The times., 1897-03-24

carried into the store near by, and again
the great wheel groaned, and the empty
car dropped out of sight.
There was another weary wait-a wait
that tore the hearts of the watchers. Kate,
during all this time, except that viii b
she tried To comfort the women whose
husbands hadnot come up, remained, white
faced and calm, near the mouth OF the
shaft.
second time the signal came to hoist.
Up again the car rose, and the sulphurous
smoke puffs shot ahead. This time there
were fourteen men in the car-more than
it could safely hold These men were black
er and more burnedthan the others
Lower ut oncei Rufus Hinton is burned
and dying at the bottom of the first leveir
one of the men managed TO whisper, as he
was lifted out.
Kate gave a cry and would have Ieapcd
into the car, but bradford held her back.
Then why don't you go?" she cried; but
he made no response.
In the meantime the car was dropping
down with two volunteers ON board
Up again, and Kate's white face peere1
into the abyss for the last coming OF the
car.
How slowly the drum revOlvedl How
blistering hot the draughts came from the
pitt The engine stopped. The car was
up, and the two men who had gone down
to save the man who might have saved
himself at the expense of another's S life,
lay unconscious at the bottom.
They were quickly lifted out, then d
black and smoking heap was discovered
beneath them. 1t was Rufus Hinton.
The clot hes were burned to shreds.
The hands were blaCkened and blisteTed,
the wavy brown hair was erisped to the
skull, and there was hardly a feature
recognizable.
Take him to his own ROOM cried
Kate, when the men would have carried
him to the store
Black Hollow had telegraphic communi
cation with the outer world; this was
used to call doctors, and swift sleighS
were sent out to summon others.
Kate forced some stimulants between
the swollen, cracked lips of the man on
the bed 1.-TWO men dead at the store,
whispered some one. Rufus must have
= heard this for he gasped-duty still in
his mind.
Close the mouth OF the shaft-the
mine is on fire!''
When the two doctors came, Kate
withdrew TO the deserted ballroom. Dick
Bradford followed, and tried TO comfort
her.
'.sucn things will happen" he said.
s'It might have been worse. The great
fear is that the property viii be de
stroyeG."
Kate looked at him in a puzzled way,
but made no response. He would have
been less comfortable had she spoken
her thoughts.
When dawn came TO Black Hollow, DT.
Wilson, who had known Kate since the
hour of her birth, came TO her and said:
Another man would have been dead be
fore he left the pitt
But he VIII live:" she asked eagerly.
There is chance for it, but
but what, doctor?''
''It might be better for himself if tie end
came now"
What do you mean?''
Ellis hands are so frightfulIy burned that
they riag never be Of use and his eyes
His eyes?''
We'll, they appeared to be destroyed.
Poor fellow Crippled and blind, what is
life under such circumstances
at is everything to me-" she excl aimed.
81 have eyes and hands, if God answers my
prayer and saves him."
The doctor ooked at her admiringly, and
said:
'If Mr.. Hinton knew that 1t woul d do
more than all the doctors can to hold him
to life."
The shock told so on Peter Grier that
he was seized with apoplexy and died few
days after
Kate's character came out wonderfully
under the burden of her trials. In her duty
to the dead she did not lose sight of her
love for the living.
Rufus Hinton's mother and sister came
up to the mountains to nurse him. After
painful months he grew strong enough to
creep about, cropping his way In the house