Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1915-09-22
6eBALI Id
BGE0RGE RANDOLPH QIEST[R-.
and LILLIAN CHESTER ~.
Il 5s Il sos ILLUSTRATED f. CDRHODES
ILLUSTRATED r. CDRTIoDES :, A

What have we to dig with?" The
voice Of Rev. Smith Boyd, and there
was note of eagerness in it.
The benches up in front here"
yelled Mccarthy. and there was a rip
Ping sound as he tore the seat from
one of them.
Pardon me-" 1t was the voice of
the rector. up in front.
The balance of you sit down. and
keep rested" ordered Allison, now
also up in front Mccarthy, Boyd
and go first"
Inc long struggle began. The girls
grouped together in the back of the
car, moving but very little, for there
was much broken glass about Up in
front the three men could be heard
making an OPENING into the debris
through the forward windows. They
talked great deal, at first, strong,
capable voices. They were interior
ing with each other, then helping,
combining their strength TO move
heavy stones and the like. then they
were silent, working independently. or
in effective unison.
Tim German was the possessor Of a
phosph watch. with %
jewels on the inside and a ruby on
the winding stem, and he constituted
himself timekeeper
"Thirty minutes" he called out. Its
our sniff"
The men crawled in from outside,
but they stayed in the front compart-
ment.' The air was growing a trifie
close. and they breathed heavily.
"Good-by. girl" called the gayly flu
nereal voice of Ted Teasdale. Illus
band is going to work"
Another interminable wait, while
the air grew more sitting. There was
no further levity after Lincoln and the
motorman and Mccarthy had come
back for the condition was becoming
serious. Some air must undoubtedly
be finding its way to the car through
the loose debris, but the carbonic acid
gas exhaled from a dozen pairs of
lungs was beginning to pocket, and
the opening ahead, though steadily
pushing forward, displayed no signs
of lessening solidity.
They established shorter shifts now;
a quarter of an hot The men came
silently in and on and as silently
worked. and as silently rested, while
the girls carried that heavy burden of
women's hardest labor waitingl
Gregory was the first to give out,
then the injured motorman. When
their turns came. they had not the
strength nor the air in their lungs
Strong Mccarthy was the next to join
| them.
The shifts had reduced to two, Of
two men each, by now; Ted and old
! Tim, and Allison and the rector; and
these latter two worked double time
Their lips and their tongues were
parched and cracking, and in their
periods of rest they sat motionlessly
facing each other, with a wheeze in
the drawing of their breath. Their
stentorian breathing could be heard
from the forward end of their little
tunnel clear back into the car. where
the three girls we're battling to pre-
serve their senses against the poison
GUS gases which were now all that
they had to breathe. Acting on the
rector's advice, they had stood up in
the car to escape the gradually rising
level of the carbonic gas, stood, as the
time progressed with their mouths
/ agape and their breasts heaving and
sharp pains In their lungs at every
breath. Arly dropped. silently crum-
! ping to the floSr; then, a few minutes
later. Lucille. and. pa1ic-stricken by
the thought that they had gone under,
Gail felt her own senses Keeling, when
suddenly. looking ahead through eyes
which were staring. she saw a crack
of blessed light!
There was hoarse cry from ahead!
The crack of light widened. Another
one appeared, some four feet to the
right of it, and Gail already fancied
that she could feel freshening of the
air she breathed WITH such tearing
pain. Against the light of the open
| ings, two figures, the only two which
were left TO work. strove, at first witt
! the slow. limp motions of exhaustion.
and then with the renewed vigor of
| approaching triumph. She could dis
tinguish them clearly now, by the
light which streamed in, the stocky,
strong figure of Allison and the tall.
sinewy figure of the rector. They were
working frantically, Allison with his
coat off. and the rector with his coat
and vest both removed, and one sleeve
torn almost entirely from his shirt. re-
vealing his swelling biceps, and a
long. red scratch. Calls senses were
numbed, so that they we're reduced to
almost merely optical consciousness,
| table. / wanted to surprise her. That