The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1865-04-15
THE
MINERS DAUGHTER.
THE
A TALE OF THE PEAK.


We must pnss over the nainful ard dreadful PAR
ticuars Il that night and ota long TINE 10 cosne .
the iacal rage ofthe father, te shattered heart
and feelings of the mother the dreadful state Of the
two remaining children. " whom their brother
one Of the most precious objects In world which.
like thci'-- Contained ~ few One moment 10 havs
I'm f1n oflifc and fun, and bravado, most the
next liftlcss aud and battered corpse, was some
thing too strange and terrible to he Iurmoun-
ted Brt iris was wo''llv aggravated BY tho cruel
anger 81 ucr father who continued 10 re-ari them
guilty Of the death q bis fsvorite Noy He seem-
ell 10 take pleasure In them He never s'oke 10
them but 70 scold them. H. drank more deeply
than ever, AMI came hone alter anil when there
was sullen and morose When their mother. who
suffered severely, but still plotded on with al her
duties, said, an nd thev thy children too :"
he would reply ssv,gey, "Hoiphy tongue, What's
rack ~ werches n nv ladf''
Whist tended TO render toe miner more hard to-
wards the two girls was = circumstance which
would have awakened btter feeling In q soter
fathers heart Nancy, the Younger girl, since tbs
dreadful catastrophe, had seemed 10 grow gradu-
ally dull and defective in her intellect, she had
slow and somewhat idiotc air and manner. Her
mother perceived IT. Rand was struck with conster-
nation by II. She triod 10 her, but in vain
she could not perforrn her ordinary reading and
spelling lessons. She seemed 10 hsve forgotten whas
was already learned She appeared to hsvo difi-
Guilty in moving her legs, and carried hor hands
" she had suffered partial paralysis. Jane, her
sister, dreslfully trossed at IL and she and
| her mother wtp, many bitter tear over her Ono
day, IN the following spring, they took her with
| them N Ashford. and consulted thu doctor there
place At the time Of tho rother's deaih--the fact
~ which he well knew, for II, ofcourse. was known
n the whole country round-he shook his head,
sri said he vas sfrsid they must maize up their
mind. n sad case that the tsrrors Of thai night
| had affected her brsin,r sud thsi, through IT,
| the whole nervous system had suffered, and vAs
| continuing to suffer the most melancholy effects.
The only thing, he thought, in her favor, was her
youth and alded- that II might have good efece
II they could leave the place where she had undor>
| gone such terrible shock. But ~ho,her they did
| or not, kindness and soothing attentions 10 her
| would 10 more than auythnr else
| Mrs Dunstor and Little Jane returned home with
heavy hearts. The doctors opinion had only con-
frmei their fe.rs for Jane, though but child hsd
quckncss and affection for her sister enouyh to AXE
| her comprehend the awful nature Of poor Nancv'z
| condition. Mrs Dunster had told her HUSBAND he
Doctors words, for size thought they would G~ahen
| some tenderness In him towards the unfortunate
child. But he said, That's jus whLiI expected,
| Hou'l grow sol and then who's W maintain herr
| Hou nun goo to tn workhouss."
| with that he took HE lnaundrel and went of Z,
his work. lnsesd o'soteuiug his nature, this iu-
| tehgence seemed only to hArlen and bru,Alise II,
| lie crank more and more. But all that sum-
| mer the mother and Jane did all they could think
| Otto restore the health aud mind Of DO, Nancy
Every morning, when the fs,h VI WAS gone to wctt,
Jane went TO spring up In the opposite wood fam.
ell for the coolness and sNeetness Of it's wste<s o,
this account the propt eors Of tho mil brook
had put down large roug here and ar tho sprezd.
ing trees ADD the people fetched pewster evea frun
the vDlsss. Hence Jane brcleht At many Jour
ucNS. ms cold tc1clOu6 to hatte
| in; they then rubbed Ter warm With cloths, aud
gave her new mil. nor her breakfss Her Lessons
were not len Cd bess the mind nuld sink in,o fatu-
n.y. o'.' we're made Az easy A. possible. Jane
.inued TO talk H. her, and laugh with her a
| II nothing was anAS though shs did IL win hes.
| Wy heart and she engaged Aer ~ weed and hoe
with her in their little garden. She did not dare TO
lead her far out into ,h- valley, iest Il might excits
her memory Of .ae past fearful dime but .he yatbe,.
| ed her ha~ers and cOntin asd 10 play with her a,
al ih"'r accustomed spcJ's, Of building houses with
pieces Of pots and s.'nes, and imagining garden.
| and parks Tho snyious mother, whom some weeIs
| were gone by, fsnced that there vss re,llv snm.
| improvement The col1.eAthnR seemed 40 h,v.
| strength rned the syHtenl the poor clild w.lkad
| and boro herself Nth more freedom and hrmnrs.
She became Lrdoutly fond OF bong with her sister
| aud s,Ientive TO- her directions. Rut there wss .
| duh CLOUD over her inptecL and a vacancy ia her
eyea and features. She quiet easily 'nieasad
| but seemed TO have little vofiion Of her own NJ
| Dunster thought II they could but sc, her away
from that spot, II might rouse her mind from ia
| sleep But perhaps the asep WAS bel,at than m.
| awakening might be however, the re,nov,I cam.
| thougi in . Dors awful way thai. was looked "a,
The raissh who had continued TO drink NOR, ,ni
| more aud seemed to have almost esti.p,.d bi,n
| self from lis home, sisyh ing away in "a drintins
| bouts for week "a more together. was one d.Y
| blAstnr rocs IN the mine, and oelnp half.aiuns.
fed With beer, did no' take care 70 get out Of The
way of the explosion, wes struck With piece OF The
| nying stone and kilIal on the spot.
The poor w'doV IN her children were now obhr.
ell 20 remove tf1m under Wsrllow-Cop. Tie place
band, though be lad been attory far from . good
one and had left her with the children in deep poy-
orty, WIS fresh source of severe grief 70 hor Her
religious mind was struck down with a weight oS
mslanchoy ly tho reflection Of tho life he had led
and the sudden Nav IN which he HI al been summon.
ed in.a eternity. When she looI forward what n
prospect WAS there for her children, il WAS u,pos.i
bic Tor her 80 maintain them from her small earn
iuga aud as " Nancy, would she ever be able To
earn her OWL bread, and protect herself IN tho
vorldf
II WIS amid such reflections n a. MIS- Dunstar
quilted Mis- deep, solitary, and TO her fatal valley
aud ok up her abode IN the yillsge Of Cressbrook
Here she had one small room, and by her own la
bors, and come aid from the pnrah, she managed
10 support herself aud the children. For geVsn
years she continued her lSborIous life, assisted by
the labor Of the two daughters who also scanned
stockingA and in ths evenings were instructed By
her Her girls ware now thirteen and fifteen years
OF age Jane WAS tall and vory pretty girl OF her
years she was active, Industrious and sweet-toIn-
p0red: her constant slAectiop for poor Nancy was
something as admirable as II WAS singular Nancy
had now confirmed good health, but il had affected
her mother 10 perceive that, since the catastrophe
Of her brothers death, and the cruel treatment Of
her fEtner a. that time she had grown in any
degree she ought she was abort, stout, aud ,s
pale and very plain counonAnce. j. could rot 10
now said tnst she was deficient in mind, nut sbs
wAsisluw IN Its operations, She display cd, indeed
a more thAp ordinary depth Of rejection, and
shrewdrCll q observation, but 10 evidences "A ~.
cAIus forth IN very quiet v Is, and wero ob.ery,
DO only 20 her mother ana sister To all besids.
she WAS extremely rescI sed she WAS tmid 10 o.
cess and shruuk fr..n public notice into tie socist
Of her mother AEt sister. There was feeling .hro.d
IN the nei IA borhood that sic not quite RON :,
| ~ rh1 tuar IA