The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, March 16, 1922, Image 3
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^^^|ANCl]
1^^^TOlGOTBYC?XSu
(Coaiiaualifrooi |Mt week)
jj chapter xv.
s r-. V-- High Explosives.
The. idea was one- which ought to
have suggested Itself .much nodner.
The sfettC'Bupplj.pipe for driving the
big c Jrlfugnls at the shaft mouth
cauie through the wall over our heads,
fend It was the sight of this pipe,
steaming even on the outside of Its
thick Intubating jacket of asbestos.qn-?
d^r the wetting from the water Jet,
that had set me thinking.
A spanning twirl, of the engine
throttle valve set our machinery' lu
motion,; ayt| when 1 hud thrown 'the
pump clutch,In,..we crouched again'in
the least-wet corner to watch the index
of the telhtalc steamgnugo connected
Into tfftf^ supply pipe;- - ,
We knew' that the centrifugals were
voracletfsisteum-eaters; we had prpved
that when we were running them In
the we^k^^ng test. 1 had a notion
tliat maybei liullerton had flred only
one of the, battery of three boilers to
run his shower-bpth machine, nh'd the
result spfeedlly confirmed this nsatnnptlou.
In a fdw minutes the steam
pressure had dropped to a point at
Which It would n'o JOnger drive any of
the pumps', efthertdurs or "the one outside,
niuj^he wimlpfw.cataract stopped.
"This win oe only a p\-eathlng
space," I-' prophesied, getting up to
squeeze soniev<>f"the superfluous water
out of my .clothes, "Hubert op will do
nno f\f IKIAmm . 41 ? Al- - -1' A
?..v niv iiiiiik*. ine me oilier iwo
boilers, y^itorgi 1 this steam pipe
of ours."
"Reckon so?" said Daddy.
"You'H^see In a minute or so." ?
The attack- began even white, we
were Rpenklng, snndry hnmmerjngs
and twlstlngs that shook the pipe overhead
proving that the besiegers were
y going to stop, Jhp lenk iiy (hitting us
off from the. hollers.
"Tnke, your whirl -at the inventions,
tills tiling Mwayr I urged. "When
they get. t^^ypply pipe Cut out. we'll
be In for another ducfflng?and one
that we Cdfi*t
Daddy liLs head and
wringing the moisture?und mud?out.
of his beard...
"JeruBateuvto-gosh, Stannie, we e6t
to take*a chancel" he muttered. "Any/*
waya, Fd atyeut.. lief >116' Irs fx?
drowned tPrdeatl}. We'll hn<e'tt?'mrtfts
that blpplcsmlth'sl'iouoj)) And get it*out.
o' the way,'sbmehoK VUmme a mfftch
out o' that thi tflhrto' ybur'n?if. they
ain't all sba1redltdia Jkf-H'hh^lUi'.sop."
I found the matches. wbicV^uekHy','
were sflit him'ope.
Before I .f#aty.?sa4iyed- wiiqt^Ve U'ayi'
going ?o da he lind takeu pne of ^tlib'
dynamite clrtrhlpesL out of its bucket
hiding plactfam^wcs.spllttlng the .fuse
with his poekenftilflb.
"Open th^? th^re door Into the shop,"
He tuiiauiuiidctr, uiiij Wiicu I Clii.yCvJ
mechanically, out went Oie bqpjb,' (i/.sing
and sputtering, to-luftd in n heap
of scrtfp iron piled on the farther Aid?"
of the Jitone^bullt forge. The sight of,
it smaklng and spitting spgrke In thi*heap
..of scrap haJ|^)>ypaoMECfI ine.'I.
guess, for I'ktood gaping at it, with 1
the door held onen. until Do/ldv iiiram
jerked me awa;;. ^3 nutted the doer nud
yelled to me to Help him bar It.
We had barely time to ggt tke door
clofted and fastened with the heavy
wooden bar and- to throw ourselves
\ flat on the floor behind the hoisting
machinery before the crash Came. As
I have previously said,Mtiie blacksmith
shop wfls a rather flimsy, stied-llke
1 affair, roofed wlt|? '^drnig^ted iroq,
and It seemed to us as ifbkofcen timbers
and pieces of sheet nletalwere
raining down for a full minute after
the blast went?off. . ..
, l*he shook to. everything In-the vicinity
was, of <4>urse, tremendousarid,
the stout old rfhfcft-housc Itself, rocked
and swayed llkofa tree In a hurrlcurie.
But the walls* still ^Atpod Intact/and
wlieh we got upr and peeped through
a hole which a piece - of the fl.Vtog
scrap had torn In the door, we. could
see what we had j done. It was a-plenty.
The blacksmith she At lyijJ-dl^ap-.
peured, leaving t^otiiing nut a' scattering
of wreckage. 'Theflieavy aretfli had
been thrown - from Its iJlock'.anfl^.the
forge looked as If a giant had kipked
, . It. Out hy the tytiler-slied u rack of '
cordwood had befit toppled over and
under It a man w|ts struggling to free
himself. When hd saw. the Imprisoned
, enemy that inlld-nytnnete<t; spft-iipoken
old soldier tlmt P was shut' up with
would have o(teneA the door and shot
tho struggler If I hadti<j-stypped hint.
J nis mowing up or tfle bWop nettled
the shower-bath business, tor us. definitely.
With the lirtpedltnduf* out. lot
the way we had n clear view on this
third side; could Vomniand the row
of miners' cabins, ng^feH^i^tfife''1f>oWera
In their open shed. When I got
through persuading Dn?hly Hiram that
we couldm't afford to murder the
-wounded, the fellow who had been
wrestling with the woodpile had made
hie exit and there was nobody In
sight. ghortly afterward a bullet,
fired from somewhere in the forest
background wbfcnged upon our roof,
and there were several to follow; hut
aside from punching a' few more holes
v m the iron-they did no harm.
I * '"Looks Ittce the 'Hercules' Is the one
I tiring they're most sheered of," said
Daddy, wltb his queer little stuttering
chuckle. "jVow maybe they'll leave us
have time 4e get ourselves dried eut
mite."
Totting up the reeulta of the showerbath
we'd had, a bread famine pyom*
l?%d to ho tho Vorst <*t tfiem. The few
^ rwrf nr ;
... - V ;..f '\*'
,V. - , .; - . * *<*
> :UYNDE5^^^'
S~?CRI BNER,S"r5oNS^a^
i ^ ' ?*?;/%?.
hurt, of course: and tlio muddled baconcould
be "Maslted with *viitejY drawn,
from the flooded'-slmft lint Hu> in.;..-.
In Iti oack was merely, n blob*/, unste
and was beyond .rede?Hpti?n ..and the
comment tlie snm<j. :|Jn vlesy-of
tlie results I ^yondorejtl If ifuUerton'
hadn't shrewdly-calculated upon wishIns
our cbiiun;ssary out of existence,
when he planned his overgrown lawnsprlnkjer.
Rut maybe that was flying
hlni credit for more Ingenuity than, he
really Imd. ??>r- ?
Tlirobgh what, remained of.'he afternoon
the rifle firing continued, coming
soinetlm's from one angle fi,nd sometimes
from another, but always.'can-'
nlly fiom n.safo distance ah<rhl\Vt?a
under cover of the surrounding forest.
Daddy |ulrttm,; grimly-, optimistic; . ex>,
fractcd'n swallow er so of ?nc(*uro?e
m'ent out of" the persistent pot-slioot'"K
, "Dunno
as you've ever noticed It,
Stnnnle, but. If you'll, pnly let n ling
alone long enough he'lf shove himself i
.under ^lie bob-wire fence far enough* j
to get cnught," he said. "ChnrUjy 'Roller!
on, now; he's fiTuih* "forgot-Aimt*<
'Tropin's less ''n five tnlles. away-and >
that Round * Carries mighty long distances
In' these mountnlhs in clear
weather." , t .
"What dlffereivcfe does that nigkQ?'
I asked. ., ^
: "It may make ,a heap o' difference..
Looks to . me like somebody-^ RUd/iy
Fuller.,'r Jtm Hagg^rty, file seotidh'
boss, *1: some of 'em' down yonder-'d.
begin a-wonderln', after a spell," what
{ In tnrnntion all tills here' btasttn' anil
| rllle.-poppln' up on old -Clnmibar-ls a !
? p'lntln* at and come and see."
"Do you think the racket will carry
that far?" . r .
' "It sure will. One night ajfpre 'Tro
pla'had gone as dead as sjie; is now. a ;
bunch o' cowpunch's got into "ah' Arfcy- !
' meat at Rlue-nose Rill's jilace and we j
heard the ornckln' and poppln* up !
here Jennie and me?like it.was #?st
over yonder In Greaser gulch." "Well?"
said'I, "If ybur neplfeav oT*.
any of the others hear It, what*theaJfV1
As I asked t>lie. question one- of -the. I
lmr.nltJ'i<l hint.- t- ?*. " - ?
...........v.. oiiuiii niit iiuuuKn uuf f nie [
of the building, struck the.Iron frame
of the hoist, lln^tej)f<J,, Itself and
dropped'ihtotl)^ ?^1^nian's igp. I'fclfr Ing
.?p, t)ip .liot* hjt. of iyijrf "to^dufinie' 1
It from, hand Jo' hapfl ?e .Yfc'nt"'dn much'
as if'packing un buOe'ts'tb^f Vefd^flrteJj "
at htm had been' hts dnfly r^fiVntlon'. 1
"Curiosity killed the* Vat, '-$Strfuine/
son^ Vou let some ohe* o"'* thb folks
/lown yohd^r In 'Tropla aay, 'Py gol-r- '
j.I winder whit all that sliootlq'p, f<&?,'
and * thift ndxt thing you know, soniebofly'll^be
nioggln' up here to find out. '
Along aboyt dp.sk. aorpe member of
the besieging party tried'to make g recbhhui&muce,
I happened tbUekeopIng
tl\e lookout oh" ^he .chbfte rsld& of- our
fortress and saw a utair-dodgiiig among
the pines back or the house. .Win-n i
Reported to Daddy he look a snap shot
at the place ,1 pointed out to him ipid
(here was ? wild yell and a stic in the
'young pines as though a hog were galloping
through them.
. "Just .to let * *enr-khow that we're
still alive and Iflekin',*' said the old man,
with another ofhis quavery |
chuckles. "I reckon' .maybe .that's j
what they Was alniln' to-find out,"
.I'osslbly It was. At oil events, the.!
rifle fire stopped with the coiniug of i
darkness, and as we faced our secohd' j
night of defense we hud plenty of time
to sit around and think and speculate I
"upon- what* the outcome was going to
Ive.
Tnklng It all fn all, it wna tlie fantastic
humor of the thing that lilt me
' hardest. Six short weeks enrller people
at home had beea- culling me nil.
the hard names tliut fall .tot .the lot of
the-Idle ne'er-do-well; a y.oung chap"
with enough Inheritance money to*?eep
lilm In ties and shoes* and shirts find
to buy gas for his car?though" thai
lust asked for u good bit on the rising j
cost of gusollhe?and* not enough to i
make life, or anything connected therewith,
very, much worth while.
^Iso these same people were saying
?behind my back, pf course, but there
were always pltfntj^of them to repeat
the saying to niy' fage?that I was
good stock gone to seed, would never
'(iniount to n hill of beans In anything
that asked for initiative or resourcefulness,
or primitive rough stuff of any
sort ; thut I was dne to go on dolling
myself up and playing skittles to the
end of the chapter?which would probnlhy
stage 11 self *4 n an asylum for the.
| feeble-minded. Also, again, at that '
sihih1 time, flhloli wan six Weeks?or j
six .thousand yeursr'-ngo, I wan' encaged
t<> IilMtltl with mighty little
-v'lrihuepect -ofifc a wt I ag-,.11? r r. be sttte, 1
hut with no thoUghtN>iT* in i fr rg nny '
.body j^so. . , t tjw ** i
* -"Ami novnr~.^ .^1 Igj/Klr'il' nround nt
the ahndowy walls of the grim ofH Oln*'
nebar shaft-house, looming darkly nnd I
still dripping, tick, tack, from their j
' enrly-afternoon mud bath; fejt my sog.
| gy clothes; stared across at Daddy,
I Hiram sitting backed ;ftp .against the
| hoist with Ids legs Jiidkkrflfed nnd his
< hands looked over Ids ktvees; It wns a
grotesque pipe dream; there wns no
other rniie for It. 1 hrolce out in a I
In ugh that wan a bellow.,
"SpJlt It up. Stannic," urged the old i
tnnn dryly. "1 allow yoO alp't goln* |
to be close-fisted enough to keep a good j
joke alt to yourself In no such a hoedown
as this." I
Til try," I said, and did It the bert
I knew how, giving him some Idea of
the life I had lived and Its earth-1
wide, abyetnal difference from the es> |
pertence o* the, peat six weeks.
-m B| i. 1
4 '?;V??; I*
, ^ * 7?*
I Stared Acros* at'Daddy Hiram.
eat in* wltli ti flal foTk V nil right,
Stnnnlt, hut they don't make the man
iVr Ihe woman ; there's got to be some-'
thin' inside; somethin' a heap bigger
than niiyio' them things."
. . "Qulje sp/'^aclpvltled.. . .Another
silence .an^i nt.,flie..,<yhl ol
It jhe old* plirtbsopher again.:
s. "Ybu be?tf* sore tibqut iny
.Jkanio, sinc^* yesterday '. . .. She's
Jjcen ehtln' your grun-paw's'hreud. like"
me, and you .thought, .ami I thought;'
that she might at tleast. 've waited a
little spell awu-e^ sjhe run oft with Charley
liullerton.' Mnyjie we've been
jumpin' lit things' tfto WmUien, Stannie.
'What made her1 tfife' 'way' up'yhnder
-to Greaser skill)' to catch^thnt trait)?
, Am} how coute..t:?ljiii,rley l}uU?rtrm to'1
iharr'y'her. oye day t\nd he pp here
^ wit lights uuh61i d* gpnuicn by dajhyak
the h?j?" mornln'?" * ' '
"Has Jvnmile.lYiendsiji Angels with
Wh'oin she could be "staying?*} VasKcd.
""Xot/n single soul. . He'd n.-had to '
leave her.at the Chink's hotel; and
' that jnip'f no place for a woman, juarrted..h"
t'ortiujyuse." -'
. "Hut supposing they didn't go to
Angels?". . '
VThere ain't no other place they !
"could go and Jet li^n ^ .JijicKwPSt y?U
might say, iif'thrf'biune "day." ,
"tiny It all; fintlfly," I prompted.
, .'Vl'here ain't'- much to say. Stnnnje, .
hoy, ,'ceptiu' what I Vrfid afore, that '
mayho we'd- been ^jwhipifi' at -thing's
-sort o* blind-like. Johnnie's got a heap
o' sense?if 1 tfo say It as shouldn't?
ami the whole gee-Vipittln' thing, as we
theeii putliji* it up. ain't no more iilce
her than printer's .Uke dog days.". .
jn^'iWur >^th*5iAiject Into* it cornel'
\vp were both speechless for .a llt'tlcHnie
and l.ilvju^lt wiphaliuost with
a sense of relieX. that we. sprang alert
Wllen-(lie dlt!' till llOl-tn
-r - n ? I""* 'I"/0".* |
at our foot, jiuftpcd'iip'nnd ran to liold
nils nose at the. .th*ssbokh of tip;- door '
opening upon .tlm tjunip heud. ; ??...
' *?? , >'?. ; . |i.? '
CHAPTER XV'I
>*" . ' *. (* ?
1 " . ' ' Burnt-Matcher. * ~
Following the dog. to the'dn&r,t we'
could neither *see>Vnttr-lfpur"anything*
going on ouKsjd<>, though Barney's
Knittings under ure door.i and Ids low
growl warned uff ,'y pit something was
afoot, either on. tli^ dump head or in
.the, partly wreeUedeahin beyond. ,
While we were KtiJl peeping and peeping,
each at Ids augordiple- and each
ready take anioflfltand s^ot at anything
that seemed suspicious, the siletice
of the mountain night was rippetj
and torn h.v the most hhlebus clamor
digaglnahle, arising, apparently, hi the
capin or perhaps froiy the gloving of ,
treps Just hehind It. The racjcT-t w^s
deafening; comparable tb notlnhg that
;Td pver heard; a inagidtied orchestra-,
tion, so In speak, of the paiidetuhniiiin
made by u eiowd of country hoys
(Serenading a newly -.iiuwrifcij pair with
tin pans and such-like* iiolpe-jnaking
.Implements. " ' v. ' *
"What 111 the name n' IfioKaiii*
tered Daddy lllrnun- > "Reckon them..
gosh-dutmned plriiteerH 've goue.plurii''
loony?" t;, / ' '
"Walt," I qwnjlf1y& apd<I. hacf*tif':
shout to moke myself (heard. ,*'Th?nrflt.i
be more to l'o'jow. This lsf oplyfthV \
curtnln-rnlser." . . ?*?'?'*
But my guess appeared, tq' be no .
good. For quite some UtW .time we
crout'l^pd, .gun's at the rtuulv,- prepared
to repel, the nssiiuK' tvhloh wejfiaturally
supposed \\Couhf he *ftiu<tip " under
cover"of the '(tiaftractlng, r^clKt/ IHit
There whatio n^sjmJ^tl^pgl*{h^jueqninglvss
-^tnirmr .k^pt^p^vjthapt, abate-, j
ineut. * ? , * * ' . y ,,J, # m j, i
By the time we wete ^beginning to
grow a.trillc hardened to It the1?lumor '
stopped as abruptly J un<db had fioglm
and the *1leiua; Jfcliiclj p*p<jeee#e?l} \\n?s '
even more deafeq^ig^tl^jji tliO'/ncrlsd 1
had hqen, AVhllfltf l^uc^cd l coUfd see .
dim figures fterfliifg flqvfh rtve road h
that "led to tfVL
Daddy say: -i'NOw.MfiWln the naiqe l
o' .Tehohictililif?" *t >? ** *-':V' r
- , w, *1
If<e Wart turned nwny ?r#m WIsMiedp-,,
hole .mid I-eoulft. tatticirllifrS^oe, |
(lint lie was rtrty>lj>ic his eyes. 'flieti'l-*
realized, thal unpti. my, .also, fa* sudden- *
l)!liyU?'|s JTh^^P I tj>o lntyrbn\ of ;
thf* shaft hottse had heyyjne^fij^
hh thV) inwiWo? of h.pocket. Tly? rtfTjeot
wii's do StupofyWi^ tjunt It joojc, hQfJl
ufr Ub rf miigw?? thv' W, to. yndermiiyl j,
that sotoifc/cfcanjco ?#ni Aft vmacrmible
"findtH$d yiiJuT Iji, us or In
our Hurton^|M0K?>.ItfyrlUM jthe noisy Interlude'.!
. . . *
"(Jrenrt * JehtVl!*- 'exqfblmCd' il.it' old
mant-iljougV'Jto, wah within arin'fi-'reach
I oAi^til^urfke him out only aa a
rtlm sh^doW??<lrent Jehu ! I?I b'lleve
I'm rfirtu' hllh^ .Stapnle! I?I cnnt ^
?ee notfriln. s'-tiiH I" /
"I >011^ worry." I hastened to say;
"I'm Jn the wpirie l>o4t. We're been
looking too Jonjt' and steadily through
those ahger-hofca. It'lJ pass In a tnlnnte."
' .
But It didn't pais and presently the
voice of my old side partner came
again out of the darkness.
"I"rapa It's cloudln' up some," he
suggested In a half-whisper. "1 can't
see no atart through theju wlndowj." ' 5
At >thlf I looked Reward the window
openings, but the Interior bl#chn?s#- *
q - T|
/ 1 1 ^ i\.
C&h\.glanye * ?? enough. The trouble,
whoever It might he. was with us nifd I
not\wi>v! the. .sl^v.; The stars were I '
sKlnliig n* hi igidly .as over. >11
"Don't move. Daddy." I can'ioned;
?t|d theh* pooped uiy way alOhg' the
wall ami climbed to the top of our
earth-sack breastwork at a point wtilch
I guessed t<S under the nearest of
the two windows. ' .', *>
When I drew myself up jtpd t'ledio
thrust ^ a... hand -through the opening
'thV " irt^rfterfous darkness was explained.
"The window embrasures were
stopped up. both of'theui, on the..outside
by something that 1'eH like - a
heavy canvas curtain, though how the
curtain was held In place I:could not
determine. But It was firmly braced
In some way. ,Wi.th air the purchase
1 could ge(?\yhlch wasn't much?1
couldn't dislodge .It or, push It aside.
flaking my* way .hack to the door
I'tOTd Daddy what I had found.
"llnh!" he said; "that old tarpaulin .
that was out yoiider In the ore shed.
How d'ye reckon they got it there,
Stitnnte?" .' ?
"it'o i ? - ?
-,>.ui.ucu vii it umeworK or
some kind, nnd they did It while we
were rubbering and .trying.to:4ind out
\vb at n 11 111 a t nol se- was about.". ,
We w'ere nqt* kept ^ery long In doubt
asftb what "the next enemy tnove was
to be. With the cessation of the tout
torn Clatter the collie had grown curiously
res.tless. ,We couldn't see him,
but we could hear him, runnlijg from-,
pbst tor-pin t?t, Knlfhng at the cracks!
and occasionally giving a whining
growl. rtVtfently. fle began to cough f
and sneeze; then he enure racing back j
to us, -flatteqln^. himself to hold his.;nbse'to
the crack under-;tlie'door and-^
taking long breaths as If he were hulf t
stifled. I stooped to pat him and lm- j
mediately Iniaglned I was smelling "
burning sulphur matches.
-,,"Ctet down here, Daddy, and smell
this dog 1" 1 whispered. "Is - It old- '
fasillonvd mntqhes, or what?"
. One sniff was.all that the old man
peede.d.-?'i-" 's\ .
,."Gosd#to-gee-whlz??brimstone 1" he
choked; . "them devils are smokln' us
out'! That's why they stopped up tltein
window holes; so we couldn't get any!air!"
p
,v .There appeared to he'little enough
time for nny defensive move.' The asphyxiating
.gjrs was (bi'ning stronger,
every moment,'and-any search^ foj-Its
source seemed utterly hopeless. Yet
we went at It, coughing and 'choking,
prid. stumbling* over, everything In the!
darknesk/hs'h matter of course.*- 1
Aft/T"all It"was Barhe$ wlib (I-honor ...
him with the human pronoun because
:h& certnitHy ideser'ved It) It was liar-j
nef who .showed us the devil's dbor.wny.
The, red glow was now sendingJ
etiough light through cracks and crevices
nnd the bullet rlpplngs overhead i
to make our Iniier darkness a degree or
so less thiih Sty^tfl/in. .Missing the .
dog ^ for n* moment'at our common \
breathing hole, we satv* hiin clrcllilg'fc''
particular spot in.the lloor nnd snnrt-H"
Ing at It as If It were something alive.!
AJj-Uint- vjchoth remembered that tthe
shaftlyxtise. floor .was.raided a foot
of so from the rocky ledge on the;,
down-mountain^ side'- nnd that the space
underneath was partly open.
Daddy pointed to the' circling dog.
* "Barney's got It!" 'he * panted.
"They've run their chimney up'und^r
the floor 1" Then: ; " Where In* S"am
HLH did you leave that ax?"
^ The she was neur.'nt hand' and I ran 1
for It. Holding my breath I began to
chop'mndly at the floor plnnking. By .1
this time the afr was so bad that It
1 - ' 1 '
VH* v.- ? f j
? if.pad^ T^>,bk.HUr^(i# Instantly. v*
thai we've gof *UrJJ?e,.jpu^cd~"'even at- ;
the'. A-rjen.se n hew wmftlinhse_
.ftiif'fi^Altlng no\v machinery.
rti'dncert fiis infn'ij, when.!- ,
'he kiy>w4M4t;il fu? <?ouhl starve us out
In * lV,f *,
r ytl *.l;?!e^',li?|ifkln' *itpont Hint, right.
' wonder
liuu> till the wind?sonietMli'
jyfe d<>n7t AUQW -
tjdn?."' '
tii.,v"Sh ia&frp. Jnat for the sa!;o of
.ttrffiiindjrif,* thf.t ?o.ur' firnl fjue^ was
right: Hiiaf-hV dfd tuk? , Jeanie t?
* a*' init<r*fcfMe to Ineatliy. it, and after
-a Jet* Ijlo'vVs I l|)i(l fo yf6[?'tlui ax aud? .
ruirfu tIi?nl*K'iifKi*ife: tHVp'. i>ndfly look #
^K,it?urt sjifticlrfriK 'nj? the ax
as 1 it it i ix/i t down and hacking away
us long as lie cotlhl hold his hrcutli.
When he was forced to make ? hull
for the life-saving hole in the door, 1
ran in ligain; thus got a couple <>T tlie
floor plunks loose uinl piled them out.
: In the space beneath the opencrackoi)
floor we found liullerton's
ohlnuicV end ; an old discarded boiler
fine, It seemed to he, leading up from
'the beiieh below. From unearthibg
tiie .deadly thing to muzzling It irflh
one' of our wet hlunk?*s was the
breathless work of only a minute or
two; ahd with the gas-main thus shut
off, tho air in the sliaftliouse aoon became
Ijcarnble again, tho hole we had
chopped through the floor serving M
a ventilator thropgh whlch^JfcT cool,
crisp night gtr cam$ jjsaltfbg in a re
'* v .*? ,k - ' : '
a* ?;?.
< =
open ho that the breeze might blow
through and air the place out a hit.
Closing and barfing the doors after
the sulphur stench had been reduced
to a mere match-box odor, we established
our night-watch, Daddy Hi rain
taking the first "trick under a -solemn
promise to call me at the end of n
couple of hours. This time he behaved
better, rousing nie a little before midnight.'
He reported everything quiet,
and'pointed to the sleeping dog as evidence
that there were no Intruders
within smelling distance.
"Been that-away ever since you
turned in," he said, meaning, as 1 took
It, that the dog had been resting easy.
'iYou can just keep an eye on Barney.
If anything goes to stirrin', he'll know
It afore you will."
Nothing did stir; and after Daddy
had gone to wrap himself In his damp
blankets, I had my work cut out for
me keeping awake; in fact, 1 shouldn't
want to swear Unit 1 who fnii?.
during all of the one hundred and
twenty minutes that my sentry-go lasted.
No matter about that. Bullerton
didn't spring any more surprises on us
during my watch; and when I turned
the fortress over' to Daddy at two
o'clock I. was able to pass the "all
quiet" report bnck to him and go .to
the .blankets with an easy conscience.
I had Just dropped asleep, as It
scenie'd to'iue?though In reality 1 had
slept like a log for more Jhan two
hoyrs?-when Daddy Hiram came to
shake me awake.
"Somethln' dqttiY\ he announced
quietly, and when I sat up I saw that
the collie was moving uneasily from
one doyr .to the othw. stopping now
and tlteii to stand motVnless with his
ears cocked and itis head on one side:
"Barney hears something," I ventured
; and a moment Inter Daddy
broke in:
"Huh! it's plain enough for my old
ears, now; It's a wagon cotton' ncross
the bench."
Now the presence of a wagon on our
bench at this early hour In the morning
might' mean either one of two
diametrically opposite things: Our
deliverance; or the upcoming of reinforcements
for the millers. We were
not left loug In dmiht. Shortly after
tlio rack-rack of the wagon wheels
?VtPP?d \ve heard footsteps, and the
hair stiffened on Barney's hack. Next
we heard Bullerton's voice, just* outside
and apparently under our window
openings.
'^Broughton!" the voice called; "can
you- hear me?"
"So well that you'd better keep out
of range!" I snapped back.
"All right?listen. You've got to got
but, Rrougliton?that's flat. I haven't
wanted *to go to extremes. For perfectly
vflivious and common pi nee reasons
I don't want tn have to kill you
to get rid of you. But we are not going,
to gentle you any more. You've
already hurt four ?>f my men. and two
of tip' four are orinnlod. Tin* n.w*
tlinejfrej hit j on, it'll bo for a finish."
"1^8,1 said T. "Von brought the
ne\\*ehi)> up in a wagon, didn't you?"
He ignored -this.
could starve you out if wo
phose to take the time. 'I know pretty
well what you've got to eat?or rather
wjiat-you haven't got. It's your privlIege;
to take your life in your own
hands, ilronghton; that's up to you.
Hut how about the old man?"
"The old man's a-plenty good and
ahle to speak for hlsself!" yapped
Daddy.1 "You* do your durndest,
Chnrh'y Iiullerton !"
"AW fight, once more. You'll hear
frnni'?us directly, now; and as I said
befora, we've quit gentling you. That's
my l^t word."
: For,# time after tills the silence,
and the darkness, since It was the hour
befdre.,dawn, were thick enough to be
cut vv'tti an ax. Dut the dc? t?t,3
more restless than ever, and we knew
that ..something we could neither see
northern- must be going.' on. After a
ivhlle I* asked the question that had
been worrying me ever since I had
fiea'rd tjie wagon wheels. '
"What did .they bring up In that
tvagbA'. ,Daddy?n Gnfling?"
"Tlii. Iiord only knows, Sta,nnle?and
riJ AXi,u! i?ll It *
pr.ii i irii, wan me old prospector's
reply, tliade with no touch of Irreverj.ace;
and the words twerQ scarcely out
if . his ' mouth before a thunderbolt
Jtruck the shahbouse.
I '
, CHAPTER XVII.
1 "t% . Tit for Tat
!'That Jjord "thunderbolt" Is hardly
t'Agul-e t>f speech. The thing that hit
is coufdn't be compared to anything
flllrier "tjian thpuder and lightning.
l'l?Cro tvhfc n flash, a rending, ripping
( ar.ns 1f the solid earth were splltinjj
in (wo,and [he alr,was tilled with
SOUR STOMACH
INDIGESTION
Dl-.t. n Ai *? f *
i ucuivi u uiaca-uiuugni nigQJj
Recommended by a Tenneisee
-:?. * f
Grocer (or Troubles Re*
suiting from Torpid
' layer.
East Nashville, Tenn.? The efflo
iency of Thedford's Black-Draught, the
genuine, - herb, liver medicine, Is
vouched for by Mr. W. N. Parsons, a
grocer of this city. "It Is without
doubt tho best llvor medicine, and 1
don't bellevo I could get along without
it I take it for sour stomach, headache,
bad liver, Indigestion, and all
other troubles that are the result ol
a torpid llvar.
*1 have known and used It for years,
ahd can and do highly recommend It
to every one. I won't go to b$d with
out it in the house. It win do all It
claims to do. I can't say enough foi
ItMany
other men and women throughout
the country hare found BlackDraught
Just as Mr parsons describe*
?valuable In regulating the liver to
Its normal functions, and In cleansln?
the bowels of Impurities.
Thedford's Blank-Draught liver m*U
sine is the original and only genoln*
I ^
dying fragments and splinters. Air, I
say, but the acrid, choking gas which
filled the shafthouse could scarcely be
called air.
^'Dynamite?that's what they fetched
In that wagon !" gurgled the old man
at my side, and I could have shouted
for Joy nt (be mere sound of his voice,
since It was an assurance that he
hadn't been killed outright.
"It's only a question of a little time,
now, Paddy," I prophesied. "What
you said yesterday?that Ilullerton
would try to get possession without
destroying the property?no longer*
holds good. He has evidently decided
Angels three days ago and that they
were married there. Yon know- your
daughter, Daddy, and I know her, a
little. Nobody hut an idiot would suppose
that she'd live with Ilullerton as
his wife for a single minute If he
makes himself your murderer."
"It sure does look tliat-awny to a
man up a tree," admitted the stout
old fighter.
"I'm hanging on to the llttln hope
IIUo - .1 -- -
a <iux 10 n root, untidy," I confessed.
"If I can only keep on believing
Unit they're not married, I can put
tip a better .fight, or be snuffed out?If
1 haw to be?with a good few less
heart-burnings."
But at this the old man, who, no
longer ago than the yesterday, had
seemed to lean definitely toward the
no-marriage hypothesis, snddenly
changed front.
"Don't yon go fco-hnnkln' on anything
like that, Stannie, son," he said
in a tone of deep discouragement.
"Charley Bullerton's a liar, from the
place where they make ilars for a
livin', and 'taln't goin' to be no trick
a-tnH for him to make Jennie, and a
lot o' other folks, b'lleve that we
blowed otfrselves up wltli our own
dynamite. No, sir; don't you go to
"hankin' on tlint."
"Tlien you do believe that Jennie
went with Bullerton?"
"Looks like there ain't nothing else
left to believe," he asserted dolefully.
"I.nok at It for yourself, son: she's
been gone three whole days. If she
hadn't gone with him?and the good
Lord only knows whore else she could
have gone?don't you reckon she'd 've
It. en hack here long afore this? No,
?tnnnie; we been lettln' the 'wish It
was' run away with the 'had to be.' I
reckon we Just got to grit our teeth,
son. and tough It out the best we can."
During tills waiting Interval, which
seemed like hours and was probably
only a few minutes, we were momentarily
expecting another crash. It did
not come; but in due course of time
we heard a stir outside nud then
voices, and one of the voices, which
was not Builerton's said; "I'll bet
that ca'tridge smoked 'em out good an'
plenty, cap'n. Glmiue th' ax, Tom, till
we bu'st open the door an* have a
(Continued on last page)
EGGS?Golden laced Wyandottes,
White Wyandottes $1.50 per sotting
of 15 eggs, f
ltp J. H. Rjvers, Chesterfield 4
COUNTY TA:
State
Ordinary County
Roads
Bridges >
Total
Cheraw
Marburg
Orange llill
Bats Branch
Pee Dee
Stafford
Bethel
Center Point
Chesterfield
jrurKer
Pine Grove . .
Ruby
hiloh
Snow Hill
StalTord
Vaughan
Wamble Hill
Black Creek
Center
Center Grove
Cross Roads
ML. Croghan
Ruby
Wexford
Winzo
Zion ,
BulValo
Dudley ,
Five Forks . .
Mangum
Pagcland
Plains
Zion
Angelus
Center Grove ,
Clurks ' '
Jefferson
Macedonia
Plains ... v
Bay Springs
ureen llill .
Lcland
Middcndorf '
Me Bee
Providence \.
Sandy Bun
Union *
Hay Sprinjpr--.'
i BearJSf?ek ...
i Bethcsda
Juniper
1 Middendorf
1 Patrick .. (
Pats Branch Branch'
' Shiloh i
Stafford
i White Oak
Cat Pond ......}.
I Juniper <a
Ousley * * "
. flS? *' i * ^
L?inton
': ^
- m gas ' jjtffa Its
Own PlftttiS v
Mr. Brown was until recently a
deacon in the Methodist church In hit
town. But. recently lie not only withdrew
from his houtfred position, but
ceased to be as regular an attoudaat
at church as formerly. The .minister,
who mine to call at the Brown home,
demanded the reason for this failure.
"My rheumatism Is much worse than
it has been for years," Mr. Brown be- ^
gun, "and I cannot walk so far."
"Tut, tut I" laughed the minister, **I
believe It is a lack of religion."
"Sir," Mr. Brown drew himself up
ttrnily, "my religion is in my heart-*not
iu my legs."?Indianapolis Newt.
Silence Is Golden. .. _ ?
Harper's Weekly tells a story of two
soldiers who ban been waiting fer.-'V'V
weeks for a letter from home. Finally ?
one of them received a letter with-the r,
home-town, post mark on It, but when
he oneiietl It ?it? ?-?v|? *?
. **!' c nap I1VUIII1| IJ1side
l?ui a piece of paper blank on both
sides. .
His buddy laughed. "You havent
got anything on me," he said. "That's
no letter."
Sure it is, said the one who was
holding the silent missive. "It's a letter
from my wife. We're not speaking
to each other."
L. H. TROTTI, i
Dental Surgeon .1
Chesterfield, S. C.
Office on second floor in Ross
J. ARTHUR KNIGHT
Attorney-et-Law
Office in CourthooM
Chesterfield, S. C.
R. L. McMANUS
Dentist
Cheraw, S. C. .
At Chcstcreld, Monday
A Pageland, Tucday.
At Mt, Croghan, Wednesday morning
Ituby, Wednesday afternoon
Society Hill, Thursday
Cheraw, Friday and Saturday
THE UNIVERSAL CAR
CARS, TRUCKS, TRACTORS
SERVICE
PART?
LUCAS AU10 CO. i
discharge notice t. . .., .
On 15th March, lt>22, at 11 o'clock
A. M? I will apply to the Probate
Court for a discharge as Administrator
of the estate of E. C. Adams, deceased.
J. F. Campbell, Administrator,
X LEVY 1921 j
12 mill*
6 mills >
6 mills j
* 1
.28 mills
~j s | ! I ? ' g
l.s ~ ? .1 ? ?
>l I g f | fi,
? & I I p j
I ? I
1 28 12 4 1% 46%
1 28 8| . 1% 37%
28 5 1% 34 %
28 8 1% 37%
28 3 4 1% 36%
28 8 2 1% 39%
....28 8 5 41
28 j 8 8C
. ... 28 j 16 4% 48%
28 I 8 3 89
?,??!.?
ze AOj 6 4* 53 *
.... 28 8( 2 S8
28 8j 6 82
.... 28 8| ! 2 88
.... 28 8 ? 88
28 8 RB
.... 28 10 6 48
.... 28 10 6 48
.... 28 8 6- 6 47
.... 28 8 6 5 46
28 16 6 4 6 68
1 28 16 5 4* 5 58
28 8 & 6 46
.... 28 8 8 5 41)
28 8I 7V4 5 48*
28 8 4 46
.....28 8 ofl
M 8 88
28 8 86
28 16 7* 61*
28 8 8 44
.... 28 8 7* 4314
28 8 7 6 41
. . . . . 2K S ?
- -1 -- "| ? o my
? ;l 8i 6 ? <?
23 ?| e 5 58
I,23 ?l S '6 44
'/g8 I g8l M I *?
28 8| cj 6 48
28 8j 10 6 52
28 8| 10 6 62
..... 28 8| 5 0 47
I 28 |18^| | 4%J ?7
, 8 2 6 80
..... 28 8 6 42
I 28 8 6 0 48
I 28 8 6 42
28 8 80
28 11
...... |28 3 81
28 8 6 41
28 15 4 47
28 8 8<
28 8 2 a?
.....28 8 2 88
28 8 0 4I
I 2b 8 0 5
28 8 M
28 12 5 4|
..... 28 18 41 49
28 I . A . 4I .A ^