The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1922-03-16

yhatever Il might be. was with us and
nott wis the sky. The stars were
shining MS brightly ms ever. 3 =;
"Don't move. Daddy" cautionea
AND their CROPPED my way along the
wall and climbed to the top Of our
earth-sack breastwork at "a port which
1 guessed to be under the nearest cf
the two windows. -, ...T
When / drew myself up and tried TO
thrust a hand. through the opening
the mysterious darkness was ex-
,plained. The window embrasures were
stopped up, both Of them, on the, out
side by something that felt like a
heavy canvas curtain. though how the
curtain was held in place could not
determine. But 1t was firmly braced
In some way. With all the purchase
1 gould get-Which wasn't much-I
couldn't dlslodge IT Or push it aside. :.
Making my way back to the door
l't6fd Daddy what had found.
"Huh!" he said "that old tarpauljn
that was out yonder In the ore shed.
How dye reckon they got it there,
StannIe".
ITS 'hoisted on framework of
some kind, and they did It while we
were rubbering and trying TO find out
what all that noise was about.
We We're not kept, very, long in doubt
asfto what the next enemy move was
to be. With the cessation Of the tom.
tom clatter the collie had grown curl.
ously restless. We couldn't see him,
but we could hear him, running from
post to- pfi1hr, shifting at the cracks
and occasionally giving whining
'growl. TTeSently. he began to cough
and sneeze then he came racing back
to us, 'aatteping. himself to hold his
nose to the crack under the door and
taking long breaths as If he were half
stiied. stopped to pat him and i'm
mediatefy Imagined ! was smelling
burning sulphur matches.
e Get down here, Daddy, and smell
this dog!" whispered. "Is- 1t old
fashioned matches, or what?"
One sniff was. all that the old man
peeded.'Gi -. =
,.".GosiEto gee ee-whiz-brlmstone! T" he
choked ;..!"them devils are smokin' us
out! That's why they stopped up them
window holes; so we couldn't get any
ART"
a., There appeared to he little enough
time for any defensive move. The as
phyTiating gas was coming stronger
every moment, and any search. for its
source seemed utterly hopeless. Yet
we went at it, coughing and Choking,
pnd stumbling over. everything in the
darkness ASA matter Of course.
After all was Barley who lI- honor
him with the human pronoun because
he certalhy deserved it) IT was Bar
net who showed us the devils door.
way. The, red glow was now sending
enough light through cracks and crev-
Ices and the bullet rlppings overhead
to make our inner darkness degree
or so less than Styslan. Missing the
dog for moments at our common
breathing hole, we saw him circliIiG q
particular Spot in. the floor and sharf-
ing at it as If it were something alive.
At that: wye both remembered that
the. sshaftlpuse. floor was raised foot
or so from the rocky ledge on the
down-rnountain. side: and that the
space underneath was partly open.
Daddy pointed to the eirellnsg dog.
"Barney's got It'll" he painted.
They've run their chimney up under
the foor!" Then: Where in Sam
Hill did you leave that axP' r..
- The ak was near> at hand and I ran
for 1t. Holding my breath l began to
chop madiy at the floor planking. BY
this time the air was so bad that it