Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-09-18
-S33SGEe-
BY Fergus Hume

bodies" he said to himself, "a bonny
face is all they bother their heads ABBOTT.
He looked grimly at the young man as
he came briskly forward with gay smile.
"Ye're a very early bird" he said,
fondling his frill of white hair and look
ing keenly at the TALL slim figure of the
Frenchman.
Case of must my friend" returned
Yaudeloup, coolly; its only rich men can
afford to be in bed, not poor fellows like
me-"
Your no much like other folk said
the suspicious old Scotchman, with a con
demnatory sniff.
"Of that l am glad" retorted Vande-
loup, with suavity, as he walked beside
him to the mems quarters. What hor
rible thing to be the duplicate of half-a-
dozen other men. By the way" break
ing off into a new subject, Madame
Midas is charming"
AYE, aye" said Archie, jealousy, 1--WE
know all ABBOTT the French-fangled way O.
giving pretty words, and not a scrap of
truth in any O. them"
CASTOR was about to protest that he
said no more than he felt, which was
indeed the truth, but Archie impatiently
hurried him off to breakfast at the Office
They made a hearty meal. and, having
had talk. prepared to go below.
First of all, they arrayed themselves
in underground garments, which consisted
of canvas trousers, heavy boots, blue
blouses of a rough woollen material, and
a sou'wester each. Thus accoutred, they
went along to the foot of the poppet
heads, and Archie having opened a door
therein, Vandeloup saw the mouth of the
shaft yawning dark and gloomy at his
feet. As he stood there, gazing at the
black hole which seemed to pierce down
into the entrails of the earth, he turned
round to take one last look at the sun
before descending to the neither world.
This is quite a new experience to me"
he said, as they stepped into the wet
iron cage, which had assembled to receive
now commenced to drop down silently and
swiftly into the pitc'.y darkness.
Archie did not reply, for he was too
much occupied in lighting his candle to
answer. So they went on sliding down
noiselessly into the gloom, while the
water, falling from all parts of the shaft,
kept splashing constantly on the top of
the cage and running in little streams
over their shoulders.
ITS like nightmare" thought the
Frenchman, with a nervous shudder, as he
saw the wet walls cleaning in The faint
light of the candle.
At last they reached the ground, and
found themselves in the main chamber,
from whence the galleries branched off
to .east and west.
Being accustomed to the darkness and
knowing every inch of the way, the man
ager moved forward rapidly, and some
! times Vandeloup Jagged 50 far behind that
all he could see of his guide was the can
die he carried, shining like pale yellow
star in the pitchy darkness. At last
Mcintosh went into one of the side gal
leries, and going up an iron ladder fixed
to the side of the wall, they came to a
second gallery thirty feet above the 9TH
er, and branching off at right angles.
''Itslike the catacombs in Rome" said
Vandeloup to Mcintosh zone could easily
get lost here
"He might" returned Mcintosh, eau
tiously, ''if he did not know all about the
lie of the mine-o'er yonder," putting one
finger on the plan and pointing with the
other to the right of the tunnel, ''we
found a twenty-ounce nugget yesterday.
and one afore that o twenty-five, and
in the first face We were at two months
ago DER there pointing to the left,
there was big one called the Villiers
nugget, which as We know is Madame's
name"
"Oh, yes, 1 know that" said Vande-
loup, much interested; do you christen
all your nuggets?"
"If they're big enough replied Ar
chic.
Then l hope you will find hundred
ounce lump of gold. and call it the Van
deloup," returned the young man, laugh
ing.
There's many a true word spoke in
jest, laddie," said Archie gravely; when
we get to the Devils Lead We may fine
one o that size"
What do you mean by leads?" asked
Vandeloup, considerably puzzled.
Thereupon Archie opened his mouth.
and gave the young man a scientific lee
ture on mining.
MY faith" said Vandeloup, careless
iy. with a merry laugh, as Archie CON
cluded, gold is as hard TO get in its
natural state as in its artificial"
An harder" retorted Archie, "for-bye
there's no such wicked work about it,
Madame will be rich some day" re
marked Vandeloup, ss they left the office
and walked up toward the house.
Maybe she WILL replied the other,
cautiously Australians a grand place
for the Siller, We know. I'm not very
far wrong but what wi industry and per-
severance We may make wee bit siller
yerself, laddie."
at won't be my fault if 1 don't" re-
turned NJ vandeloup, gaily; "and Mad
anne Midas" he added mentally, will
be an excellent person TO assist me in
doing so"