News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-04-10
CHAPTER VIII.
COMPLICATIONS.

Stuarthad known every foot of Cor
nishtown as boy and was familiar
even now with most of the curious lit
tie lanes and paths that cut it across
and tracked up and down the side of
the great hill like the marking of some
gigantic game. There was probably
no other place just like it in America
The prospecting holes were of various
depths. Some of them had caved in at
the sides and were shaped like old eel
lars or cisterns with masses of rub
bish at the bottom. Others were wells,
anywhere from 80 to 100 feet deep.
md especially dangerous in winter.
when the snow, lodging on bushes
growing about the shafts mouth, art
fully concealed the locality of danger,
1t was Stuart's first thought when he
Gained himself to think and act that
Rhena had attempted to make a short
cut by one of the miners paths from
Cornishtown to Champion and in the
dark and confusion caused by the
change which snow makes in the ap-
peaGance of old landmarks had STUN
biIu into one of the shafts. Under this
conviction he ran back to the house
where Rhena had been and from which
he had just come himself, and begging
a lantern, he started out on a path
which at first in his terror he had for
| gotten. He had followed it but little
way when the lantern revealed q small
| black object right in the center of the
path. He stopped eagerly and picked
| it up. 1t was a lady's winter glove
| trimmed with fur at the wrist. He
recognized it as Rhena's. He had seen
her wearing that kind of glove few
| days before. He placed it in his pocket
| and went on as fast as he dared, eager
and yet dreading with a horror he new
er felt before the possible discoveries
| he might make. The miner who had
come up with him had gone down to
| the settlement at Stuart's suggestion
to rouse others to come out and join in
the search. So he was alone up there
in the mysterious shadows of the pine
covered slope. Every step he took over
the small, barely defined trail was like
a step int an unknown land, and yet
he was conscious, even as he dwelt
with terror upon the strange adventure
so suddenly thrust upon him, of going
over that very path one warm summer
day when boy only 10 years old, and
the smell of the balsams as they gave
out their peculiar pungent odor in the
warmth of the sun seemed to be in his
senses now. Several persons had evi.
IDENTIFY been over the path that very
day, for the snow was trodden down
and the marks of feet were not yet
wholly covered by new snow.
Quite long distance from the place
where the glove was found Stuart
came to an old stump which marked q
giant pine of many years before. The
path turned about the foot of this
stump. and on the other side Of 1t as hC
strobe up, praying in his heart fol
mercy and safety to be shown this
woman, he saw her lying so still ant
white that he dared not think what i
might mean. She had fallen over {
mass of ore that had rolled into the
path, and one hand and arm lay
stretched out directly over one Of the
most dangerous pits on the hill. 81
near had she been to instant DEATH
With cry Stuart caught her up
Still, he dared not question whethe
what he held was alive or dead. II,
said to himself he would not ask. III