The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-03-18
IX.
THE EAR OF THE MOUNTAIN.

Ringbrand began the new day with a
drink of water scooped up by hand
fuis from the pool in the crevice, and
then walked the length of the cavern to
get glimpse of the sky. just beneath
the well-Iike opening he stumbled upon
a small package wrapped in piece of
dirty paper. Opening it eagerly, as a
message from the outer world, he felt
like shouting upon finding that it con-
tanned substantial meal of corn pones
and fried bacon. Hunger knows no
ceremony, and, so it be sharp enough,
has little regard for the quality and no
curiosity as to the source of that which
nppeases it's cravings. Ringbrand ate
r;.venously and with the keen relish of
one who has abored fasting, but he was
thoughtful enough to save portion of
the bread and meat for greater necessi-
ties, wrapping it carefully in the paper
and coneealing it in niche in the rock.
Goodness knows where that came
FROM" he said, land goodness knows
when I'll get any more; therefore it
hefits me to hoard it. I'll never be
afraid of making things too opportune
in story after this; nothing short of
miracle could have been more timely
than this unaccountable breakfast.
And il asks for more guessing. Who
brought it? Who knows I'm here?
Clearly, no one but these murderous
! Eynums And why should they feed a
st:;i n.dn? All. | have it! it's the wom-
an-she knows I'm in here, and she
| doesn't know the rest. And if that's
he explanation, must have been
wrong in my reckoning; the hammer
ing yesterday was in the McNabb tun-
ael, and that crack is the place where 1
lost the pick; I'll take another look
and see if can't find it,"
"Looking" for the implement in ques-
zion was mere figure of speech, since
the critical search was prosecuted
wholly through the sense of touch, pro-
jected into the end of divining rod
made of bits of twigs spliced together
by threads taken from the rope. 1t
was trial of patience, but patience
was rewarded in the end, as it usually
is; and when he had succeeded in locat-
ing the coveted object he set about de-
vising some means of securing it. The
rope solved this problem, but no wild
horse of the prairies was ever harder
to lasso than was the inanimate COM
binatiop of wood and steel lying quietly
gt the bottom of the fissure. AS in the
former case, however, patient effort
finally conquered, though the after
noon shadows were filling the cavern
with warnings of the approach of night
before Ringbrand had added the pick
to his available resources. He had
thought of no definite plan for using it
in the struggle for freedom, but the
first suggestion was that he might now
be able to cut a series of steps up the
wall like those in the adjoining cham
ber. short half hour of arduous toll
convinced him of the futility of this
hope, and he stopped to rest his weary
, arms.
"Fhat's no CO." he said, examining
the rude notch hewn out with such in
finite labor; I'm not a stonecutter,
whatever else may be; and dull pick
isn't mallet and chisel, by long odds.
If that's the best | can do with n good
foothold and both hands to work with,
il says itself that / couldn't dig out of
here in. a week. wonder if ! couldn't