Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1908-01-22

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Among the dust of the road still
glittering In the rays of the setting
& sun. the evening mail coach passed,
the old vehicle jolting about and the
bnls 1ingling on the little white
horses. Then Claudine appeared at
the door Of the little white house.
With her hand over her eyes and
ner elbow high in the air, she stood
motionless in sharp relief against the
dark background OF the interior. The
young woman's robust chest was in.
sfiated with impatient, joyous, expec-
tation; and the blood rising under her
brown skin frightened her black eyes
and impaired a still deeper redness
TO her laughing lips that contrasted
with the shining wilderness of her
teeth
In the distance the sun, sinking
ever lower, fastened its dying rays
upon the feecy tops of the wooded
htllsides. imprinting upon the dark
green OF the old oaks points of light
that Quivered against the blue hori.
xon; but nearer, large ray, piercing
the yerdure, enyeloped, as with a
last and tardy caress, the rounded
summit of naked hillock, whose
slopes, dying at the turn in the road.
presented II the shadow long, dull
gray stretch of plowed land.
Claudine knew that beneath these
{ slopes, over which resounded in the
Stiffness Of the evening the sonorous
voices OF the laborers urging on their
s oxen, lay-immense quarries corroding
the earth and extending on and on
Infinitely, seeming, with their but.
tressed galleries. like the suddenly
cleared-up ruins of some buried city;
and thither her thoughts went, In
search of her husband.
She saw him, young like herself
and very handsome, perched on some
high scaffolding, toiling at the TOP
OF the quarry, in the trembling light
OF lamps, that looked like stars, amid
the continual and monotonous drip
ping of the waters; but now his labor
ended. he descended and arranged his
tools: then very quickly. thinking Of
her and impatient for her kisses, he
came through the dark passages
where the, trucks had dug ruts in the
mud.
Quarrymen wearing. gaudy sashes,
with jackets thrown over their should.
ers, were beginning to appear in a
series OF groups along the white
road. Their voices rose. sometimes
in song-yoice vibrating like waves Of
sunlight and as rough as the sur.
rounding country.
lncessantly the procession length.
ened. e
One by one Claudine recognized
the sunburnt faces as they grew
more and more distinct. But her man
did not yet appear and suddenly, as
she was examining with her. sharpest
look the farthest groups on the hill
side, whose contour seemed to sink,
Z cloud of dust shot up, high and en-.
ormous, casting vast shadow.
me quarrymen stopped short in
the road; then they ran back and at
the same time; with settling of
all the neighboring territory, a tire.
mendous explosion burst out like
peal OF thunder and rolled through the
valley The quarry had fallen in.
Clauaine uttered cry and fell upon
the road with arms outstretched.
Under the ground, full of crevices
and covered with fallen houses that
spread their broken red-tiled roofs
over the ruins like a mantle, quarry.
men We're buried, at inaccessible and
hopeless depths; ard near the foot
OF the hill at a poiEt where the en-
gineers were trying 10 pierce a gal
Jerry, Claudine in Gro lching posture,
with wild look on her face and re.
fusing to nudge. awaited her man.
For days she remained there, un.
able to believe in disaster and un.
willing to be consoled, her eyes fixed
obstinately upon the gallery which
they We're opening.
But the work caused fresh settings
of the soil, and then water flowed
Into the, gallery, and they were Obliged
to stop their labors.
Then gloomily she climbed the hill.
~ the top the. workmen were now
boring a shaft. She crouched down
near them. watching the piston go up
and down with continuous. mechan.
ical movement, the dull shocks of
which, occurring at regular intervals,
quteted her and filed her with sooth-
Ing hopes. But the steel screws be.
gan to break off in the flinty strata,
and then they penetrated into the
sands which began to roll down con-
tinually filing up the shaft.
Haggard and grim, the workmen
persisted for a time. but soon they
threw down their tools in despair and
the band dispersed. Claudine was left
alone upon the ravaged ground amid
the results of the abortive labors.
broken, inert, feeling only one de-
Sire within her-the wish that she
were dead
Claudine." whispered voice near
her. \
She recognized one Of the quarry
mer; she knew that his name was
Pierre. and remembered having seen,
him at work with the others. He
showed his callous hands, his soiled
clothing: and suddenly. before he had
spoken, as she saw the look of gentle
sadness which he gave her. she burst
into at of tears.
He, finding nothing to say, knelt be-
side her allowing her tn u,aen ou1v