Middletown transcript., 1911-11-25

4 @WnICup d6 Il JAG8C0 AdBt4Ay 1AOA4 A0C4
ing about me, was similar in shape
and extent to the one in which / had
been confined. Bungay, however, per
] mitted me little time for exploration,
Grasping me firmly by the arm, and
feeling his way along the wall, he
groped across to the other side.
There's mighty big stone chimbly
comes down yere, Cap" he whispered.
"An' ther openin' ter take out SCOT an
| ashes is up thar, jist blow ther
/. fIuer. It's q sheet-iron pan, reckon,
ther way it feels; an it must be thar
they put Niger in ter clean ther
chimbly whin it gifts stuffed up. 1
could git up thar alone, but l couldn't
do no work, but thet thar pan ought
ter cum out all right Dew ye think
ye cud hoP me up, Cap? I'm purity
durn heavy"
I smiled in the darkness at the Lit.
tie fellows egotism, and lifting him as
/ might child, poised him lightly
upon my shoulder. He struggled
moment to steady himsblf against the
wall, and then I could feel him tug
ging eagerly at something which ap-
peared to yield slowly to his efforts
As he worked, dense shower Of dust
and SCOT caused me to close my eyes.
shes a comm all right" he said,
cheerfully, putting with his exertions,
"but / reckon as how this chimbly
amt bin cleaned out since ther war
begun. Hold up yer right han, Cap,
an git blame good grip on her, fer
she's almighty full, anil wanter 60
down sorter easy like"
l did as he suggested, bracing my.
self to meet his movements, as he
stood straining on my shoulders, and
In another moment / had succeeded
in lowering the large sheet-iron pan
silently to the floor.
Room 'nough yere fer two men ter
oncet," chuckled my companion, in
rare delight. The chief in silence
strobe before Yere goes." n
His weight left my shoulders; there
was slight scramble, another shower
Of dirt, then the sound of his voice
once more.
Lift up yer hans, Cap; dig in yer
toes on ther stones, an we'll begin
our vi'ge."
He grasped nay wrists with
strength which / had no conception
the little fellow possessed. There was
a moments breathless struggle, and
/ squirmed through the opening, and
lay painting on the flat slabs which
composed the foot Of the great funnel.
To afford me more room Bungay had
gone up a little, finding foot-lodgment
upon the uneven stones Of which the
chimney was constructed. For a mo-
ment we rested thus motionless, both
breathing heavily and listening to the
music and shuffling Of feet now almost
upon level with our heads.
The noise, which was strong and
continuous, rendered discovery from
any misstep highly improbable, and as
delay was dangerous neither of US was
disposed to linger long.
BE ye all ready, Cap?" questioned
Bungay, bending his head down. Fer
If ye be, I'm goin' up"
"All right" I answered, struggling
to my knees in the narrow space;
only take it slow, Jed. I'm trifla
bigger man than you, and this is
rather close quarters
oval, yes, maybe a matter Of q
poun' er two" he retorted, and the next
moment I could hear him scraping
his way upward, feeling for foothold
upon the irregular layers of stone. ]
followed, pressing my knees firmly |
against the rough wall, and trusting |
more to my hands than feet for Sc
curity against falling. There was
evidently fireplace of some kind on |
the first floor, with a considerable |
opening leading from it into the chimr
ney we were scaling, for as Jed slow,
ly passed, could perceive sudden
CLEAN of light streaming across his
face from the glare of the lamps with.
in. He glanced anxiously that way,
but did not pause in his steady climb
upward
A moment later I came opposite
that same beam Of radiance, and
cautiously peered down the sloped
opening that led to the disused fire.
place. All / could perceive was q
pair of legs, evidently those of cav.
airy officer, judging from the broad
yellow stripe down the seam Of the
light-blue trousers, and the high boots
with rowel spurs. He
stood leaning carelessly against the
mantel, talking with some one just
beyond the range of my vision.
At that moment the music ceased
and afraid to proceed until
It should strike up again, l braced
myself securely on projecting stone
and bent my head over the orifiee un.
til l could catch a portion of the con-
Versation being carried on by my un-
conscious neighbors.
NO." said the cavalryman, gruffly,
md apparently in r r,ply to some previ-
ous question, "the fellow was most
levilish obstinate; wouldn't tell the
'irst thing; even threat Of treat
ng him as a spy and hanging him
outright proved of no avail. But
sheridan's theory is that Lee has or
lered Longstreet to hit oHr rear,
While he makes direct attack in
ront. That's why the old man pro-
roses to get in his work first, and
We march at daylight to form con-
lection with Hancock. By Jove,
'hesley, but that woman in black over
here with Follanstee is the handsom- I
st picture I've seen south Of the line.
lark how her eyes sparkle, and how