The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1907-04-20

Wnlle the WlnQS 1alr. NOW Lnal Nndt
| you're got to do. But look here, if you
do not find father by tomorrow morning,
| you're got to come back here by noon, be-
cause there amt no one else to feed that
gallus bear, dye see?"
AS soon as / had finished my dinner l
| went to a ships chandler, and bought
coil Of sixty fathoms Of stout hemp cord.
with the aid Of lad l carried il to the
cottage on the cliff. 1 paid the boy, and
waited until he was well out Of sight be-
fore beginning my work.
l had to break into the house, for, o.
it may well be imagined, my grandfather
had taken the keys from me on my re-
turn and slipped them under his pillow.
The simplest way was to get !hrcugh
window; so having broken a pane ..
glass with stone, l unfastaned tie
catch and lifted the sash; this done.
entrance was simple enough. l hauled
the cord into the washhouSe, and, find
ing Ratchet, with a few vigorous strokes
| split the cover of the we'll where it
was attached to the hinge and threw it
open. Then l unhitched the rope from
the cleat in the wall, setting the bucket
on the edge of the well, and firmly knot
ted the end to the cord l had brought
with me. This done, / put the Ratchet
and o stout jackknife that | found on the
shelf into the bucket for my protection,
for it seemed to me not unlikely that the
captive, whoever he might be. ignorant
of my intentions, might attempt to wreak
upon me the vengeance he owed his cap
tors. A couple of candies and a box of
matches completed my equipment, and
then getting upon the low wall | stepped
into the bucket, slipped the end of the
cord through the handle, and, pulling
myself up an inch, swing over the shaft.
My heart stuck in my throat as l swung
there, realizing my perilous position and
the possibly greater risk l was about to
encounter; then, my courage returning. |
began slowly to pay out the rope. WheT
the knot that joined the two ropes hitch
ed under the handle of the bucket paus-
ed again. l was now half way down,
and for the rest of the descent must trust
to the rope l had bought at the chand-
ler's. What if it were rotten or faulty
in some parts?
There was no going back, that was
certain; and so after moments indie
cision | suffered the knot to slip past the
handle and let myself down as slowly as
l could, lest the friction should injure the
cord, bethinking me that l should have to
return, as we'll as descend, in safety. At
length, to my great satisfaction, the strain
on the rope came to an end, and | found
myself at the bottom of the shaft, with
a good length of cord to spare.
could see nothing but the faint glim-
mer of light in the washhoIsc over my
head; the rest was to my eyes absolute
obscurity. An audible movement on my
right hand caused me to dive into the
bucket for a weapon of defense l found
the jackknife and opening it stood ready
for the attack, at the same time saying
saying with as steady a voice as l could
command, Whoever is down here ! am
his friend"
There was no answer, no repetition of
the sound, and | think the silence had a
| more terrifying effect upon my senses
than if had been aroused by the fiercest
and most menacing voice. | felt that l
might be standing within arms reach of
an unseen foe preparing to spring upon
me- To put an end to this suspense /
stuck the open knife between my teeth
and struck a match.
AS | expected, l found a brick opening
before me; but the light of the match
was insufficient to reveal anything more
than a few feet of brick work on each
side; beyond, the darkness was impene-
trable.
| drew out one of the candles and lit
it, throwing down the match when the
wick caught The next moment as l was
about to tsep sideways from the bucket
/ heard a sharp hiss, anaNlooking down
with my candle raised found that the
step if taken would probably have been
my last.
| was not nearly at the bottom of the
shaft, but only on a plank set across
| it. the kissing sound was caused by the
| falling of the lighted match into the
water below. The cunning of the old
| smugglers who had used the well as a
| secret passage to the caves was evident
| in this, for the plank being removed
| water would have been drawn from the
we'll to disprove any suspicion of inqutr-
| ing revenue officers.
This escape and the shock it gave TO my
nerves made me still more cautious in my
advance. With the light heidi out before
me in my left hand, and the open knife
in my right, made my way slowly mad,
must own, with a most unpleasant sensa-
ton of fear, along the bricked passage
Presently l found myself at the entrance
to a cave, spacious and lofty, shored up
at intervals with planks mad great ship
| timbers. The white chalk rejecting the
rays of the candle made the cavern com
paratively light. In front of me was
/ mass of dehris Slnning nv RI fbo ~ooe
where the fallen cliff choked the shore
entrance; but could see no sign Of any
habitant nor hear any sound.