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<v Speaker 1>This is section sixty two of The Gilded Age. This

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<v Speaker 1>LibriVox recording is in the public domain. The Gilded Age,

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<v Speaker 1>A Tale of to Day by Mark Twain and C. D. Warner,

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<v Speaker 1>Chapter sixty two. Philip Sterling's circumstances were becoming straightened. The

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<v Speaker 1>prospect was gloomy. His long siege of unproductive labor was

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<v Speaker 1>beginning to tell upon his spirits. But what told still

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<v Speaker 1>more upon them was the undeniable fact that the promise

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<v Speaker 1>of ultimate success diminished every day. Now, that is to say,

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<v Speaker 1>the tunnel had reached a point in the hill which

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<v Speaker 1>was considerably beyond where the coal vein should pass according

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<v Speaker 1>to all his calculations, if there were a coal vein there,

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<v Speaker 1>And so every foot that the tunnel now progressed seemed

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<v Speaker 1>to carry it further away from the object of the search.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes he ventured to hope that he had made a

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<v Speaker 1>mistake in estimating the direction which the vein should naturally

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<v Speaker 1>take after crossing the valley and entering the hill. Upon

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<v Speaker 1>such occasions he would go into the nearest mine on

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<v Speaker 1>the vein he was hunting for, and once more get

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<v Speaker 1>the bearings of the deposit, and mark out its probable course.

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<v Speaker 1>But the result was the same every time his tunnel

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<v Speaker 1>had manifestly pierced beyond the natural point of junction, and

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<v Speaker 1>then his spirits fell a little lower. His men had

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<v Speaker 1>already lost faith, and he often overheard them saying it

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<v Speaker 1>was perfectly plain that there was no coal in the hill.

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<v Speaker 1>Foremen and laborers from neighboring mines, and no end of

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<v Speaker 1>experienced loafers from the village visited the tunnel from time

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<v Speaker 1>to time, and their verdicts were always the same, and

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<v Speaker 1>always disheartening. No coal in that hill. Now and then

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<v Speaker 1>Philip would sit down and think it all over and

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<v Speaker 1>wonder what the mystery meant. Then he would go into

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<v Speaker 1>the tunnel and ask the men if there were no

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<v Speaker 1>signs yet none all was none. He would bring out

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<v Speaker 1>a piece of rock and examine it and say to himself, limestone.

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<v Speaker 1>It has crinoids and corals in it. The rock is right.

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<v Speaker 1>Then he would throw it down with a sigh and say,

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<v Speaker 1>but that is nothing. Where coal is limestone with these fossils,

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<v Speaker 1>and it is pretty certain to lie against its foot casing.

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<v Speaker 1>But it does not necessarily follow that where this peculiar

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<v Speaker 1>rock is, coal must lie above it, or beyond it.

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<v Speaker 1>This sign is not sufficient. The thought usually followed, there

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<v Speaker 1>is one infallible sign. If I could only strike that

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<v Speaker 1>three or four times in as many weeks, he said

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<v Speaker 1>to himself, Am I a visionary? I must be a visionary.

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<v Speaker 1>Everybody is in these days. Everybody chases butterflies. Everybody seeks

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<v Speaker 1>sudden fortune and will not lay one up by slow toil.

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<v Speaker 1>This is not right. I will discharge the men and

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<v Speaker 1>go at some honest work. There is no coal here.

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<v Speaker 1>What a fool I have been. I will give it up.

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<v Speaker 1>But he never could do it. A half hour of

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<v Speaker 1>profound thinking all was followed, and at the end of

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<v Speaker 1>it he was sure to get up and straighten himself

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<v Speaker 1>and say, there is coal there. I will not give

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<v Speaker 1>it up. And coal or no coal, I will drive

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<v Speaker 1>the tunnel clear through the hill. I will not surrender

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<v Speaker 1>while I am alive. He never thought of asking mister

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<v Speaker 1>Montague for more money. He said there was now but

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<v Speaker 1>one chance of finding coal against nine hundred ninety nine

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<v Speaker 1>that he would not find it, and so it would

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<v Speaker 1>be wrong in him to make the request, and foolish

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<v Speaker 1>in mister Montague to grant it. He had been working

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<v Speaker 1>three shifts of men. Finally, the settling of a weekly

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<v Speaker 1>account exhausted his means. He could not afford to run

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<v Speaker 1>in debt, and therefore he gave the men their discharge.

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<v Speaker 1>They came into his cabin presently, where he sat with

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<v Speaker 1>his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands,

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<v Speaker 1>the picture of discouragement. And their spokesman said, mister Sterling,

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<v Speaker 1>when Tim was down a week with his fall, you

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<v Speaker 1>kept him on half wages, and it was a mighty

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<v Speaker 1>help to his family. Whenever any of us was in trouble,

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<v Speaker 1>You've done what you could to help us out. You've

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<v Speaker 1>acted fair and square with us every time. And I

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<v Speaker 1>reckon we are men and know a man when we

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<v Speaker 1>see him. We haven't got any faith in that hill,

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<v Speaker 1>but we have a respect for a man that's got

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<v Speaker 1>the pluck that you've showed. You've fought a good fight

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<v Speaker 1>with everybody again you and if we had grubb to

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<v Speaker 1>go on, I'm damned if we wouldn't stand by you

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<v Speaker 1>till the cows come home. That is what the boys say. Now.

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<v Speaker 1>We want to put in one parting blast for luck.

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<v Speaker 1>We want to work three days more. If we don't

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<v Speaker 1>find anything, we won't bring in no bill against you.

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<v Speaker 1>That is what we've come to say. Philip was touched.

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<v Speaker 1>If he had had money enough to buy three days grub,

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<v Speaker 1>he would have accepted the generous offer, But as it was,

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<v Speaker 1>he could not consent to be less magnanimous than the men,

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<v Speaker 1>and so he declined in a manly speech, shook hands

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<v Speaker 1>all round, and resumed his solitary communings. The men went

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<v Speaker 1>back to the tunnel and put in a parting blast

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<v Speaker 1>for luck. Anyhow, they did a full day's work, and

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<v Speaker 1>then they took their leave. They called at his cabin

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<v Speaker 1>and gave him a good bye, and were not able

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<v Speaker 1>to tell him their day's effort had given things a

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<v Speaker 1>mere promising look. The next day Philip sold all the

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<v Speaker 1>tools but two or three sets. He also sold one

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<v Speaker 1>of the now deserted cabins as old lumber, together with

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<v Speaker 1>its domestic wares, and made up his mind that he

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<v Speaker 1>would buy provisions with the trifle of money thus gained,

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<v Speaker 1>and continue his work alone. About the middle of the afternoon,

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<v Speaker 1>he put on his roughest clothes and went to the tunnel.

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<v Speaker 1>He lit a candle and groped his way in. Presently

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<v Speaker 1>he heard the sound of a pick or a drill,

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<v Speaker 1>and wondered what it meant. A spark of light now

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<v Speaker 1>appeared in the far end of the tunnel, and when

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<v Speaker 1>he arrived there he found the man Tim at work.

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<v Speaker 1>Tim said, I'm to have a job in the Golden

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<v Speaker 1>Briar mind by and by in a week or ten days,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm going to work here till then. A man

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<v Speaker 1>might as well be at something. And besides, I consider

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<v Speaker 1>that I owe you what you paid me when I

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<v Speaker 1>was laid up. Philip said, no, no, he didn't owe anything,

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<v Speaker 1>but Tim persisted, and then Philip said he had a

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<v Speaker 1>little provision now and would share. So for several days

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<v Speaker 1>Philip held the drill and Tim did the striking. At first,

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<v Speaker 1>Philip was impatient to see the result of every blast,

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<v Speaker 1>and was always back and peering among the smoke the

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<v Speaker 1>moment after the explosion. But there was never any encouraging result,

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<v Speaker 1>and therefore he finally lost almost all interest and hardly

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<v Speaker 1>troubled himself to inspect results at all. He simply labored

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<v Speaker 1>on stubbornly and with little hope. Tim stayed with him

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<v Speaker 1>till the last moment, and then took up his job

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<v Speaker 1>at the Golden Briar apparently as depressed by the continued

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<v Speaker 1>barrenness of their mutual labors as Philip was himself. After that,

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<v Speaker 1>Philip fought his battle alone, day after day, and slow

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<v Speaker 1>work it was he could scarcely see that he made

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<v Speaker 1>any progress. Late one afternoon, he finished drilling a hole

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<v Speaker 1>which he had been at work at for more than

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<v Speaker 1>two hours. He swabbed it out and poured in the

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<v Speaker 1>powder and inserted the fuse. Then he filled up the

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<v Speaker 1>rest of the hole with dirt and small fragments of stone,

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<v Speaker 1>tamped it down, firmly, touched his candle to the fuse,

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<v Speaker 1>and ran by and bye. The dull report came, and

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<v Speaker 1>he was about to walk back mechanically and see what

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<v Speaker 1>was accomplished, but he halted presently, turned on his heel

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<v Speaker 1>and thought, rather than said, no, this is useless, this

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<v Speaker 1>is absurd. If I found anything, it would only be

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<v Speaker 1>one of those little aggravating seams of coal, which doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>mean anything. And by this time he was walking out

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<v Speaker 1>of the tunnel. His thought ran on, I am conquered.

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<v Speaker 1>I am out of provisions, out of money. I have

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<v Speaker 1>got to give it up, all this hard work lost.

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<v Speaker 1>But I am not conquered. I will go and work

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<v Speaker 1>for money and come back and have another fight with fate. Ah,

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<v Speaker 1>it may be years, it may be years. Arrived at

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<v Speaker 1>the mouth of the tunnel, he threw his coat upon

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<v Speaker 1>the ground, sat down on a stone, and his eyes

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<v Speaker 1>sought the westering sun, and dwelt upon the charming landscape,

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<v Speaker 1>which stretched its woody ridges, wave upon wave to the

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<v Speaker 1>golden horizon. Something was taking place at his feet which

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<v Speaker 1>did not attract his attention. His reverie continued, and its

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<v Speaker 1>burden grew more and more gloomy. Presently he rose up

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<v Speaker 1>and cast a look far away toward the valley, and

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<v Speaker 1>his thoughts took a new direction. There it is, how

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<v Speaker 1>good it looks, but down there is not up here. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I will go home and pack up. There is nothing

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<v Speaker 1>else to do. He moved off, moodily toward his cabin.

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<v Speaker 1>He had gone some distance before he thought of his coat.

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<v Speaker 1>Then he was about to turn back, but he smiled

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<v Speaker 1>at the thought and continued his journey. Such a coat

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<v Speaker 1>as that could be of little use in a civilized land.

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<v Speaker 1>A little further on he remembered that there were some

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<v Speaker 1>papers of value in one of the pockets of the relic,

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<v Speaker 1>and then, with a penitent ejaculation, he turned back, picked

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<v Speaker 1>up the coat and put it on. He made a

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<v Speaker 1>dozen steps, and then he stopped very suddenly. He stood

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<v Speaker 1>still a moment, as one who is trying to believe

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<v Speaker 1>something and cannot. He put a hand up over his

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<v Speaker 1>shoulder and felt his back, and a great thrill shot

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<v Speaker 1>through him. He grasped the skirt of the coat impulsively,

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<v Speaker 1>and another thrill followed. He snatched the coat from his

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<v Speaker 1>back and glanced at it, threw it from him, and

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<v Speaker 1>flew back to the tunnel. He sought the spot where

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<v Speaker 1>the coat had lain. He had to look close, for

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<v Speaker 1>the light was waning. Then, to make sure, he put

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<v Speaker 1>his hand to the ground, and a little stream of

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<v Speaker 1>water swept against his Thank god, I've struck it. At last,

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<v Speaker 1>He lit a candle and ran into the tunnel. He

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<v Speaker 1>picked up a piece of rubbish cast out by the

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<v Speaker 1>last blast, and said, this clayey stuff is what I've

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<v Speaker 1>longed for. I know what is behind it. He swung

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<v Speaker 1>his pick with hearty good will till long after the

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<v Speaker 1>darkness had gathered upon the earth, and when he trudged

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<v Speaker 1>home at length, he knew he had a coal vein

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<v Speaker 1>and that it was seven feet thick from wall to wall.

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<v Speaker 1>He found a yellow envelope lying on his rickety table,

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<v Speaker 1>and recognized that it was of a family sacred to

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<v Speaker 1>the transmission of telegrams. He opened it, read it, crushed

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<v Speaker 1>it in his hand, and threw it down. It simply said,

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<v Speaker 1>Ruth is very ill. End of Chapter sixty two.