Mr. Dekany, in Beneath the Hill had his own dig-it-yourself little coal mine, but he understood the fascination that holes in hills have for dogs and children, so,
"At a point about six feet into the hill, Mr. Dekany had closed the passage by fastening a heavy fence gate between the two stout old wooden supports to a heavy overhead beam. Beyond the gate the children could dimly make out a heavy pick and broad shovel leaning against a wheelbarrow. Opposite the wheelbarrow was a heavy wooden bin full of coal. Farther on was nothing but damp blackness...."
But Mrs. Dekany had been at her kitchen window when the children came out again, so the next weekend Mr. D., knowing that the gate was see-through and tempting, rounded up some boards and hinges and a padlock, and cut an old door down to size to shut the outer entrance, too. Read More