, another five or six hours, while
the breathing air, hot and gaseous already,
would probably become uncomfortable before
the evening came. That was our situa-
tion, and let any man conceive worse II
he can. One slender chance Of escape at
the best was left. Perhaps the entire
passage was not blocked, and we might
force our way to the main gallery. / was
not afraid Of death In the way that 1t
comes to most people, but was afraid to
meet and struggle with 1t there. We
sprang to the task, wild at the thought
that those few hours Of stupor might have
made all the difference.
"You can guess what happened and
why, after long spell of fighting to break
through that horrible wall, old Jim threw
himself down with groan and refused to
go on. As fast as we loosened one mass
another crashed down in It's place. At the
end of our desperate attempt we were half
choked and blinded with dust, our hands
were raw, and we had made scarce any
Roadway. Barely, too, had we given up
the work as hopeless when my lamp flick
cred out. Half an hour later old Jim's
followed suit.
"Total obllvionl As sat and contem-
plated our fate faintness of mingled hun
ger and despair crept over me- Young
Jim, quite still, was propped up against
me sat his father. At times he would start
up and shrek out in nameless terror; at
others he would catch up his pick and
hack at the walls with the fury of maniac.
And worse was to come.
uuiuh luubb nave Idlut6u. 10 nOG
seem to recollect any more until the mo-
ment when l became conscious of my
mates hard breathing over me, and Of the
fact that his hand was feeling, or 80 It
seemed, for my throat. / dashed him
away, painting under the shock of this new
horror.
'Jim,' gasped, for heavens sake,
keep sanel If we're to go, let us die like
menu
mo answer. I heard him crawling
away, and that was all. The dead silence
was only broken by faint trucking sound.
Trickling2 Yes. I put my hand to the
level and found half an inch Of water.
And hotter and more sitting grew the at
lnosphere. Praying hard to myself, 1 real
lied now that should no help come, only
few hours could lie betwixt us and tho
end. And then-old Jim might 90 first,
and should be left. Nay, was already
practically alone. The fear that was slow |
whitening my hair had turned old Jim's |
brain.
"Hc suddenly sent up peal of delirious
laughter. 'Water Who says waterp
Why, mates, Pm swimming in It'll Here's
gop
Presently he began creeping round to
find me. could hear him coming by his
labored respiration and the swishing Of
the ooze as he moved. Round and round
the space we went stealthily, until at last
he made cunning rush and caught me by
the ankles. Got himP He yelled 1t with
glee that was unmistakable.
Mere words could never convey the SEN
sation Of that moment. Half sutfocated,
past all ordinary fear, l closed with my
poor old mate, and we went staggering to
and fro across our prison until at last
managed to throw him so that his head
struck heavily against the wall After
that he lay quite still. / believed ct the
time that / had killed him, but we knew
afterward that it was that blow which
preserved his reason.
1.-THE rest can be told In q few words.
After that ! lay there like ono in dream,
while the Presidential air slowly did its
work. Sometimes / fancied could feel
cool breezes blowing down on me, and at
others heard some one telling me to wake
up, for that the whistle had sounded at
the pits. How long lay 80 / can only
conjecture l really knew nothing more
until was reused by the sound of that
coal barrier crashing down before the picks
and spades of u dozen rescuers, and the
huhhub from DOZEN throats as they broke
into our tomb.
"Only just in time Old Jim's face was
only just out of the water and they said
hat no human being could have lived in
hat atmosphere for another two hours
And Young Jim-well, there was just
'nough life left in him to last three days
IT'LL the end Of that third day kept to
ny bed, and then they sent to say that he
vas going, but that he wished to see mo
irst reached the house just in time to
atch his last whisper
You-youll take her, mattel Marry
er-no one else Only-only, you'll let
ny ring stay there. Promise-me--that'
What could do but promise2 ! had
10 thought then of marrying his sweet
cart. But it was his dying wish, and for
ears Jim and l had been like brothers
"Just year later I asked her If there
7as room in her heart for me, and--and
well, that's enough. Now you know
Thy my wife wears two wedding rings"
London Tit.Bits