The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1866-11-03
THE PERIL OF THE MINE,
AN OLD JADY'S STORY.

No one knew why the tiny woman
who lived near the great coal mine was
called Aunt Nudge, although every one
knew the instant she came in view why
she was called little, for very small she
was, not much larger than child.
This little Aunt Nudge had heart SO
large that it could not live in her, but
came out through kind words from her
lips, and loving tides in her eyes, until
1T fell about her, enveloping her little
person so completely that she was all
heart, and when you looked at her You
could not see anything else; and you
thought she was as large as any one until
another pes IN chanced to come and
place five or six feet Of human growth
beside her mite Of being, and then you
could not help exclaiming, "What lit
tie woman ~
When you were on your way to visit
Aunt Nudge, and saw the brownest lit
tie nutshell of house in the world
standing close to the mouth of the great
coal mine, you thought, "Oh, that is a
nut which ripened years ago, on one Of
the giant trees that grew to make the
coal beds, and it has been getting brown
or every century since the trees forgot
how to grow, and / know it must be
very hard to crack" And so you would
go up to it, and put out your hand in all
its strength, and give a knock on the
place where the shell looked the thin
nest and just when you were expect
ing to hear great cracking noise, the
door of the shell would open 80 gently
would be before you, and you would be
drawn into the mt by a friendly hand ;
and when the door was closed the nut
would seem to be singing about all the
suns that had shone upon, and the winds
that had blown over the great tree on
which it grew.
Once upon time somebody whisper
ed that little Aunt Nudge had made Il
great discovery which she was keeping
profoundly secret-that she had certain
ly found the fountain ofperpetual youth,
for there grew not n wrinkle more on
her loving face this year than the last
and the Winters passed and "left nc
sign"
The miners who went below always
stopped to say good-by, and for theiI
coming up Aunt Nudge always watch.
ed with strange, wistful look that
never seemed to tire. 1t was this that
kept her young-the miners coming ur
from the mine. Her wistful look could
not be diverted at the magical hour
and no inducement could tempt her tC
stay from homo even for one day.
M During the months of one Summer an
owner of the great mine removed with
his family to small house midway be-
tween the village and the house of lit
tie Aunt Nudge. His name was Over
Vail. He had two sons, Paul and Ar
thur-boys just emerging from child
hood into that restless transition state
that furnishes 50 much material for
ship-owners.
Day after day the two boys wandered
about over the mountains, lingering
long at the entrance of the mine, anC
scarcely restrained from going down
Notwithstanding prohibition and warn
Ing.
There were strange gases and myste
rious gusts of dampncss far down, han
dreds of feet below the surface-sign
which made the miners give the lips a
home farewells with strong impulse
clinging to them born Of the fear tina
they might be forever parted-sign
which caused Aunt Nudge to watch tn
blackened features as they came UP
with something very much like tears il
her eyes.
One morning--it was hours after tn
last man had disappeared within tn
shaft for the day-Aunt Nudge, open
ing the door of her little hut, saw Pau
and Arthur manipulating in suspicion
manner the apparatus at the mine.
While she watched, Paul sprang int
the bucket, and before tho little woma
could reach the spot, he had commence
the fearful descent, Arthur acting as HI
conductor.