The record-union., 1897-09-19

face and smiled; then in few min
utes he seemed to get clear about what
had happened, and said, pretty weak
~, THANK Cod"
The boys let him lie still a few min
utes more, but pretty soon they thought
they must get him home, where he
could be taken care of; so they lifted
him up, and with George holding him
up on one side and his wife on the
other, he moved slowly along TO the
mouth of the tunnel; and l came along
behind with Joe, not feeling much more
than able to walk myself When~we
came out into the light Henry looked
across, just as 1 had, to see if his cab
in was there He hadn't asked any
questions; seeing his wife there safe
and sound, I suppose he thought the
rest could wait But when he got out
into the sunshine, and saw his little
home standing there as peacefully as
he had left it in the morning, and the
hillside and trees all quiet in the light
from the sun low down in the west,
and the Sacramento Valley away off
below the river winding and shining
through it like a silver ribbOn-every-
thing bright, and quiet, and safe, as
we never really had supposed we'd see
it again-he looked around little with
out saying anything, and then he just
stopped and insisted on lying down
right there on the trail; he didn't care
about going a step further. His wife
sat down beside him, and took his
head in her lap again, and he shut
his eyes. as softly as a baby and went
To eli n
around him. He was simply worn out.
The boys didn't like to wake him, up,
for he needed sleep more than any
thing else; but after while they got
him to the house and to bed; and, it
didn't take either Of us many days to
be as fresh as ever, for we hadn't a
serious hurt between us-and a miracle
that we hadn't, for we might just as
well have had a head or an arm broken
by the pieces of slate as a. lot of skin
cuts; and if either one Of us had been
disabled We never should have got out
alive.
But itvwas curious thing that after
we were perfectly we'll again, strong
mem as we were, and used to dangers,
it was a month before either of US
Ecould get our nerves straight again
1t was a good, month before Henry
could go into the mine again, and
was about as bad We both got over
it, though, andI stayed at Mad Mule
year or so more, and left because
it seemed to be giving out, and the
prOprietors got discouraged With it. At
terWard new leads were struck, and
it is a good little mine still; and Henry
is working right there to this day
But there was a very strange thing
that happened about him, and I don't
know whether people would believe it.
You read about mems hair turning
white in a single night; we'll, his didn't
turn white-the hair he had already
stayed dark, but all that grew after
that came out white and stiff. 1t made
him dock strange, with his eyes bright
and keen, shining like Goals, and his
hair white as snow; it make him look,
even to strangers, like a man that has
been through some queer experience.
1t didn't affect me as it did Henry
perhaps because I was much older,
and had been through so much al
ready But of all the close shaves L
have had, by sea or land-and l have
had a good many-I never felt about
any as I did about that temblor. The
others were interesting adventures to
remember and to tell once they were
over; this one I never could recall ex-
cept solemnly - the horrors of the
mountain grinding and crashing to
pieces over us, buried alive in it; awful
darkness and suffocation; the knowl-
edge of all the circumstances that
made our case really so desperate; the
great physical strain, and all-Henry
never would speak of it afterward, and
I don't often care to myself-F'red M.
Stocking, in the Overland.