The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-10-26

back, though 1 nad salu Sooupy 10
him rs / went out, nor was there
any one i'll tho bank, and as sat a
nomenT 1T my own desk / noticed q
paper that had been left there by
mistake. l got up at once to put it
where it belonged i'll the safe, and
as / went into the vault 1 did not
observe that all tho books had been
put away, though l could hear old
Jock in the little room back telling
his boy about sweeping out.
"The paper belonged in Il pigeon
hole far back in tho vault and high
up, SO that was compelled to go up
a stepladder we kept there, and
about tho time had got myself hid
away in the shadow the big door
swung to, and could hear old Jock
turn the combination out of Joint.
yelled out, but it was too late, even
if the old mans ears had been sharp,
and l found myself in the disagree
able predicament of being shut up
in my own safe and no visible means
Of escape. At first it struck mo as
ludicrous. Then it became serious,
and in few moments had gone to
thinking as those people think who
are confronted with tremendous
moments i'll their lives. l soon de-
cided that my only hope of getting
out was through Miss Vernon, who,
when she returned, would naturally
inquire for me, and in this way old
Jock would in time discover that he
had shut me up in the vault. How
long it would be until Miss Vernon
returned or what chance of the old
man still being there when she
came now began to demand discus
sion in my brain, and for n minute
or two stood still in the thick
darkness and listened to my heart
beating. Then l rememb bered that
we always kept hammer in pi-
geonhOle near the door, and, cropping
around, found it and at once began
to pound ON the door. Immediate.
ly response came. but Of course
did not know who was giving is.
though evidently the boy. as the
old man could scarcely have heard.
This gave me hope at once, and !
Get up regular tattoo on the door
with my hammer. to ell Of which
came the responses from the out
aide. but it was not getting me out
OF my prison, and continent wad
becoming irksome.
''For the first time now heard
family the sound of human voices
calling to me, but it was as if they
were miles away, and l could not
distinguish whose they were,
though thought knew Kate's.
answered back, but the place was
SO thick and heavy that my voice
frightened me. and used the ham
mer instead of calling. Up to this
time had not thoroughly realized
what my entombment meant, but
now it came upon me that the only
man in town except myself who
knew the combination had gone
away for vacation to the seashore
and that with the door alright. OF
practically SO. I could not live q
very great while in the vault, Ger
tainly not long enough to hear from
either the clerk on vacation or from
the people from whom we had
bought the cafe in st. Louis. In
deed, if / stood it for two hours !
felt / would be doing well, for my
pounding had filed the little air
had with dust, and it was nearly
suffocating me. The pounding from
the outside increased the dust, too,
and, while l could prevent myself
from doing it and did stop, the very
fact of my stopping made those on
the outside pound harder, as if to
encourage me when, as they
thought, l was losing hope.
''This thought came to me with
shock so great that almost collaps.
ed. l caught at the sides of the
vault in the inky darkness, and for
minute l became deathly sick.
Following this came almost frenzy
to yell and howl and claw at the
door and scratch my face and tear
at my hair. had heard of people
| acting 50 and going mad when
lost in caves and such places, and ]
felt it coming on me in that dread
full hole. To add to the horrors Of
my situation, the air was growing
rapidly woIse, and could not stand
up in the vault without a feeling of
the most profound nausea. It was
the nausea Of despair, If anybody
ever has analysed just what that lie.
! At intervals, notwithstanding the
harm OF it, I would gTope around
for the hammer and pound on the
door. only to choke more and to
hear the muA1ed thuds Of the re-
spOnses from the outside.
''Two feet from light and air and
love and life and utterly shut off