The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1915-03-17
han was needed to rid Rose OF her

I
mel, Jimmy having taken the candle
away with him; and its silence was
rendered uncanny by the sobs and MUIR
murs Of the lovers, that sounded some
how fearfully remote and inhuman to
Barcus-who had turned Immediately
to the bulkhead and was, without the
slightest hope, cropping about its joints
and crevices in search of some way
of forcing it.
"Barcus-old mani"
"Yes?"
"Have you any idea"
Devil a one!"
Did you notice what that black
guard had fixed up?''
What do you mean?"
"Why-at the bottom of the shaft
| got only glimpse coming in-the
door Of the powder room was open,
and saw fuse set to the top of a
keg Of blasting powder -
What's the good of that? We're
fast enough as it is!
Simply to make assurance doubly
sure by causing cave-in
81 seem to remember hearing or
reading, some place, that tunnels have
two ends If that's true, the far end
of this ought to be about the safest
| place when that explosion happens
| If it ever does"
Something in that"
Got any matches?" Barcus In
quired, as Alan hurriedly helped Rose
| to her feet.
Never one"
Nor I. Well have to feel our way
along. Let me lead. If step over the
brink of pit or anything, I'll try TO
yell and warn you in time"
Alan caught his friends hand in
ress eloquent of his gratitude to Bar
| Gus for taking their peril lightly, or
| pretending to, for the sake of Rose.
A ticklish business, cropping
their way through blackness so
| opaque that it seemed as palpable as
a pool of ink And haste was indi-
Gated; they stumbled on with what
caution was possible against pitfalls
a gingerly scramble. Then an elbow
In the tunnel-sensed rather than felt
or seen-cut them off from direct
communication with the bulkhead,
and at the same time opened up a
shaft of daylight, striking down
through that pitchy darkness like a
column of fine gold
Cries of joy, amazement, incredulity
| choking in their Threats, they STUN
bled forward, gained the spot immedi-
ately below the shaft, looked upward,
dazzled, to see blue sky like coin OF
| heavens minting far above them, at
the end of a long and almost perpendi-
cular tunnel, wide enough to permit
the passage of a mans body, and lined
with wooden ladders
The end of the lowermost ladder
hung within easy reach from the floor
of the tunnel T'r @- "
But even as Alan lifted his hands to
grasp the bottom rung the opening at
the top of the shaft was temporarily
obscured.
Thrilled with apprehension, he hest
tated: Marrophat was up there, he lit
tie doubted; hardly like that one to
overlook the ladder-shaft in preparing
the tunnel to be living tomb.
What is it," Rose demanded at his
elbow, in shaken whisper.
Nothing" he lied instantly, and
Selling the bottom rung, swung him
self up. But wait for me till signal
the coasts clear" he warned before
committing himself finally to the as
cent.
Marrophat or no Marrophat at the
top, there was nothing for him to do
but to grasp the nettle danger with a
steady hand, uniinching. Even though
he were shot dead on emerging from
the shaft, it were better than to die
down there, like a rat in trap.
He had climbed not more than half
a dozen rungs when voice hailed
from above:
''Iaw-Oh, Mister Law. say-don t
come up-here's present for you
Pausing without answer, he looked
up. A few drops of water splattered
his face, like heavy rain. Almost i'm
mediately the blue sky was per-
manently eclipsed: heavy cascade of
water, almost solid column, shot
down the shaft with terrific force.
Halfdrowned and wholly dazed, he
felt himself picked up and dragged
away from the waterfall
Then, as his senses cleared, he COM
pretended the fact that the tunnel
was already filling; that where they
stood it was already ankle deep; while
the water continued to fall without
hint of letup.
CHAPTER xLVl.
Eload ard Eira