The Southern herald., 1912-11-08

ee~SAJa cACcpk WneFe water llQ AoaAel
through. rotting the timbsrs. Ths
candle was spHttering with final et
fort to remain alight when l came t
the nrst serious obstruction. had
barely time in which to mark the na
ture Of the obstacle before the fame
died In the socket, leaving me In 9
eiaekness 50 profound ii was Ike q
weight. For the moment | was prae
tcally paralyzed by fear. my muscles
limp, my limbs trembling. Yet to en-.
deavcr to push forward was no more
to be dreaded than to attempt retrao-
ing my steps. In one way there was
hope; in the other none.
With cropping fingers / verified the
situation, as that brief glance ere the
candle failed had revealed II. A beam
had fallen. letting down a mass Of
earth, but was wedged IN such & way
as to leave q small opening above the
moor, b-rely sufficient for a man to
wiggle through. How far even this
slight passage extended. or what worse
obstruction lay hidden beyond was all
conjecture, It was a mere chance In
which ] must risk life in hope Of say.
Ing It'll might become helplessly
wedged beneath the timbers, or any
movement might precipitate upon me
a mass Of loosened earth. 1t was a
horrid thought, the death Of burrow-
Ing rat; and ! dare not let my mind
dwell upon the dread possibility. Slow.
ly. barely advancing an inch at time,
| began the venture, my hands blindly
cropping for the passage, the cold per
spiration bathing my body. The far
ther penetrated amid the debris, the
greater became the terror dominating
me, yet to draw back was next to i'm
possible. The opening grew more con-
tracted; could scarcely force myself
forward, digging fingers and toes into
the hard earth floor. the obstructing
timber scraping my body. 1t was an
awful, heartrending struggle, stretched
out fiat like snake in the darkness,
the loose earth showering me with
each movement. There was more than
one support down; / had to double
about to find opening; again and again
| seemed to be against an unsurpas-
sable barrier; twice / dug through
mass Of fallen dirt, once for three sol
Id feet, throwing the loosened earth
either side of me. and pushing 1t back
with my feet, thus utterly blocking all
chance Of retreat. Scarcely was this
accomplished when another fall from
above came, half burying head and
shoulders, and compelling me to do
the work over. The air grew foul and
sluggish, but was toiling for life, and
dug at the debris madly, reckless Of
what might fall from above. Better
to be crushed than to die Of suffoca.
tion, and the very desperation with
which strove proved my salvation.
For what remained Of the roof held,
and l struggled through into the firmer
gallery beyond, faint from exhaustion,
yet as quickly reyiving in the fresher
air. | had reached the end Of the pas
sage before comprehended the truth.
It opened In the side of gulley. COM
ing out between the roots Of great
tree,
] was a wreck In body and mind, my
face streaked with earth, my hair
filled with dirt, my clothing torn and
disreputable. Laboring for breath, my
fingers raw and bleeding, | lay there,
with scarcely enough strength remain
ing to keep from rolling to the bottom
of the ravine. For some moments |
was incapable Of either thought or ac-
ton, every ounce Of energy having
been expended In that last desperate
struggle. lay painting, with eyes
closed, hardly realizing that was in
deed alive. Slowly, throb by throb.
my heart came back into regularity Of
beat, and my brain into command. NY
eyes opened, and shuddered with hor.
ror, as ! recognized that dismal open.
ing into the side Of the hill. ClinginR
to the tree trunk attained my feet.
still swaying from weakness, and was
thus able to glance about over the
edge of the bank, and gain some con- |
cepti0n Of my immediate SURROUNDINGS
It was early dawn, the eastern sky
that shade Of pale gray which pre-
cedes the sun, few, white, fleecy
clouds sailing high above, already
tinged with red reflection. must
have been in that earth prison since |
the morning Of the previous day. II |
seemed longer, vet even that exnira-
tion of time proved that those who
had imprisoned me there had left ma
to die. Godl ! couldn't believe that
not Of her! Clear as the evidence an |
peared, ! yet fought down the thoupht !
bitterly. creeping on hands and knees |
over the edge Of the bank, to where |
1 could sit on the grass, and gave |
about in the growing light. The housa
was to the left, an apple orchard 81.
tween, and low fence enclosing
garden. could gain but giimpses If
the mansion through the Intervening
trees, but It was large, imposing 4
square, old-fashioned house. painted
white, with green shutters. II AZ
peared deserted, and no sDirals os
smoke ascended from the kitchen
chimney. Apparently mt avar ts,o