Beadle's Dime Novels No. 119: Blackeyes — page 61: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AN EARTHQUAKE. 3 ~ 68 As he was thus engaged, he heard a rumbling sound as of distant thunder, and noticed a vibration of the walls and floor of the room, which affected him like the discharge of an electrical battery. This was followed, in a few seconds, by another rumbling and another. vibration, which shook the table so that he could hardly stand upon it. “ What does this mean ?” he exclaimed, looking about in wonder. “ Are these the premonitory symptoms of an earth- quake ?” retdoy tal 1 RES ; He was answered by another shock, which was much more severe and of longer continuance than either of the previous ones. It upset the table, and threw him with violence on the Stone floor. Another and another shock ensued, but he was unable to rise from where he had fallen, er to take. any note of what was going on about him. fort ck When he came to his senses, he lighted his lamp, which had.probably been extinguished. by the.concussion. of the. air, : ~ 4nd again examined the room. +The floor was covered with dust and bits of cement that had been shaken out of /the ‘cre: . Vices, and he noticed that the pillar in the corner had béen Slightly moved from its perpendicular, and that the opening at the top had been made larger. yen fs bid ~ On again attempting to move it, he still found that: it could: Not be stirred, but he soon perceived, as he leaned against it, that one of the lower stones was yielding to the. pressure of his body. Overjoyed at this discovery, he applied. his hands to the stone, and had the pleasure of seeing that. it. easily Moved, as if upon.a pivot. Changing the pressure, he drew. it inward, until he had nearly removed it from its place, leay~ Ng an opening through which he could pass his body. without difficulty, , ii, CR gatset It was not easy for him to repress a shout of triumph when he saw that he had secured a means of egress from the little dungeon which had seemed destined to. be his last abode on, farth.. He tarried long enough to compose. his faculties; and to remove the dust which had thickly collected upon. him, ind then went out through the opening, closing it behind him by carefully drawing back the stone ne COMIICOOOKS.COm