The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1906-03-02
calmly, trying to pick himself up cut 81

4 SWentout OF the air. s# Il :
l Now the thought ofsWilliams talk
came back and brought the companion
thought of Williams idea-that some
thing damp over the mouth would save
anyone from death by suffocation in the
after-damp of the explosion.
II wish had one OF them patent he'll
NETS" thought David.
Then came notion; If he could wet
his calico cap and put it over his mouth
that might do as we'll as sponge.
Almost overcome, physically, yet his
slow, stolid brain remained clear. Quite
resolutely he turned and staggered back
toward the place where lay his drink
ing can.
! He snatched at the drinking can
with both hands. It held at best
| three pints.
! He turned his back upon the fire and
| staggered away. Inside the jack, the
now remaining drop Of weak tea gurgled
unsteady with the violent shaking it
got.
He tore of his little calico cap, pulled
the cork out of his jack, poured some of
the weak tea upon the cap, and clapped
it over his mouth. Instantly he felt the
taste of the air come back. His strength
came with it, and h. felt very hopeful.
Then in real earnest A. ran up the road.
There was lot III poor old Williams
idea after all,'' he said.
Then feeling the benefit Of Williams
idea, he naturally thought Of William
himself. And for the first time a>sense
OF fear took hold of David.
AS David neared the big road from
which his own little road and Williams
branched, he expected to see Williams
light-either ahead or a little way be-
hind. In either case, If he saw light,
he would feel easy about William.
IF see light, it will be Williams"
said he. Because everybody in the dis
.trict but US two went out at least an
hour ago."
But at the top of the road-w nich
David knew by the junction of tram
lines under his foot-David could see no
light either ahead or behind.
David, with his foot on the rail, turned
to the left-toward the top of Williams
road. He reached this in few seconds.
He looked down. He saw no light. He
felt the gas fumes stronger, and pene-
trating even the saturated cap over his
mouth. The choke-damp, as a matterof
fact, grew more powerful every minute
and soon would be strong enough to de-
stroy every live thing it touched.
Dash that old William and his inven-
tions and his carefulness!''''' David said:
If he didn't go potching with my lamp
shifting it from where:I put it=-this>
explosion wouldn't happened" 49,. ss.4
But in spite of this condemnation OF
the inventor and all his works, David
turned down Williams road.
Cropping cautiously now, because he
rather expected to come across William
either staggering or fallen-some-
where near, David went slowly down.
His left foot-the right slid along the
rail-l1icked against something YIELD
ing. -.
Hes down. thought David, g.. *'.suffo-
eating"
He bent down. Just a glimmer of red
feet. David touched it with his hands.
tits him." said he.
He gave him SCARBOROUGH and
fierce. A groan came back.
He jerked him upright. William
tottered.
That's it," shouted David. Come
on, come on"
He dragged him roughly along. Will
liam with every yard went more will
ingly, until by the time they reached
the top of the stall road he, in an alb
solutely dazed state, ran with David like
an automaton.
In the main road the fumes of gas and
smoke choked them. But they struggled
through. They reached the double
parting the distributing center of the
district. Here the air, coming direct
from the shaft, blew fresh and strong.
The pure air strengthened the men.
Come on roared David into Will
liam's ear.
William chung to his arm now. and
they ran as human beings can run with
certain death behind them. The dusty
electric lamps in the archway at the BIT
bottom still remained alight. A few
terrified Golfers came rushing from
oth her parts of the pit as David and Will
liam reached safety. J.
They all bounced into the pit carriage:
signaled to the engine man above, and
in two minutes, at the pit-head in the
sunshine, all congratulated one another,
Williams eyes blinked dazedly in the
sunlight. Consciousness returned.
Il was just suffocated." he gasped..
"Where's your old helmet?'' David
asked, accusingly. ..''I thought that hel.
met was goin' to do wonders"
'"Oh, jawch!'' said william, rueful,
but truthful. when l saw the fire, ]
clean forgot to put the Old thing on"
| Protection Of Wild Life. u
Is there any way of accounting 70,
the propensity manifested by. large
number of people to. kill something for
I tho Solo If ki11inr 40 - Ii ro+ i,h .,;4