The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-07-24
The Globes Daily Short Story

Gavin I'M" and in the dim light that
streaked In through the entrance Miss
Burden saw the boy, his face against
the opposite wall of the narrow pas
| sage, thrust his shoulder against one
OF the props" that supported the roof.
Jump right over NEEDN'T stop
shes coming fast!" screamed the
boy, his little form quivering with tina
strain.
AS Miss Buden sprank over him she
| saw the prop" was bullying out from
the wall, creaking and groaning with
the weight that was slowly pressing
down from above.
1t was hardly a second before sha
Sprang out from the tunnel, and that
nardly second too soon. for as she
turned to look back there came a Ioud-
er rumble, a splintering of wood, then
WIN crash that sent the rocks fy.T
Ing down the mountain side the earth
seemed to close and the tunnel was
gone. '''
Decision was one of Miss Burdens
chle1 characteristics. One look she
gave, then flew down the hill with a
SWl1tness and Vigor that gave the lie
TO her seeming weakness when climb
ing up that same path but a short time
De1ore. In i've minutes she had reach
ed the county road, another minute
and she had halted one Of tie "hacks''
that now usurp the functions OF the
obsolete stage between Colorow and
the Greek" BY an apparently special
act of Providence the hack held for
passengers four miners on their way
to the diggings of Beaver Dam.
A few words explained the situation,
and in quarter of an hour from. the
time Of the cave-in five men were at
work removing the rock and debris
that hid the entrance of the tunnel
Even RIr6nT1
dragging at rocks she had never
dreamed it possible to move.
Soon an opening was made and the
workers began to move more carefully
and to speak in lower tones.
Reckon there amt much left of tR
poor leetle devil" whispered the driv~
er, peering into the cavern.
Don't we gamble on that mister"
remarked a faint voice from within. ''If
ven jest lift this timber a bit I'll show
We how much there's left"
Mister drew back with a grin.
EFF I he'd knowed it war Finerty's
brat I'd know'd jest little thing like
a cave-in 'ud never killed him." Them
with his head in the opening. 'LoolS
out, kid, I'm coming" and he disap-
peared through the hole, followed by
one of the others.
For a few minutes from inside cana
sharp commands and the sound of men
laboring. Outside the others lifted and
pulled in response to the commands.
Then a joyful shout of There you
are!" and a slight figure, an almost
undistinguishable mass Of mud and
dirt, one leg dangling, was handed out
and laid carefully on the ground.
Miss Burden took the soiled head
with it's golden curls In her lap, while
one of the men with a dizziness which
showed practice, slit the stocking from
the injured limb and proceedd to set
the broken bone, improvising splints
from a cracker box brought up from
| the hack"
There" said the self constituted
surgeon, as he finished his task, "in
two months time you'll be able to get
out and break the other leg"
Throughout the operation the boy
had hardly WINGED, and only now and
then Tightening his grasp on Miss Bur-
den's hand, his eyes watching every
move of the operator. Now he heaved q
sigh of relief, and turning his eyes up
to Miss Burden, said:
Say, amt so big, but done that
! most as good as Porthos, didn't I2a
smiled, and tainted, while Miss Bur-
denis tears, falling on his face, left lit
! tie gulleys in the dirt and CRIME.