Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1916-03-10
THE HEART OF,
NIGHT WONC1S7k
A STORY OF THE GREAT NORTH WeSTV
Gy VlN0le E. ROE ~ as .~ X
ILLUSTRATIONS 6y R<y0Af7=es Il
cO0N9G4T SY DOOD MEAD AGgo cOin9qNI

encompassed the world. Its increased
roar changed to the thunder of the
spheres. 1t appalled, the hearts of
throughout the darkness of rolling
smoke wherein they worked between
the raging torrent and the East Belt
that mighty voice commanded cessa-
ton.
Instantaneously, without orders, as
one man where there was no commu-
nication save between those few feet
apart, they dropped their spades. their
tattered blankets, their axes. They
Strengthened from their labor, leaving
the cross-cuts in the trunks. Here and
there, above the solemn thunder
hoarse voices began to call. 1t was
the time to quit and they realized it
instinctively.
out! Out! Out!" they cried to
each other in the dusk. Get out!
Get out!"
Walter Sandry, working near the
apex of the pushing line, saw men be-
ginning to run past him back along the
trench and the cutting He lifted des-
perate eyes to the ridge whose dim
crest he could see between the boles,
so near had they won to victory. Only
a few more big pines, dozen saplings,
scant few yards of trench and it
would be done-the long lane of safety
stretched across the neck of the East
Belt!
Stop! Stop! Stop" he cried with
great voice that came from the very
depths of his lungs with borrowed
power Stand by me, men! For Gods
sake stand BY"
He saw dim shapes falter, half turn
toward him and start on. Again he
raised his stentorian cry and flying
! figures halted a moment, stopped
against their will by its compelling
power.
I'm Johnny Eastern, all right, but
I'm going to stay! Who'll stay with
me?"
Out of the dense obscurity came Col.
Inns. a huge fantastic figure and stood
beside him without a word. In the ten
sion of the time Sandry reached out
hand and gripped the giants shout
! der.
"A dozen men and we've won!" he
cried.
He saw the halting shapes turn
gather another and another, retrace
their steps and spring back into the
darkness. Every man of them was
western born and the taunt had gone
home. He leaped himself for the
! handle of a saw sticking out from the
bole of 150-foot sugar pine and the
whining song of the cross-cuts rose
again under the dwarfing roar.
Fourteen men had heard and an
swered that CALL and they were alone
in the purgatory of heat and smoke
All the rest were running for theil
lives down the cleared fall toward the
valley beyond the dip.
From time to time Sandry glanced
upward at the increasing light. The
sugar pine fell with a rending roar
and with Harris, who, he saw for the
he ran to the next.
He saw as he ran that one of thu
men, working like fury to fell thu
saplings, was Murphy, who had greet
ed his pompous "Dillingworth" will
such grinning irony in the old days.
He had a moments vague wonder a
this odd stripe of humanity that coulC
hold such prejudice, fight with Hamp
den's men in savage enmty, to joiI
their ranks later with happy irrespon
sibility at the call of gold, and wa
still willing to turn back to fight will
him on deaths brink, because he hat
returned their taunt of East and West
One by one, in silence, in a tension
that drew the skin tight on their faces
they saw the laet remaining monarch
fall, the kindling saplings laid OF
earth, the trench, much narrower an,
shallower, creep upward to the ridge
Against time, against heat tina
scorched their bare arms and torture,
their starting eyeballs, against a ST
fling atmosphere that drove then
nearer and nearer to the earth TO
breath, they drew the last blade, sen
the last big pine crashing toward tn
north.
The ridge was clear in the increas
ing glow.
"Now!" cried Sandry with the tr
umph Of general on a victoriou
field. now for the ridge and overt"
But even as he dropped his saw an
ran, calling his men, Collins big voic
came through the rolling smoke wit
the calm of finality.
"Ain't no over It's a ninety-foo
drop on to hard rock beyond tina
ridge"
Sandry stopped in his tracks. hi
head cleared as IL with Whit of sal
air by that call.
The men had closed in with the IL
stinct of their kind to be together /
danger, as If so the danger were lie,
} sened.
, But the Fastener was undaunted.
"1'hen We'll take to the East Belt
> he cried, even though II is crow
fire and coming fast, l think our trenc
, | will hold IT,"