Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1900-10-17
The DUEL
IN THE DEEPER PIT.
A Thrilling Struggle In
he SoVSS X 60 Lard.
Bf hasSl SHN0gRFORTH

c~O~O-'-o-''o-'-o--O C-"O-.o-s Go o-.-o-.c
Ii came upon IN, like the shot OF =,
bullet wound. The ching WAS imposs
Die 10 refute; il was real The ui.k.i
plated revolver was In the miidewed
locker wher" g." said should hnd il.
Nalpy was mad His mania wa
homicide
The ne' Wa.ch his maniac cunnln g
had spun around my life seemed os
such malignant strength and grip tha
no human Effort could win .nc clear d. 4,
It's tots
For awhile was SO stunned by IT.
discovery that Valpy's letter huttered
from my fingers 10 the coaly mud Of
the noOr, and the fiuttering tnllow can
dle. with It's stepping OF clay. thren,
ened 10 follow H. Peril OF lie is no
great novelty To me. Ii was not So
much the physical danger which caus-
I'd my head 10 whirl then as the shock
or the other discovery. Nalpy had beeM
my friend for more than 81 years. We
had known one another In salon ana
cSr eamafH derie had run it's course
wtth never a hitch. and now he dc
manded my life for an ofrense which
could never In possibility have existed
lie said I'm the bitter letter which he
eft me TO read that / had alienated
aim from the affections OF his wife.
Why, the man had no wife
This challenge OF his was no sudden
spasm. | saw that he had been con
irving for weeks TO pin me 50 that J.
must fight him. He had laid his plans
with consunmate skin: laid them, too
in the full sight or myself. and vet
never allowed me n gIeam or glimmer
OF his real object till the time was full
and ripe for doing so
He had found the advertisement in
The Daily Courier. as IL were by acci-
dent. before my very eyes. and after
we had talked chaffingly about IL dur
ing a lazy afternoon II was actually
this that suggested his taking up this
pit which was offered for lease.
"D'you know. Calvert" he had said
I've the deuce OF good mind to fol
low your advice. I'm getting rather
bored with wandering over the globe
doing nothing. 1t sounds fascinating
10 have an occupation In life. and the
idea OF being a colllery proprietor is to
a man or my antecedents distinctly
bizarre-that is. attractive. Honestly.
II this place turns out to be anything
like the advertisement states | believe
I'll go IN for II. VIII you come with
me when l 20 TO prospect?"
l.A 10,
the succeeding days he was as full Of
the mine as child with ITS first
Schoolboy hobby. Our rooms were lit
tered with plans. tables. reports and
specimens. The smuggled Tauchnitz
novels had disappeared. the bookcase
was REINFORCED by technical literature
Of a new genus. Everything about the
mine was dinned into my ears about
20 times day. 1t was I'm the neigh
borhood OF n shallow seam OF coal ~
Gently worked out. The shaft per,-
trated lower than this and was know
rs the deeper pit. For years II had
been unworked. flooded. Now the wa
Ter had drained away OF its own ac-
cord-aS mine water does once in Z
thousand times-and the workings
were ready for the GOLFERS pick. The
royalties surrounding the original
workings could be obtained readily
and cheaply. Altogether II was n most
desirable property TO secure.
So the rusted engine on the pit bank
was cleaned. a wire rope rove over the
sheave In the derrick and the heavy
iron cage bent 10 Its end. On q day
appointed Valpy and l came to Brom-
lope to make the descent.
There Is a slight feeling of exultation
when one drops down the shaft
through which living man has not pen
etrated the entrails OF this planet for
over 10 years. and this feeling exhila-
rates. The cage descended slowly.
screaming and grating along the rust
ed guide iron. and In matter OF many
minutes landed us on platform of
ebony bog left by the receding waters.
With our candles thrust out at shoul-
der height we stepped of the floor OF
the cage, plodding heavily through the
mud. The gallery was low enough To
make us crouch our heads. The Oil
was chill and moist. Presently we
came to n small oblong cavern whicl
formerly had been the colliers' draw
Ing room and eating chamber. Valpy
went In drst. asking me TO remain in
the gallery.