mneys whence rose the smoke from countless
and undying fires, and its throng of busy workers. Then he entered the
little building which served as superintendent's office, and in a moment
the whir and clang of the outer life was left behind him, and he found
himself in a quiet, pleasant room, with only a collection of maps and
photographs and specimens of ores, to tell of the vast business
centering there. As the boy shyly came in at the door, Mr. Everett rose
to receive him.

"O Charlie, you're just on the minute, and I'm all ready for you," he
said, glancing up at the clock.

"Somers, I'm going down the shaft with this young man; if anybody wants
me, tell him I'll be here at five." And, putting on his overcoat, he
went away, followed by Charlie, who was filled with an eager enthusiasm
at the idea of going so far towards the center of the earth.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Everett said, as they followed a path winding in and
out among the buildings, and then came out on the main road leading to
the shaft; "I'm sorry that we haven't time to take in the smelter, too,
to-day; but you can go there almost any time. Any of the men in the
office can take you through it, as well as I can; but I don't let
strangers go into the mine unless I'm with them. We're going to put in a
new cage, next month," he added casually, as they drew near the shaft.

"What's that for?" asked Charlie, to whom cages and their construction
were a mystery.

"Safer, and can carry more," answered his host concisely. "These
cross-heads and buckets are slow work. A two-deck cage will do the same
amount in much less time, and there's no fear of their catching, as
these do sometimes."

As he spoke, they paused to look at the gearing of windlass and cable at
the mouth of the shaft; then Charlie cautiously approached the opening.
After all he had heard of mines and shafts, it was rather disappointing
to him to see only a great, square hole leading down into the depths of
the earth. What he had expected, it would be hard to say; but it is
certain that his disappointment deepened when, after three strokes from
the engineer's bell, the hoisting engine suddenly started into life,
and, out from the darkness of the shaft, there slowly emerged into view
an ungainly contrivance of four great timbers, arranged in a hollow
square and hung on a cable, which passed freely through openings in the
upper and lower timbers, to carry a huge bucket fastened to its end,
while a bla