River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-01-12

ible through the murky clouds. Above
he caught glimpse of blue sky darkened
by whirling vapor. His eyes smarted
intolerably. From the burning coal ana
heated rock a nauseous, penetrating
odor rolled up to him. 1t was eating
the lining out of his lungs. His strength
grew less with every breath he was
forced to take.
Dazed by his peril, Sanders stood mo-
tionless. Then from a crevice almost
under his feet a thin, writhing tongue
of flame, forked and lurid, darted sud
denly up, wrestled for moment with
the smoke wreaths, and fiickered out as
quickly as it had come. The apparltion
brought the driver to his senses. Pre-
cious seconds were passing, and instant
action was necessary.
Leaping up as high az he could, he
threw his hands over the edge OF the
hot granite, and tried to lift himself TO
the top, but he slipped back almost I'M
mediately. The two feet that the rock
had settled meant death to him unless
he could devise some way to regain 1t.
Ali at once it flashed over him that
he might throw the rocks he was stand
ing on into loose pile against the front
wall, and thus make heap high enough
to help him Chamber out Could he have
done this before the kiln settled, his
safety would have been assured. Was
there time to do it now?
STOPPING, he grasped three cornered
fragment and threw it against the wall.
Another and then another followed.
They were burning not, except those he
had just flung in from the top of his
load. With bent head, facing the fumes
that poured exhaustlessly up, and draw
ing them into his lungs with every chok-
ing breath, he fumbled madly over the
hard black Jumps
In this fashion he heaped 10 or IA
pieces against the granite, and then
stopped, feeling that to work longer
would destroy his only hope of getting
out. His eyes were bloodshot, his brain
Keeling. His temples throbbed as If they
would burst. He could see nothing,
could hear nothing but confused roar
ing. Strengthening up, he staggered for
ward. Two steps brought him again to
the wall.
To his horror, he found that the pile
he had built was not high enough. There
was not time to add to it further. What
should he do?
Fortunately, at that moment the wind
veered. For a little while the smoke
drew away to the westward, and left
him standing clear in the heat. Only
few feet above him beyond the kiln edge
he could see the wagon body and the
backs and heads Of his horses, their out
lines wavering in the heated atmosphere
that enyeloped him. Then, as he dropped
his eyes, he caught sight of something
that gave him a sudden hope Of escape.
Over the granite hung the end of his
reins, where they had fallen when he
grasped unavailingly at the whip-stock.
Might he not take firm hold of these,
start his horses, and thus be hoisted out
of that fiery pit?
Barely had the idea suggested itself to
him when the wind changed again, the
smoke blew back, and once more
shrouded him in it's pitchy clouds.
Sanders brain was swimming.
Strength and consciousness could not
endure more than 20 seconds longer.
His shoes were burning on his feet. His
skin was shriveling and cracking.
With closed eyes he swayed forward,
felt about until he found the loop of the
reins, and hooked his fingers round
them. 1t would not do for him to bear
his whole weight upon them, for they
might break and let him fall back, thus
destroying his only chance Even in his
extremity he thought of that
There was no time to waste. How
should he start his horses? He tried to
shout to them, but SO cracked and feeble
was his voice that they did not recognize
it, and refused to move. Already ten
of his precious seconds were gone.
Sanders stopped, picked up a fragment
of rock, and launched it at random,
through the smoke, in the direction of
old white Billy, the off leader of the
team. Fortunately, it struck the horse
fairly on his flank, rousing him suddenly
from his reverie. Billy started forward,
and the others followed his lead There
was heavy stamping of boots, creak-
ing of unoiled aXles. The team was in
motion.
The moment the driver flung the rock
he seized the reins strongly again with
both hands. Barely had he done so when
the loop frightened with quick jerk 1t
was the second he had been waiting for,
the one on which his life depended.
Without loosing his hold he sprang up,
sticking the tips of his toes into the in
terstices between the blocks OF granite
The force of the pull hurled him against
the wall, but he chung to the leathern
straps with desperate energy.
Had the reins given way, all would
have been lost. But they were new and
strong, purchased the day before to re-
place an older pair. and they did not
break. In a moment Sanders was
dragged up and out of the kiln, across
the granite edge, and along the planks of
the staging, narrowly escaping being
run over by the broad-tired wheels.
Less than a minute and a half had
elapsed since the drivers feet first struck
the bottom of the pit, but it would be
hard to imagine more fearful 80 sec
onds than that through which he had
passed. AS he looked back upon it after
ward it seemed to him like a brief but
horrible nightmare.-Youth's Compan-
ion
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