Gunnison news-champion., 1922-03-31

vas 50 stup-fyin- that II took both
% u a minute or - 20 understand
that some change as yet undehnable
had been wrought either IN u or IN
our surroundings during the nolsy in
-sE'Uc.
-J;rvat Jshu - exclaimed the old
uau-iholsh he was within arms
each could make him out only as
f-gu shalsw--Gr.at J-hu' IL b1leve
I'm saIn' blind StaunIe, III can't
,r- un,L!u' a-tall -
-I'vn't worry hasienei TO say:
In In 'h- same boat. We've been
r,.rLlag too hong and steadily throaEh
rhu-e anger. holss. In pass In min
g-r.-
But u didn't pass and presently the
so.7r q my Old side partner came
a-HIu out a! the darkness.
-Trsps its cioudin' up some he
suggested iu q half-uhisper. 4 can't
-.-- uo star through them Windows
A. this looked toward the window
. ..r.ulnEs. but the interior blsckuess
had Il0tted them out completely. Al
most ius,incnyely I turned hack 10 she
lorr sud put an eye 20 a ioorhoIe.
. Gap .lancc vas enough. The trouble.
whatever IL might be. was with Us and
not with the sky. The stars were
shining a. brightly as ever.
-pnat mqys Daddy cautioned.
and then groped my way along the
wall and climbed TO the top Of our
earth-sncE breastwork Rt point which
guessed 10 be under the nearest of
the two windows.
When | drew myself up and tried 10
thrust q hand through the opening
The mysterious darkness was e1
pIuIned tn. window embrasurcs were
stopped up. both OF them. on the out.
side by something that felt like 3
heavy canvas curtain, though how the
curtain was held In place could moi,
determine. But IL was firmly braced
ln some way. With all the purchase
could get-Which wasa't much
couldn't dlslodge IT or push It aside.
Making my way back TO the door
told Daddy what ] had found.
Huh - he said; "that old tarpaullD
that was out yunder In the ore shed
How dye reckon they got 1t there,
Summer
Its hoisted on n framework OF
some Kind. and they did It while we
werr rubbering and trying to find out
What all that noise was about"
We were not kept very long In doubt
AS 10 what the next enemy move was
10 be. With the cessation Of the tom.
tom claiter the collie had grown curl
ously restless We couldn't see him.
but we could hear him running from
post to pillar, shifting at the crack.
and occasionally giving whining
groal. Presently he began to cough
and sneeze then he came racing back
to Us. iiatteniug himself TO hold his
nose 10 the crack under the door and
taking long braths as II he were half
stiiled. | stopped TO pat him and I'm.
mediutely imnrined was smelling
burning sulphur matches
Get down here. Daddy. and smell
this dog | whispered. rs II old
fashioned matches. or what;-
one snin was all that the old man
needed.
'Gosh-,o-cee-w e-whiz-brlmstone ~ he
choked them devils are snokin' US
out That's why they stopped up them
window holes: so we couldn't get any
air."
There appeared to be little enough
time for any defensive move. The as-
phyNiaiing gas was coming stronger
every moment. and any search for its
source seemed utterly hopeless Yet
we went nj IL, coughing and choking,
and stumbling over everything In the
darkness. as a matter OF course.
After all II was Barney who U honor
him with the human pronoun because
he certainly deserved ~ II was Bar.
ney who showed us the devils door.
way. The red glow was now sending
enough light through cracks and crev.
Ices and the bullet rippings overhead
to make our inner darkness q degree
or so less than Stygian. Missing the
dog for q moment at our common
breathing hole. we saw him circling .
particular spot In the floor and snari.
Ing at II as IL II were something alive.
At that we both remembered that
the shafthouse floor was raised a foot
or SO from the rocky ledge on the
down-mountain side, and that the
space underneath was partly open.
Daddy pointed TO the circllng dog.
''Barney's got IL" he painted.
They've run their chimney up under
the fioor!' Then: where In Sam
HUI did you leave that ax?"
The ax was near at hand and ran
for 1t. Holding my breath l began to
chop madly at the floor planking. By
this time the AIR was so bad that u
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