The Union. [volume] (Georgetown, Del.) 1863-1866, 1864-05-06

n
was close upon eight--aftsr her; for tho
it were as dark as a dogs mouth, we
thought no harm, 'th shop were close to,
an them KNOWN the road so well.
aShe didn't come back no more nor tn
first, an we said what we'd do when they
did come, playin' away out,r the dark,
and the night SO cold; an when it come
Chat they'I been gon. nigh upon hall an
hour. Jack-that was the eldest OF all
said he'd go an bring em in. He stopped
away too, till we was tired O. waitin' an
TIL wife says, 'Drat them Children; let EN-
get playin' an thay never think nothin
O no errands; but Ill fetch EN- IN, an
warm 'em too and she puts her shawl
over her head an off she goes. She did ut
shut TIL door fast. or th wind bursted 1t
open, and goes to shut 1t, an just then
l thought [ heerd scream In her voice,
and as she wasn't screetchy sort o Wo-
man, it give me kind O. turn. clapt
TIL candle end into an old lantern as VIC
had, and off | went to see ii reely had
heard anything.
sit were lawful dark outside, not
star, and | right searched along tn ground
holdin' out tn lantern to show light
where was gon', an well | did. About
twenty yards fro the cottage found out
all bout it. They'd been crownin IN,
and down they was all gone, wife, an
Jack, an tn two other Children; an there
was me standin' on tn edge wi III IAN
tern, lookin' for what WASH TO be seen
for tn crownin' IN was deeper than any
ons knows, an / never saw no more OF ai
: O them that had heen at tea WI mes
happy and pleasant.
! vaguely apprehenled the catastrophe
and though my ignorance OF the HleAnn@
oe the words crowning in" preventea m,
: understanding it fully, the mans voice aa
: manner touched me to the heart.
: nWhat is Growing ini'" | asked.
:. "Why," he explained, "this ere coun
! ! try's all undermined wi pits an workin' Z
!. and sometimes the earth goes in atop, an
: mal.es big hole; that's a 'crownln' In.
\ | comprehended the horror fully now
oDoes such thing happen often?"
! asked at length.
/ I've heerd on it many times. Som'
~ times it's under 'ouse, an it all got
NJ down; but this O mine was the worst
know"
"What did you do?" questioned.
,e nThere wasn't nothin' could be don
and l went back to tn cottage to thin
lAbout it. 4-The-neighbors was all We
et GOOD to me, an some of 'em bided wi n
I all the night; an when daylight come
ed we went to look once again, but day
night all was dark there; an the Ia
ou ever see of my wife, an Jack, an Il
other children, was them goin' out for
candles, one after another, an her fetch
lie, 'em in"
ng His voice broke as he spoke the ID
he words, an saw him wipe his eyes wi
est the sleeve of his jacket. felt rlsin'
Ter my own throat such as | had not knoN
lly for long. A minute after he went
Ids quietly;
can the next day were Christmas d.
me A good woman as lives near haG boil
etc tn pudden, an brought it an set II at'
me an | tried to cat, but nothln' ne'
lie, went higher chokin' a man nor what Il
mt did me. | thought so OF 'em all
Jnck, IHab WAS SuOh d h"hN ~o RNN~
/ an l got up, an took itin to tn nell
dis bor as had brought it, an watched
Children eat it; an then L went back
key the empty cottage, an cried out aloud,
INTO biggest, bltterest tears, till were as w
as child; an then lighted up my pl
the an smoked it all alone
, at "And were the bodies never found =
INTO asked.
be "No, they was never found; there
no burylu' nor nothin'. Traps there
pla- water ut tn bottom, an their dead boz
for was drownded; p'raps it was dry an hi
an they was dashed to bits. L We thou
ne ON 1t every way at one time OF anotl
ords but nothing was seen no more. lake
1T | turn, SIT, he said, suddenly resumlng
at old tune, IAN ltn take you right to
ouse. Goodnight, sir, anu beior
me could thank hlln, lie was lost in the Il
ARK, ness. "a