The Press., 1902-08-28
i Il e. 81 q q q Il II Il Il #@s I
J, IN THE I;
! No. 7 NINE
by PERCIvAL RIDsDALE
e COPYRIGHT, 1901, BY
81 PERCIYAL RIDSDALE !
u Il 90 e. q q q #@##@'

"'Tain't no use cryin'," said Paddy
McGann. IF the boss bounces me to-
morrow. has got to go, but l hate to
leave you, Billy; just hate to-
Billy was Paddy's lead mule In the
No. mine, a big rawboned animal
with philosophic countenance and a
reputation with all except Paddy of
having a vicious temper.
ut amt right" cried Paddy. "and
amt a-goin' to stand it. Oh, Billy,
if I had lots of money d'you 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.
swell, never mind; there's good
time comm some day. And say, Billy,
IL 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,
BillyY'
For Billy had shaken off the nose
bag with 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, he cried, "Why, it's
smoke, Billy"
The mule whinnied, and there was a
note of terror i'll the long, low cry.
"Smoke," cried Paddy again, land it
amt no powder smoke neither! Say,
Billy, she's afire!"
Down the gangway they sped. Pad
dy was mystified. Where could the
smoke come from? There was nothing
along the gangway which could burn.
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 1t.
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 killedr'
Far up the gangway and at one side
in a remote working the inside fore
man and thirty men had gone in the
early morning to block an old opening
Paddy knew 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 minC
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 safe place or he could go bach
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 pull he
turned Billy around.
you've got to help me, Billyw ht
cried. Il can't reach them alone" Bill
ly shivered and whinnied.
Clinging around the mules neck, hi
choked and gasped for breath. 1t seem
ed that with each inhalation liquid fir,
poured down his throat, while his eyes
though closed, were like balls of fire
| How it was faring with Billy Paid,
did not know. He felt the mule gasl
as he stumbled along, and once whel
Billy stopped, trembling, and moanet
out his agony in a long despairint
scream Paddy had all he could do t,
smother the sobs in his own throat ant
/ urge the mule Oh. At last, and i
seemed an age, the smoke grew lighter
for they were outracing it, and thu
farther they got from the entrance t.
the gangway the lighter it became
Then they reached the spot where tn,
| side working commenced. Billy dash
ed down the narrow opening and, witt
long gasp, drank in great gulps O
the comparatively untainted air. TheI
on they sped until Paddy knew he wp
close to the working in which the meI
were. Could he find them? Much
| their lives and his-depended on hi
quickness.
He slipped off Billy's back and dash
ed from one opening into another
| straining his eyes to see any fain
glimmer Of light. He found himsel
coughing and knew that the headin,
was gradually filling with the smoke
yet he had not found trace of the men
He cried in his vexation and thel
shouted in the utter vainness of hi
efforts. His eyes and his throat wer,
beginning to smart again, and hi
breath was short. He stuffed hi
handkerchief in his mouth, but the re
| lief was slight. Once or twice he hat
to stop and lean against the rough ril
of the heading, but he stumbled Oh
| again. Then almost as he fell into al
opening he saw light. Gathering al
his strength, he raised his voice in;
long shout. There came an answer.
Hurry! Dangerw
Then they came with a rush. Their
was no need to ask questions. TIL
workings were already filling witt
smoke. and the men dropped every
thing and ran. One by one they passes
Paddy. AS the last one passed the DO,
he shouted back: :.-
''Tell the bossv'
'Tell the bossp' 'Tell the bossy
The words rang in Paddy's ears Xix
the roar of waterfall. All at once q
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 tc
Billy. Breath was too precious. In
stead he grasped Billy's name and
hfr,oco1f nv, tho x,,,1Io,o bo III