The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1912-05-27
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CHAPTER xIII.-contrnued. =

A"s Ho meoHt every WOrQ ne spoke
! felt convinced, and his enthusiasm
vas contagious. My bloc leaped
within me at this call to action; all
lethargy fled, and with It every dead.
eqing thought Of her WHO had 50 sud.
denly woven about me the meshes OF
her power. False or true, maid. wife,
or widow, my duty as soldier to my
commander and the army to which I
belonged. blotted out all else. Even
as this new rush Of determination
swept over me, above us there
sounded clearly the dashing music of
a military band in the strains of
Strauss's waltz. and we could dis
tinguish the muffled shuffling of many
feet on the oaken floo. overhead.
Cations chance remark about the great
ball to be given that evening by Off
GERS of the headquarters staff recur-
red to my memory
That dancing up there will help us,
Jed" l said quickly, my mind now
active to grasp every detail "You
say there is a chance for escape from
your cell? Then give me your hand,
and help me to crawl through that
hole"
1t was narrow squeeze for a man
OF my size. yet l crept through with
out great difficulty, al found myself
il the dense darkness of room
which, as l judged hastily from feel
ing about me, was similar in shape
and extent to the one t. which I 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
CROPPED across to the other side.
There's mighty big stone chimbly
comes down yere, Cap" he whispered
AN Their openin' ter take out SCOT an
ashes is up thar. jist blow Their
fluer. It's sheet-iron pan, reckon,
Their way it feels; an it must be thar
they put a niger in t.. clean Their
chimbly whin it gifts stuffed up. I
could git up thar alone, but couldn't
% no work, but tibet thar pan ought
ter cum out all right Dew We think
ye cud hop me up. Cap? I'm purity
durn heavy"
l smiled in the darkness at the lit.
tie fellows egotism. and lifting him as
! might child. poised him lightly
upon my shoulder. He struggled a
moment to steady himself against the
wall, and then could feel him tug.
ging eagerly at something which ap-
peared to yield slowly to his efforts
AS he worked. a dense shower of dust
and SCOT caused me to close my eyes.
"She's a comm all right" he said.
cheerfully. putting with his exertions,
but / reckon as how this chimbly
amt bin cleaned out since Their war
begun. Hold up yer right ham, Cap,
an git blame good grip on her, fer
she's almighty full. anil wanter 70
down sorter easy like"
did as he suggested. bracing N.Y.
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 1.-The chief in silence
strobe before Yere goes"
His weight left my shoulders; there
was a 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 VICE"
He grasped my wrists with a
strength which l 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 a level with our heads.
The noise, which was strong .and
continuous, rendered discovery from
any misstep highly improbable. and as