The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-06-28

l was In the darkest corner now, be-
yond the stairs, still hopelessly beat.
ing the gun barrel against the stone.
The dim light revealed no change in
the wall formation, the same irregu-
lar expanse Of rubble set in solid NOR
tar, hardened by century Of exposure
to the dry atmosphere. Then 10 an
idle, llstless blow there came hollow,
wooden sound. that caused the heart
to leap into the throat tried again,
foot to the left, confident my ears
had played me false, but this time
there could be no doubt-there was an
opening here back Of wooden bar
rier
Half crazed by this good fortune, I
caught up the inch of candle, and held
It before the wall. The dim light
scarcely served as an aid so inge-
niously had the door been painted in
resemblance to the mortared stone. I
was compelled to sound again, inch by
inch, with the gun barrel before l
could determine the exact dimensions
of the opening. Then could trace the
elight crack where the wood was fit
ted, nor could have done this but for
the warping Of board. Wild with APP
prehension lest my light fail before
the necessary work could be accom-
plished, drew out the single-bladed
knife from my pocket, and began wild
ening this crack. Feverishly as l
f, a1n Nf tel
ment, yet silver by silver the slight
aperture grew, until wedged in the
gun barrel, and pried out the plank.
The rush Of air extinguished the
candle, yet | cared nothing, for the air
was fresh and pure, promising a clear
passage.
God, this was luck! With new cour.
age throbbing through my veins
groped my way back to the table after
flint and steel, and relit the candle
fragment, shadowing the flame with
both palms as l returned to where the
plank had been pressed aside. How.
ever, l found such precaution unnec'
essary, as there was mo perceptible
draft through the passage now the
opening was clear for the circulation
of air. There had been two planks-
thick and of hard wood-composing
the entrance to the tunnel, but l found
it impossible to dislodge the second,
and was compelled to squeeze my
way through the narrow twelve-inch
opening. This was a difficult task, as
was a man Of some weight, but once
accomplished l found myself in a con.
tracted passageway, not to exceed
three feet in width, and perhaps five
from floor to roof. Here it was appar.
emily as well preserved as when first
constructed, probably hundred years
or more ago, the side walls faced with
stone, the roof supported by roughly
hewn oak beams. l was convinced
there was no great weight Of earth
resting upon these, and the tunnel,
which l followed without difficulty, or
the discovery of any serious obstruc-
ton, for fifty feet, inclined steadily
upward, until, in my judgment, it must
have come within a very few feet OF
the surface. Here there occurred a
sharp turn to the right, and the exca'
vation advanced almost upon a level.
Knowing nothing of the conforma.
ton above, or Of the location of build
ings, l was obliged to press forward
blindly, conserving the faint light of
the candle, and praying for free pas
sage. 1t was an experience to test the
nerves, the intense stiffness, the bare,
gray walls, cold to the touch, the
beams grazing my head, and uphold
ing that mass of earth above, the in
tense darkness before and behind, with
only the Pickering radius Of yellow
light barely Illuminating where l trod.
Occasionally the wood creaked omi-
nously, and bits Of earth, Jared by
my passage, fell upon me in clods. AL
together it was an experience l have
no desire to repeat, although l was in
no actual danger for some distance.
Old Mortimer had built his tunnel well, !
and through all the years it had held
safely, except where water had soaked
through, rotting the timbers. The |
candle was sputtering with a final ef-
fort to remain alight when l came to
the first serious obstruction. | had |
barely time in which to mark the ma
ture of the obstacle before the fame |
died in the socket, leaving me in |
blackness so profound it was like
weight. For the moment l was prac-
tically paralyzed by fear my muscles
limp, my limbs trembling. Yet to en-
deavor 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 I verified the
situation, as that brief glance ere the
candle failed had revealed it. A beam
had fallen, letting down a mass Of
earth, but was wedged in such way
as to leave a small opening above the
floor, barely sufficient for a man to
wiggle through How far even this
slight passage extended, or what worse
obstruction lay hidden beyond was all
1t was a mere chance in
which / must risk life in hope of saw
ng it-I might become helplessly
wedged beneath the timbers, or any
might precipitate upon me
1 mass of loosened earth. 1t was a
lorrid thought, the death of burrow-
ng rat; and l dare not let my mind
lwell upon the dread possibility. Slow
y, barely advancing an inch at time,
began the venture, my hands blindly