The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-10-04
COPYRIGHT AclrCLUR0 & co. 1911

ing it'll might become helplessly
wedged beneath the timbers, or any
movement might precipitate upon me
q mass Of loosened earth. II wal a
horrid thought, the death Of a burrow'
ing rat: and | dare not let my mind
dwell upon the dread possibility. Slow
ly. barely advancing an inch at a time,
| began the venture, my hands bllndly
cropping for the passage. the cold per-
~sptration bathing my body. The far
Their ! 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 a 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 a
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-
ton, and the very desperation with
which | strove proved my salvation,
For what remained of the roof held.
and I struggled through into the firmer
gallery beyond, faint from exhaustion.
yet as quickly ~reviving in the fresher
sage before I comprehended the truth.
1t opened In the side Of a gulley, com
Ing cut between the roots of a 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. My
eyes opened, and ! %shuddered with hor-
ror, as | recognized that dismal open.
ing into the side OF the hill. Clinging
to the tree trunk I attained my feet,
still swaying from weakness, and was
thus able to glance about over the
edge of the bank, and gain some con.
ception of my immediate surroundings.
1t was early dawn, the eastern sky
that shade of pale gray which pre-
cedes the sun, a 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; It
seemed longer, yet even that expira-
ton OF time proved that those who
had imprisoned me there had left me
to die. God! | couldn't believe that
not of her! Clear as the evidence an
peared, ! yet fought down the thought
bitterly, creeping on hands and knees
over the edge Of the bank, to where
| could sit on the grass, and gaze
about in the growing light. The house
was to the left, an apple orchard be-
tween, and a low fence enclosing a
garden. | could gain but glimpses of
the mansion through the intervening
trees. but IT. was large. imposing, a
square, old-fashioned house, painted
white, with green shutters. It ap-
peared deserted, and no spirals of
smoke assembled from the kitchen
chimney. Apparently not even the
servants were yet stirring. However.
there was smoke showing farther to
the right, but | had to move before
| could see the cause clearly-the
s~mouldering remains OF what must
have been a large barn. | advanced In
that .alYnnfinp uIytr4trn H. n.,hauI
and a row Of negro cabins. These
were deserted, the doors open, and
two of them exhibited evidences of
fire. A s~torehouse had its door bat
tered In, a huge timber, evidently used
as a ram, lying across the threshold,
and many Of the boxes and barrels
within had been smashed with axes.
The ground all about had been tram.
pied by horses' hoofs, and only a
smouldering fragment of the stables
remained.
stared about perplexed. unable to
decipher the meaning of such de-
struction. Surely Grant would never
dare such a deed with his unarmed
force, Besides Elmhurst was the
property Of a loyalist, ayi the colonel
Of his regiment. Not even the mad.
ness of anger would justify SO wanton
an act Whatever the mystery | could
never hope to solve II lettering there;
the house itself would doubtless reveal
the story. and | turned In that direc.
ton. skirting the fence, yet exercising
care. for there might still remain de-
tenders within, behind those green
blinds. to mistake me for an enemy. |
saw nothing, no sign Of life, az
circled through the trees OF the or
chard, and came out upon the grass
plot facing the front porch. The sun
was up now, and | could perceive each