Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1851-06-19
CHAPTER II

i CHAPTER ".
On arriving at Mr. Beiwood.s gate. by xhiSh
sIe had come forth. MilIicrrt found that ir the
hurry an. 5rwliaerIrnt 5f light @h~ had Lost
! the key. and, consequently, was unable 10 get in
! This was i nest serious dilemma and involved
her in the greatest perpleNity. She world new
+ he unable to communicate what bad occurred TO
the wong lady, who I'm III probability was anx-
iousIy awaiting her return. and might attribute
delay TO negligence and perfidy. IL was Imposs8-
BILE 10 60 10 her own dwelling IN the pit-vllagr,
as that. of course, was the first place a. which
Black Jem wplli seek her. and the thought OF
being dragged thence To prison. made her r%coi
+ IN dismay. She had. then, 10 resource but 70 re
man till daybreak in the open air.
1t was now about two o'cinck-fhe hour AZ
which. of the early working gang. shr
/ usually commenced her daily labor, nut she
! knew, from what had happened on similar osea-
sions elsewhere, that ii would be useiess 10 pro-
! ceet Tor this purpose TO the mine, as all opera
tons necessarily suspended till the ban~ful
effects of the explosion should pass away. Had
ii even been Otherwise. her present bruised and
feeble condition she would have remained absent
being wholly unequal 10 the ardnous duty.
: II was long before she dragged herself from
the gate. unwilln-iv admitting the conviction
that ingress was hopeless. Then. entering fsel1.
she moved slowly along. with sore and weary
! feet, brooitng gloomly on her situation and
though firm in her purpose not 10 venture home
| mechanically taking the direction of the moor
! 1t was not likely that Black Jem wcrld fellow
! her. possessing no clue to guide him but still.
/ Is she proceeded she looked round every now
/ and then, with timd and rapid glance, half ex-
pectlng to see his gannt. un-ainly figure doyglng
| and besettin- her steps.
Night was at its darkest. A few waning stars
/ twinkled feebly on high. Ike tired watches; but
] no dawning grey vet marked the east. Still. the
lark was mp. caroliin- his merry song from every
/ btl~M ~nlTtuIA pF In@@
praise. \ SOFT delicious air fioated by. rieh with
/ tributary fragrance. swept in profusion from ma
nv n teeming meadow and hedge and garden, all
! freshen1d with the summer dew. Itbrlshed Nil
licentS cheek gently 80 lovingly, that th~ prcx
girl felt soathel and cheerei by il, AZ if some IN
visible intel.i .ence were moving about her, whis
! pering hope. and administering sympathy. But
walking Der ane more and more painful; her ut
most efforts were spent; a1d Mt last sine could 20
no further. Completely exhausted, she sank on
! the grass, l1nging oniy fos repose-
I That aching, morbid. nervous resflessness which
follows excessive fati-ue. shooting serle of pain
and nunbaess through every limb and giving mer-
curial vitality TO the eyes, closed In vain. still
/ kept her awake. tossing continually from one side
/ TO the other. without obtaining reflex II il al
/ such moments. indeed. when we desire oblivion,
| that the mind is most active and calls from it,
recesses succession of long-forgotten incidents.
stalking. melancholy experiences, which, like
/ Macbethss conscience, murder sleep. And thus
recOllections of suffering, endurance. and despair.
almost faded in distanee--memories CT the dark
and bitter past--apprehension and anticipatirns
! OF the future and deep and feverisa impression
/ OF the last twenty hours, 80 fraught alike with
/ peril AMI promise. kept Milicent.s troubled brain
J in an incessant whrl.
Bat i'm the labyrinth of dIsordereh and df-traet-
Ing thoughts, one idea was almost constantly pro-
minent. She was the confident Of the great LADY
/ the sole repository OF her secret. which she
mentous consequences. This reflection elevated
and inspired her. To recall Helea's words which
rang in her aif.ctiOaate mind like masie-sad. but
still sweet; to remember that there a tender
link between them-.hai she might suffer, per-
haps die for her, developed in her character de-
gree Of resolution equal To the emergency. Her
terror. indeed. at the savage threats of Black Jem
was undiminished: but, am DIST her worst and most
depressing fears, something bright giimmered
through the mist, giving strength and courage
Lost i'm reyerie, she did not notice that II was
gradually growing light. and was surprised. at
! last, on looking up, 10 find il broad day She
+ arose, cfamped and shyerin-, impeled bv hun
ger TO make her way TO line village. where indeed
she was obliged to appear at eight o'clock M IL
was what j. called the reckoning. or payday.
which occurred only oacc In three weeks; and
should sie neglect TO attend, her wages would be
kept back till the next settlement
/ Crossing the hills. she lost the soft and psc
tdre+qtIe landscape. nnyy under the first glow of
morning, flushed and sparkling with beauty. ard
came oa the wide. barren and treeless moor
The black and deserted pit-buildIngs. and its
shapeless heap. crowned by the massive scaffold.
io0mcd dtsmaily into view, as if. i'm H4ockery of
/ the right sky ami -loriols sunshine they shad-
/ owed forth evil and death. Soon great cracks
appeared tn the earth. Here the ground lapned
/ oveT-there- perfectly sound In appearance, ID
rcverberatea The tread. indicating subierraneou-
excavation. The eve looked iii vain over the
I H. F.
" trace Of vegetation discoyerable. at intervals
! far between as the green spots of Sahara were
stripes of rrimy -coored grass struggling for air
through coat of coal dust. I'm short the EARTH
i'll this irreclaimlb!e waste, seemed to have rent
aSundef at the p.t, and yomlted torrent Of ashes
over the blasted SOL.
A dirty rugged. execrah.e road torn with rrlts
and cracks teenin- with filth. led to the pit-vil-
lage, consisting OF some dozen groups oE hoyeIs,
having the appearance of being tossed together
rather than built. Standing on ground subject 10
continued lanf-slips. and constructed Of The very
worst mltertals, they indeed presented aH aspect
which would have been Erotes1ue. had IL not been
also utterly wretched. Some towers Of Pisa in
their way, leaned on one SIDE, II on the point
of falling; others were actually asAew-she
gro InI-aooT, unfettered BY it, shallow fCHrlda-
tioa. siantlag In one direction. and the gable in
the other; and the eye fell everywhere oa the ionz
gaping seams in the bTick-work, oblique doors,
totterin- and broken chimneys, and desperate
fractures in the tiled roofs. paneiess windows
stuffed with straw or paper. completed the pic
ture OF ruin, serving, at the same time. to exclude
light and shut in smoke, which long denied egrsss
BY the ch mney, was forced 10 find is way o4. Of
any accidental aperture.
Neither church nor school saftencd this s4I
parade of misery and desolatioa; and even the
Jealous Wesleyans, those pioneers of religion,
whom have found pursuing their busy ministry
among the lowest sayages, had raised no taberns-
! Gle here Priest and Levite had passed ON the
! other side leaving the miner, like his habitation,
! neglected and uncared for,
Perhaps. il is this complete isolation, eutaiIinS
! a general mutual dependence which renders shs
race of ptman so thoroughly united, 80 prompt
! to assist. to befriead, tn protect each other Re-
! memberins how cruelty their moral interest il
neglected. II Is not easy 10 explain the strange
but unqfes'ionable ftct that there are fewer
| criminals among the mining population than any
] other Glass of operatives
TO BIZ CnsrTSrLB.