Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-25
THE TRILOBITE CLUB
BY WILLIAM r. ROWND

III Two Parts. Part III.
S1NOESlS OF PART IA marty Of scboo, boz,
IN charge OF a young professor, who is new al
me school and not liked by the boys because his
Is too young, go on annual geological trin
After several experiences the party is canpb;
by an accident In mine, from which the oily
egress Is rickety ladder through a narrow
opening 1t is unsafe, but the only way ont.
Ihat quarter of a mile sprint In the dark
ness was the most exciting race the senior
class ever ran. We were all painting for
breath and Tom Lawrence was exhausted.
when the guide stopped and said:
Here is the ladderw
The professor now exercised a Quiet an
thority. We were Lined up and counted tn
make sure that all were present He de-
clared that the guide should go first. The
rest were to go in any order He insisted
upon being last. l think no one objected
to the arrangement. We were too anxious
to climb out of that dreadful place. viii
Tompkins followed the guide-then came
rom Lawrence, the fat boy. l do not re-
member the order in which the rest fol-
lowed.
Whatever happens, keep climbing" said
the guide as he began to climb LET all
follow.
The thought of climbing up a narrow
hole 800 feet did not seem so inviting as it
did when proposed in a spirit of brayado
But there was no other way. The danger
of being overcome by gas from the mine
did not reassure us. To add to the dis
comfort, water was coming down in tiny
streams. The rounds of the ladder were
wet and Shiny. They night be so decayed
as to break and so close up our only ave-
nue. for escape. We had climbed but a
short distance when our lamps went out
perseverance each ore climbed. Wou d
we never reach the top? We had gone only
about 200 feet, though it seemed much
farther, when the whole column was
halted Each one bumped into the fellow
ahead.
What's the matter?"
Tom Lawrence Is stuck fast"
A panic seemed imminent. The thought
| in every mind was 'the foul air." In our
| confusion ii was some time before We could
hear the voice of the professor urging US to
keep cool.
"Can you crowd him through" he asked.
Pushing with all our might, we managed
to squeeze him through the narrow place
| only to be stopped again in few moments
This time we could not overcome the diff
| ficulty. Tom was too large Tor the passage
| Again we heard the voice of the professor
| saying:
'If you can't go ahead, we must re-
| treat"
1t took some time to persuade us to do
| that, and we lost valuable time. At last
we reached bottom, all badly demoralized
| except the professor, who seemed never to
| lose his nerve. But where was Tom? We
supposed Will and the guide had climbed to
| the surface without noticing our trouble,
| but we could not account for Tom.
| After some trouble one of the lamps was
| lighted and the roll was called. All were
| present except the guide, VIII and Tom.
HE has not been able to come past the
! first obstruction" suggested Harry
| This seemed the only reasonable explana-
| ton. and after again telling us to keep
| cool, the professor climbed up the ladder
| to help the luckless fellow down. How he
| did it do not know. But he went up that
200 feet, and finally appeared, followed by
| a white-faced boy who began to cry, saying
| he could never get out of that place.
Now" said the professor, there is but
| little bad air here The lamp burns bright.
/ We shall get out in safety. Reverse order.
| Tom will come after the rest of you. / will
| follow him. When you reach the surface
| let them know just how we are situated"
| The boys needed no second bidding. With
| more haste than courage we sprang for
! the ladder. In our confusion we were some
| minutes in finding the place again. What
| climb Each minute seemed an age. II
| was long-drawn-out nightmare To
| reach up In the darkness, grasp the
| round of the ladder. then to draw one ]
] self UP and to reach out again endlessly