Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1913-03-23

ed the bottom of the ledge, came to their very feet and then stayed. Ten minutes passed, during which Joyce held his light out over the black. Snilen water again and again. Then he re placed il in his cap.
 Its stopped" he said. we've got | Il ti.htin chance.
 Ben took his pick and began knock. ing against the wall back of them. | Then. lifting up his voice, he sang at | it's full strength the Easter hymn that | had so stirred the anger of SnlonS | few hours before. SimonS said noth- | ing now and Jarvis eagerly caught up | the refrain in a rough bass.
 | If they're Searchin'," he said. id l likely they are, they might hear that 1 from the old shaft. Anyhow, q hymn 1 does no harm the way we are But no one heard. Thc hours drag ged on: the black water slept at their l feet neither rising nor falling an inch. Whether it was night or morning they | did not know. At intervals Ben sang l the hymns he knew best. tapping in ] unison on the wall with his pick, and ] Simons crouched silently beside him. while Jarvis joined in. All at once the latter clutched Ben. Listen. listen. | he cried, and far. far away q sound as of a tap on thc wall was heard and re peated distinctly as they listened.
 "Theyve heard us,' said Jarvis ca serly.
 But they're far away. Maybe the old shaft is farther away than thought"
 Our lamps are goin' out said Si- mons grimly, md we've not been here half day. They can't reach us under q week from that far away Then he said no more. relapsing into the >amc heavy silence as if he had no hop" and cared nothing for the outcome. Continued faro!T tapping could now l be heard. Evidently the pickmen O! l the reScuin@ party were at work. The l lamps in the caps of the three went i cut for lack of oil, and all was dark. 1 Jarvis curled up closer and sank off to
 sleep. snoring loudly Ben. npliftcd
 by the thought that friends were toll
 ing to reach them, began to sing soft
 ly the hymn he loved best, Rock of l Ages In the dark he felt a hand laid
 trembling on his arm
 Don't sing tllat.' said q shaken voice
 -SimonS voice. 'I can't stand 1t
 .Joyce l cant stand it.''
 Ben stopped. astonished. The hand
 remained on his arm, and the voice
 went on. ''I may as we'll tell you.
 feel since ,we've been shut up here
 that I'm shut up here to die-to meet
 my God. The rest of yon deserve tt
 live: don't. Joyce, l was once
 Christian man. had n good wife
 I've sat with her Ind sung that hymn
 it was her favorite-many time
 nd meant every word of it, Rnt fel
 into temptation, md broke Gods law
 nd broke her heart too. She diet
 while was off among bad company
 They sang that hymn at her funeral
 but ] hardened my heart against it
 against the memory of her. againS
 God. I've been worse than an unhe
 liever ever since. But now I'm face
 to face with the end-'nd with God
 i'm not @oin' into eternity, Joyce. witt
 a lie on my lips What 1 told you to
 day wasn't so I do believe in q God
 Il just God. md want to say so,
 He is just" said Ben, "He is faith
 ful and just to forgive us our sins
 Simons."
 Ben said no more for Jarvis stirred
 and woke. The faraway picks work
 ed on: the slow hours dragged in th'
 foul smelling dark They had no food
 no light. no chance to move from thel
 cramped position. Before another da! passed Jarvis became half dcliriOu:
 from fatigue and bad air. To sootht
 his wan.ierings and to keep up hi
 own courage Ben sang the old hymns : over and over again. When in th' darkness he was singing the last verse of Just as Am" d fatering voc' : joined his and then broke down. Il ain't fit to sing it. said Simons gasping. "but it seems as if l had to :, 1 can't live to show folks I'm a Chris tian again. nd Pm no good just : lyin' sinner Such as l am, Lord. b' ] mcrciful to me. q sinner. But of
 only had q chance to do somethn' fo 9 him. Joyce, I'd feel better.' . His chance came later, when Ben l too. grew light headed With infinite 2 patience Simons tended the two othe r men. holding" Jarvis in his arms like : Y child to keep him from plun@in@ int l the water and drowning himself in hi r deirium and wrapping his own coa around Ben when he went from q fe h yer into chill of exhaustion. The t tapping of the picks drew nearer an, n ever nearer How long had it been 2 two days two weeks. q month? Si = mons mind, too. began to grow con n fused. He steadied it hy repeatin: r. over to hiulSeif the hymns the Hihl, a verses he rememhcre,,, and he wa
 thus whispering over the Twenty thir' n Psalm when the rcScuerS reached tn , spot and strong arms lifted the thre, l. starving, exhausted sufferers into ligh a and safety.
 It was broad daylight. and the bell.
 Varo rinoiuo in tho little fhllrrh aproS,