The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-07-30

the oily feel became touch OF palm.
When at last l slept, it was only to
dream a strange dream; over and over
came the choice of retaining but one
of my precious new found jems.
On waking l refused to acknowledge
my dream-hour decision, gathering
them into my handbag, I started al
once to return to my shrine in the bend
of the river.
Just when about to leave the mine
road again for the dim river trail, a
quick blast of horn startled me, and
when comprehension dawned, | found
myself facing my companion of yester-
day. The hot blood rushed to my
cheeks. I turned away with no other
sign of recognition.
Come with me" the voice was plead
ing, not commanding as when l had
heard it before There has been a
holocaust at the mines. We are both
needed" The plaintive, trembling and
tender sympathy of his tone disclosed
character utterly foreign to what
l had hitherto seen.
Foreknowing my decision he had
thrown open the rear door of his car.
The trip was made hurriedly, silently.
watched almost fascinated the nearly
motionless figure in the front seat.
At one point the road turned sheer
against the side of the mountain. A
fearful precipice on the right. I'm
consciously l had drawn the green
jade from my satchel and held il
loosely between thumb and finger. A
flash of the sun drew my eyes to it
and was amazed to notice what I'M
til now had escaped my scrutiny a
small red spot embedded in it's point
At the sway and tremor of the car.
l lurched to one side, dropping the
stone. AS it fell I saw it's prism rays
flood its surface, as the blood of a
wounded soldier turns crimson the
field where he is slain.
Before I Guild fully understand that
l had suffered a loss, we dipped down
the incline and came to a sudden stop
Before us tongues of fire, ever and
anon shot upward from the shaft; grey
clouds arose from its black depths
pressing hard against the sides, as if
loathe to meet the anguish it had cost.
All that we could learn was that
a terrific explosion had occurred. Be-
meath somewhere were nearly hur-
dred human beings, husbands, sons,
brothers of the white faced
stricken women who crowded and
walled at the shafts entrance.
Soon the cage was lowered with
orders to first bring up the living.
Then passed moments that seemed to
grind slowly into hours. With the first
sign of moving ropes every form
eagerly leaned nearer the awful pit;
tense and tenser grew the lines on the
pallid faces with every foot of its
Then the blackness left and the
manned bodies came into view. Now
l saw my companion rising with a
subtle power, become the center of the
scene.
He approached; the line was broken
and his silent motions were silently
and quickly obeyed.
His face was set, and the deft hands
seemed possessed with the Spirit CT
Divination as they went straight to
each wound, catching the artery to
stop the ebb of life.
Bathed in blood, but with an angels
touch, staying the wolf, Greed, of
Death, they moved quickly, steadily,
unerringly Seeing them as the sun
light filtered through the blood of his
suffering fellowmen, found there the
pinkish beauty, as it adorns a tiara,
but, in it's massive force and heat that
turns the sand into a crystal.
/ turned from the scene of carnage
and sought to comfort the weeping
my hand clutching the Black Stone,
until it cut into my flesh.
Now the cage had again descended
and was ready with it's second cargo.
Was here more need for the physician
or comforter? The face of the man
who stood in the box answered me.
The first lifeless body was tenderly
laid on the sand A girlish woman
tottered forward to kneel beside the
husband of the morning, the magnet
force that had drawn her from shove
to shore, the dead half of life whose
oneness was invisible.
She raised her face and hands to
Heaven and the other sufferers join
ing as in a chorus, there arose on the
hot air of the Mojava border-land a
cry so bitter, so hopeless, so terrific,
that the heavens seemed to darken,
and the valley become garden, the
Garden of Gethsemene!
l knelt near the physician watching
his face as he watched the face of the
child-widow. When the anguish of her
voice reached his ear, the mountain
of his massive manhood melted with
a volcanic force of pent up human sym