The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-10-01

meant tragedy 70 Big Missouri. for he
never wanted to lose time. which also
meant loss of money and loss OF com
panionship. To stay around the bunk
! house would have been torture He
was of too gregarious a disposition to
loaf Eight or ten inches of snow had
fallen in the night, but Big Missouri
went blowing through II IS II II were
! nothing. 1t was more Than half a
mile from the bunk house to the mouth
OF the mine and the trail was like the
path OF snake. Big Missouri could
not see soul ahead, but the whistle
| OF the little stationary engine thet
raised and lowered the cage in the
smart told him he had only few min
utes 70 get there. Ii he missed that
| trip of the cage he would have TO
wait for an hour. Not only that, hut
he would be locked for half n doy
Swearing at himself. swearing at the
weather. swearing at the company.
swearing a the cage and a everything
else. Big Missouri determined or max
| ing short cut to try TO get there In
time. He left the trail and. his big
boots slipping at every step, began
climbing the hillside to cut OF half
The distance. II was much heavier go
| ing than in following the trail that
! had been made by the miners on their
way through the regular road, but
he don't mind that as he floundered
along.
He put on a little extra speed and
he mad gone about a hundred yards
and was beginning to think he might
| reach the cage in time after all, when
suddenly the earth seemed to dion
from under him He pitched forward
| and went tumbling down through
snow and brush and crashing timbers
| 1t was instinct rather than intelli-
scnce that made him reach out and
grasp at something to break his fall
He struck one obstruction that seemed
to tear one arm almost from it's socket
his head hit another and his leg
third. Then he stopped falling. BY the
time the meteors and comets that
! flashed into view from the crack he
got on the head had passed from his
vision he found himself hanging by one
arm 10 a piece of timber. he under
stood the situation at once--he had
| fallen down the mouth of an abandon
| ed mine. The timbers had been put
up TO hold the decomposing rock The
brush had been piled over the mouth
of the shaft to warn wayfarers. But
the snow in the night had covered 1t
, all.
Big Missouri swore a. his folly in not
keeping TO the trail. He swore at the
fool who had not put something solid
under that brush. He swore at the
snow that had covered the pitfall from
| his view. Having relieved his mind to
! this extent, he proceeded to climb up on
| the timbers and make an easier restins
| place for himself. But Big Missouri
had most unpleasant surprise. When
he tried to raise himself he banged
| against other limbers or against the
! brush, and his progress was arrested
| When he raised his other arm the pain
| that shot through his body made him
| know something serious had happened
! TO that member. Next he stretched one
leg out TO rest it against the side of
| the pit. but the furthest he could reach
| only brought his toes barely within
touching distance OF the rock There
| was no support to be got that way.
| One OF his legs ached horribly. Big
| Missouri thought that It, like the arm.
must be broken.
| Whatever fog there had been in Mis-
souri's mind from what he had i'm
! bided the night before, cleared sud
| denly. 1t was plain to him that ne
was for the first time in his life face
| to face with death and eternity. 1t
! was not. a question OF hours but of
minutes, how long he could cling to
that piece of timber. To let go and
! drop into the abyss might mean the
/ end II he was not killed instantly
! he probably would be still further
! crippled and lie there suffering the
! fortunes Of thirst. starvation and pain.
until the last. There practically was
no chance OF rescue. The wind would
| wipe out his tracks up the moan
tainside within few hours. He would
be missed by the mon in tho bunk
| house. but they would suppose he ot,i y
had gone on spree. as he had various