Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-03-19

0WsS ~ ~ S@Sk
Ling now, and = arYi s eagerly zcanghtH
the refrain "a o rough
they're sea chin, said, end
Islikely they are. they nlght= hear that
from the old sha 81 yhow,S hymn.
does harm the wa We
But no one heard II be hours drag
ged son; the black water slept at their.
feet, neither rising nor Hing an inch!
Whether It wa mi ght= OF morning they,
did not kno At Intervals Ben sang
the hymns he knew best. tapping ii
unison on the wa with his pick, and
.Sim0ns crouched B silently beside him,
while Jarvis Joined at once the:
latter clutched Ben. stem. listen!',s:
Ishe cried, and \ far. far q way sound as
*of q tap On the wall was heard and re-:
|speated distinct as they listened
we heard U.S. said Jarvis ca
|zgerly zs..s
I#s='' But they re far . wa VI. daybe the.
old shaft IS fart her 9 Wa " than II.
Isthoug hit.
Our lamps are goin' Out, 3 said ST.
mons grimly u nd We not been here
half ada Chey cant reach us under
za week from that .far. ava y q hen he
t=said no more, rela psingS intos the same
|Sheav silence as If he had no hope and
cared no thing for the outcome.
Continued farof tapping could now
be heard. p yidently the pickmen Of
the rescuing party were at work The
lamps in the APPS OF the three went
out for lack OF oil. and all was dark.
Jarvis curled up closer and sank of to
sleep, snoring loudly Ben. uplifted5
BY the thought that friends were toll
Ing to reach them, began TO sing soft.
" the. hymn he loved best " Rock of
Ages In the dark he felt s. hand laid:
trem bling on his arm. ~
Don't sing that, said a shaken voice.
--Simons'= voice. III Il can't stand It,
Joyce cam stand i + t. 3 '=
Ben stopped, astonished. The hand
remained on his arm, 4 and the. voice
went on. s may as well tell: you,
feel, since we, We been shut up here,
that I'm shut up here to die TO meet
I=my God: T be rest Of You deserve to
live: don't. Joyce. Is was once d
Christian man. ! had q. good wife
1--we sat with her md sung that hymn
! lit was 81 her favorite many "a time
md meant every.word Of it, But ! fell;
into temp ation, nd e broke God law
md broke her. heart too: She died
while u was off among bad company.
! They sang that hymn at her funeral
| but I hardened my heart against it,
against the memory of her, gainst
/ God. I've been worse than an: unbe-
Iliever ever since. But now I'm face
to face with the nd--:''nd with God.
I'm not goip'' into eternity !, Joyce. with
a lie on my lips. What / told you to-.
day wasn't so. do believe ina God,
q just God, md I9want to say So ==ss s@
HE is just, said Ben. He is faith
full and just to forgive US our sins,
! Simons 2 .:5.
Ben said no more. for Jarvis stirred
and woke. The faraway picks work
ed on; the slow hours dragged in the
foul smelling dark. They had no food.
4 no light, no chance to move from their
cramped position Before another day
passed Jarvis became half delirious
from fatigue and 1 bad air. To soothe:
his .swand erings and to. keep up his.
own courage Ben sang the old hymns.
over and over again. When IN the
darkness he was singing the last verse:
of Just as AM a faltering voice
Joined his and then broke down.
~ amt al t. sing it, said Simons.:
i gasping. but it seems as If. had to.
IIScan't live to show folks I'm a Chris
tian again. md IN no good just a
] dyin' sinner. Such as 4 am, Lord, be:
/ merciful to me, sinner But eft i
only had a chance to do somethin' for
him. Joy ce, I'd feel better.
His chance came later. when Ben,
too, grew light headed With infinite.
[patience Simons tended the two other:
men, holding Jarvis I'm bis. arms like. a.
child to keep: him from plunging into.
the water and droWning himself IN hts.
ldelirium and Wra piping his own coat;
Iaround Ben when he went from fe.S
liver into chill OF exhaustion. The:
tapping Of the picks drew nearer and
ever nearer. How long had it been
/ two days, two weeks. month 81!
mons MIND. too, began Ito grow con-:
fused. He steadied 1T BY repeating
over to himself the hymns, the Bible
verses he Remembered, and .he was.
! thus Whfs perineg overt The Twenty third
| Psalm wi hen & the rescuers reached the.
spot and strong arms lifted the three.
starving, ex ha listed sur into light
B and safety.
It was broad da ylig q and the bells.
were ringing int he" lit tie church across
the valley. The young minister was,
mot there, however. He was at the.
mouth Of the old shaft. as grimy q
worker as any bel ping to bear the res 4
Icued men Into # the sunshine. Ben
Joyce, rewriting. looked up. 4 Al him.
..It's Easter day j oy &C. q said the min
! lister. and vel have: you singing In
1.-THE choir tonig b {. =
Ben plucked .Is feeblv at. Simons,
sleeve QUILL sing. too. Z he said, and
/ Simons node led While the Easter sun
| lit up their faces, WI ite with the Il an
.ness#of the shad low Of death. With Its:
] glow Of glad ness and resurrect lion, for
that day 50 sou had 8 been dea d. was
ally gain and. ha ying beef. lost /, was
I found tlliam sRi nhouse In For
ward.
he Drama off London's Fog.
=T here Us he e world of drama