Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1902-02-13
BY PERCIyAL RIDsDALE \

morrow, ! has got to go, but / hate to
leave you, Billy; just hate to-"
Billy was Paddy's lead Mule in the
No. mine, a big rawboned animal
with a philosophic countenance and a
reputation with all except Paddy of
having a vicious temper.
'It amt right" cried Paddy. "and
| amt a-goin' to stand it. oh, Billy,
if l had lots of money d'yoC know
what I'd do? Well, I'd buy you and
take you up TO the surface and let you
do nothin' but eat grass and run
around the fields. Say, how long has
it been. Billy, since you saw the sky?
Guess it must be all of seven years"
Billy looked contemplative.
"Wen, never mind; there's a good
time comm some day. And say, Billy,
If / don't get even with Evan Jones
well. you can kick me for duffer. 1t
won't be long before I'm as big as he
is. and then we'll both get even with
him You-say, what's the matter,
BillyT'
For Billy had shaken off the nose
bag with a jerk, and with ears cooked,
eyes staring and nostrils agape he
was looking down the gangway.
"What is began Paddy, and then,
shifting the air, lie cried. why, it's
smoke, Billy"
The mule whinnied. aHd there was a
note of terror in the long, low cry.
Smoke" cried Paddy again, "and it
amt no powder smoke neither! Say,
Billy, she's afirer'
Down the gangway they sped. Pad
dy was mystifed. Where could the
smoke come from? There was nothing
along the gangway which could burn.
1t was all rock. He stopped suddenly,
Mortified. The air current had chang
ed. He was in an outtake, but the air
was rushing inward and it was bring
ing the smoke. But why should it
come into the outtake? If-but as he
asked himself the question Paddy
knew what had happened. Some one
had left the door open, and the divert
ed air current was sweeping into the
workings, carrying the smoke with it.
Billy pulled at the restraining hand,
but again they dashed forward, and
again they stopped, for Paddy was
crying:
'The shift, Billy-the shift! They
is In there. They don't know, Billy.
They'll all be killedp'
Far up the gangway and at one side
in a remote working the inside fore
man and thirty men had gone in the
urlv f,,r 70 al fnor
Paddy Llew what that meant They
were isolated, and the smoke would
not reach them until the very last. By
that time the surrounding chambers
would be so full of it that escape
would be impossible.
This flashed through Paddy's mind
before he could bring Billy to stop.
Almost without thinking he had deter
mined what to do. There were two
things-he could in a moment or two
reach a safe place or he could go back
into the smoke and warn the men. He
might be overcome before he could
find them, and might find them only
to die in their company, but he did not
think Of these things. With a pull he
turned Lilly around.
you've got to help me, Billyw he
cried Il can't reach them alone" Bill
ly shivered and whinnied.
Clinging around the mules neck, he
choked and gasped for breath. 1t SEEM
ed that with each inhalation liquid fire
poured down his throat, while his eyes,
though closed, were like balls of fire.
How 1t was faring with Billy Paddy
did not know. He felt the mule gasp
as he stumbled along and once when
Billy stopped, trembling, and moaned
out his agony in a long despairing
scream Paddy had all he could do to
smother the sobs In his own throat and
seemed an age, the smoke grew lighter,
for they were outracing it, and the
farther they got from the entrance to
the gangway the lighter it became.
Then they reached the spot whore the
side working commenced. Billy dash
ed down the narrow opening and, with
long gasp, drank In great gulps Of
the comparatively untainted air. Then
on they sped until Paddy knew he was
close to the working in which the men
were. Could he find them? Much
their lives and his-depended on his
quickness.
He slipped off Billy's back and dash
ed from one opening into another,
straining his eyes to see any faint
glimmer Of light. He found himself
coughing and knew that the heading
was gradually filling with the smoke,
yet he had not found trace Of the men.
He cried In his vexation and then
shouted In the utter vainness OF his
efforts. His eyes and his throat were
beginning to smart again, and his
breath was short. He stuffed his
handkerchief in his mouth, but the re-
lief was slight. Once or twice, he had
to stop and lean against the rough rib
of the heading, but he stumbled on
again. Then almost as he fell into an
opening he saw light Gathering all
his strength, he raised his voice in
long shout There came an answer.
Hurry! Dangerw
Then they came with rush. There
was no need to ask questions. The
workings were already filling with
smoke, and the men dropped every
thing and ran. One by one they passed
Paddy. AS the last one passed the boy
he shouted back:
''Tell the bossw
'"Tell the boss" "Tell the boss!
The words rang in Paddy's ears like
the roar of a waterfall. All at once a
cold and inquiring nose was thrust in
to his face. 1t was Billy. With the
touch Paddy's senses returned, and he
knew what the words meant. Evan
Jones, the inside boss, the man who
was to discharge him on pay day, was
somewhere inside, ignorant of the dan
ger which in a few moments would
overtake him. Even now there might
not be time. Paddy said nothing to
Billy. Breath was too precious. In
stead he grasped Billy's name and
swung himself on the mules back
again. Then straight down the pas
sage they went until, after some min
utes, they came upon Evan Jones.
''She's-afirew gasped Paddy.
The boys face told the foreman
there was no time to ask questions,
but as he swung himself up beside
Paddy and laid his head low on Bill
ly's back to avoid humping against the
low hanging roof he cried:
where are the others? Do they
knowf"
"They ran when told 'emr' gasped