The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-20
1.-THE QUEEREST THING | EVER Saw. |
THE NAN AT THE SHAFT MOUTH


TO it, but no glass in them. In the event
of the weather being cold the shutters were
closed. A bit of hearth and a chimney
had boer constructed so as TO carry the
smoke outside the house. and 1t curled up
and blackened the surface of the white cliff
above.
The floor of the house, consisting of two
rooms, one opening out of the other, was OF
earth, trampled hard by the feet of the
peasant and his children.
These latter, when we entered. were hav-
ing their midday meal and casting the ref
use of bone and skin upon the floor to add
to the deposit thereon. A pretty little girl
jumped up and offered TO show US about
the place. and gave her a few sous. One
slipped through her fingers. rolled away and
got lost, to be trodden on and form another
trace Of habitation on this spot. under the
rock, for future explorers TO find, when,
with the advance of civilization. men have
ceased to live in the dens and caves of the
earth.
But the most striking feature of this
cave was that there were in il two cur
tanned beds; the curtains were fastened by
hooks TO the rock overhead. In one lay an
old bed-ridden grandmother, who had been
for ten years confined to her bed, in this
underground vault
In the other bed lay the peasant. her son.
a man who had been stricken down by the
influenza, and was still too weak to rise.
And what made the scene the mere strange
was this. Beside his bed-head was the
shaft, as of well, descending into the
bowels of the earth. Should he slip out
of bed in the night, he might easily stumble
safe
was there, and was accustomed, when he
did leave his bed to get out of it at the
foot.
Now follow me-" said NJ. Massenat.
This man lies at the plane OF The Modern
Age, will take you in ten minutes through
the volume OF the History of Man. begin
ming at his final representative here in bed.
with his medicine bottles lying empty on
the earth floor. down stage by stage. read
ing backwards till VIC reach the earliest
man. But, alas. the earliest man at the
foot of the ladder of life is no longer down
below. He is in my museum at Drives:
but I will show you where we found
him.
So he lighted couple OF candles gave me
one OF them. and led the way down the
shaft which descended obliquely. following
the wall OF rock. Al the top were, OF
course. the deposits OF the present age.
the droppings OF the peasant and his chill
dren, bits OF mutton bone. buttons. an
occasional sou, nails. comb. etc. all be-
longing TO the age in which We live. Be-
low that a zone OF medieval relics. as We
so dowa becoming steadily more ancient.
Then we pass from the medieval period 10
the Merovngian. through that 10 the
Roman epoch. with coins of the Emperors.
scraps OF Samian ware; then down. al
ways downward. and we find the black pot
terry OF the Gauls and their iron weapons.
lower still. and we are In the bronze age.
with bronze swords. and necklaces. and
brooches. Then down 10 the age OF the
polished stone. still lower 10 that OF the
flint weapons and tools. ever becoming
ruder the lower we get. and finally. at
the bottom bit OF all, seventy feet below
the present ievei-below the sick man )
medicine bottle, and the dropped sou OF the
present republic. are the 6rst essays oe