Arizona republican., 1912-02-06
TheCoyote By JAMES OLIVER CURWooD. (copyrisht, 1910, by the Pssfsen
 Publishing Ce.}
By JAMES OLIVER cURwooo.


 ring in his voice, and in this moment, as they stood alone under the noun tain, with the faint glow of the lantern lighting up their faces. it seemed the most natural thing in the world for him 10 take the little hand that still clung 10 his arm.
 Tt cant hurt us" he said. You could build bonfire in here and noth- ing would happen. Look" He held the lantern high above his head, and she saw that the rock wall of the chamber was four or five feet above them. The dynamite and the pow der are under us," he went on, with the exception of fifty cases which are piled up al the end of this chamber. There's ten feet of space here. and the chamber is twenty feet wide. It runs back hundred yards under the noun tain. The dynamite and the powder are covered over with six feet of ce- ment and broken rock. The wire goes under ground just outside the mouth of the chamber. and causes the explo- sion from BENEATH. Now" He was talking to her eagerly in his en- thusiasm. "Now-by leaving this air chamber-we will get more than one explosion. There will be three or four, where if there were no air-chamber, and no vent. there would be but ONE, and We would lose three times the e1- plosive force we will now get The first or second explosion will explode the fifty, cases of dynamite back there at the end of the chamber. By George. 1t ought to rip thunder out of the mountain"
 By George, IT WILL" she cried, and for an instant he felt her fingers tighten about his own.
 TT beg your pardon he stam- mered.
 For what?" she demanded. Be cause you can work up enthusiasm enough in real work to FORGET YOURSELF? It's glorious wish were a man. If I were G'd-Td do ething-something big--like blow ing up mountains, building rail- roads"
 You really think it's big" he asked in whisper. "I thought-you know"
 Yes. 1 know what you thought" the girl interrupted. as he hesitated. Everyone thinks the same. If l were a man I'd BE a man."
 This time he could not see that curi- ous tightening of her lips.
 I'll show you the dynamite" he suggested. You're not afraid?"
 No"
 He led her deeper into the chamber. No sound came to them now. In the intensity of the silence he could hear the girl at his side breathing quickly, and when he raised the lantern above his head he saw that her eyes were wide open. and their pupils big and dark. A moment more and the Ian tern glow began 10 reveal row upon row of boxes in their path.
 That's the dynamite" he said, and his voice sounded hollow and unreal.
 Ugh, shuddered his companion. and he felt her pressing closer to him. Almost in the same breath she clutched his arm with her free hand. WHAT WAS THAT?"
 Nothing" he began-and stopped.
 He had heard the sound, faint al first, like a shovelful of gravel falling upon the rock floor behind them. It was followed now by strange rush ing sound that seemed 10 send a throb through the mountain. and Philip whirled toward the mouth of the coy ote. Back there he should still have seen the pale light of day Altering through the outlet. In place of that there was the blackness of night. He held the lantern behind him. and looked hard. It was still black. and there rushed over him g. feeling of horror If he had been alone he would have cried out. and would have run like a madman to the place where the light should have been. In flash he knew what had happened. A rock had loosened over the mouth of the chamber. letting down slide of rock and earth. They were shut in! He tried to speak calmly. but Miss Rod ney had felt the thrill of horror that passed like an electric shock through his body.
 'I guess it was little dirt falling over the mouth of the tunnel" he said. I'm afraid you'll have 10 soil your dress setting out. Miss Rodney, and incidentally you'll have the pleasure Or seeing me work for a few minutes
 Miss Rodney did not reply as they fetraced their steps. The lantern light revealed the coyote vent choked with earth and broken trap. and when Phil ip saw the trap, wedged and crushed in the hole, he placed the lantern on the floor, so that the girl could not see his face. He dared not speak for moment, and turned from her to strip off his coat. With a little cry Miss Rodney sprang to the lantern, and in another moment she was holding It close to his face. staring into his hor- ror-filled eyes. His face was as white Iaath and hfc 1inc uprp ept in