Year: 1873




Roland Tyrrell's last sight-tE


last, he fancied, that he should eve


have of worldly things-was of tn,


falling barrier which shut him,


poisonous darkness, from the sight


and sounds of men. After that,


knew nothing more.


He knew nothing of the sensatio


which the news of his entombmer
made, nor how Mr.. Beresford himse
rushed down into the mine, nor no,
volunteers focked to the work of hi
rescue, nor yet how zealously th
men labored to save him who ha
only a little before denounced ther
as towards.


But when Margaret Churchill, VIII
: was meeling by her unconscious ye
Z living brother, heard the news, sh
uttered a cry which those around he
never forgot.


'tIt is my fault" she cried. 'Gt il
my fault! L urged him to gol
begged him to save Hugh! But
never feared this-I never thought
that he 'ooeeId give his own Efe-C
my Godl what have I done"
It was easier to ask than to an
swer. The men below worked witt
a will ON the fallen earth, which, be
ing light, gave way readily to theil
shovels; but not one of them dared
to hope that they would find Tyrrel
alive. They knew too well the terrible
power of the agent at work within.


81 don't think there's more than a
shadow of a chance for the poor ,fel-
low,P the superintendent said "But
we can only do for him what he did
for Churchill-give him the benefit OF
that.-So work away, for Gods sake,
boysl every second of the time counts
against him.


They knew that as well as the
speaker did, and scarcely needed to
be urged to expedition. They work
ed as they had seldom, even in their
stalwart lives of labor, worked before.
Whether it was merely the universal
human sympathy for human suffering
which at such times strikes a mag
netic chord to make men brothers
or whether they were moved to spec
ial interest by the courage of the gal
liant gentleman dying within, no one
could tell Assrredly they could not
have told themselves. People accus-
toned to analyzng motives do not
pause for such process at moments
of supreme excitement. Still less are
those who have never done such a
thing likely to choose such time to
begin. It did not matter what senti-
ment it was, when the heart sent
force enough into those sturdy arms
to demolish in a very short time
though time which seemed horribly
long to the passive lockers -on-the
awful tomb of Natures fashioning.
Then they found that he was lying
Immediately beyond the fallen earth,
and that the two lanterns which had
been left were still burning, though
very dimly.


Drawn forth into purer cir, they
thought they detected signs of Life;
but no one could be sure of this. It
was true there was some ground
of hope in the fact that the lights had
not been totally extinguished, and
that he had not been buried much
more than fifteen or twenty minutes;
but no man was bold enough to say,
'sHe will ive!" nor even ''He is alive!"


'Get him up into the hands of the
doctors as quick as possible" Mr..
Beresford said "Good Heavensl
what a piece of work this has been!"


Up from the underworld into the
light of Gods blessed sky he was ac-
cordingly taken-a far more dearhly-
seeming man than Hugh Churchill
had been, or even than those poor
victims drawn forth, stone-dead, from
beneath the avalanche of fallen earth.
Under the influence of powerful re-
storatives, Churchill was beginning
to revive little. and to comprehend,
in a measure, where he was and what
had happened.


"Tyrrell!' he repeated family, as
he heard the name passing from lip
to lip around him, for just at that
moment Tyrren was brought forth,
and laid down, as it CHANGED, almost
exactly at the feet of the brother and
sister. To the surprise of all present
Margaret Churchill rose at once, and,
going to his side, knelt down by him,
gazing into the pallid face, feeling the
pulseless hands.


"He has given his life for yours,
Hugh" she said, at last, looking up
at her bewildered brother, with
ghastly smile on her quivering lips.
II think you may be satisfied that
your Uendettd is ended now"


He had, indeed, given his life so
far as the will to do so went, but not
as far as the actual fact was concern
ed. The physicians, who now came
up, told Margaret that he was still
alive. 'He has wonderful vital force"
they said, "and it has enabled him to
survive an ordeal that would have
killed weaker man. But he is not
out of danger yet. He may never re-
cover consciousness, or, if he does,
an attack of illness may probably
follow. We will apply all possible
restoratives, and then he should be
taken away from here at once. Does
anybody know where his lodgings
are? The Tyrreu house was rented