American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-02-24
VOL. NH.

I II SpoIt W ulcI pcUcTdllN meant un-
fitness for work during the rest of the
week
''Well," said John, ''your ways seem to
pay you" and he laughed and went away;
and thought no more of it till about a
month after, when | found out that was
what people who make use of plain, SIM
pie language call, in love; and I'll tell
you how l found it out
| L was going along one evening past old
Andrews house, when the door opened
for moment as if some one was coming
out; but, as if / had been seen, il was
closed directly. In that short moment,
though, had heard laugh. and that,
laugh I was sure was John Kelsey's.
l felt on fire for a few moments, as
! stood there, unable to move, and then as
l dragged myself away the feeling that
came over me was one of blank misery
! and despair. / could have leaned my
head up against the first wall l came to
and cried like child; but that feeling
passed off, to be succeeded by one of rage
For, as the blindness dropped from my
eyes, l saw clearly that not only did
I dearly love Mary Andrews-love her with
| all strong mans first love, such love
as one would feel who had till now made
his sole companions of his beoks--but
! that l was forestalled that John Kelsey
was evidently a regular visitor there, and,
| foI aught l knew to the contrary, was
| her acknowledged lover.
| l did not like playing the spy !; but,
with a faint feeling of hope on me that
might have been mistaken, / walked
back past the house, and there was no
mistake John Kelsey's head was plainly
enough to be seen upon the blind, and l
went home in despair.
| How looked forward to the next Sun
day, half resolved to boldly tell Mary of
my love, and to ask her whether there
Z IL l.
though l almost felt as if I should not
dare.
Sunday came at last, and somehow l
was rather late when l entered the great
schOOlroOm, one end of which was de-
voted to the girls, the other to boys. At
the first glance l saw that Mary was in
her place ; at the second. all the blood in
my body seemed to rush to my heart, for
there, standing talking to the Superinten-
dent, was John Kelsey, and the next min
ute he had a class of the youngest chill
dren placed in his charge, and he was
hearing them read.
"He has done this on account of what /
said to him." was my first thought, and I
felt glad; but directly after was in mis-
cry, for my eyes rested upon Mary An
drews, and that explained all; it was for
her sake he had come.
don't know how that afternoon pass
ed, or anything else, only that as soon as
the children were dismissed l saw John
Kelsey go up to Mary's side and walk
home with her; and then l walked out
up the hillside, wandering here and there
amongst the mouths of the old, unused
pits, halt full of water, and thinking to
myself that l might Just as well be down
there in one of them, for there was no
more hope or pleasure for me in the
world.
Time slipped on, and l could plainly
see one thing that troubled me sorely
John was evidently making an outward
show of being a Woodworking fellow,
striving hard for improvement, so as to
stand well in old Andrews eyes, while l
knew for a fact that he was as drunken
and dissipated as any young fellow that
worked in the pit.
/ could not tell Andrews this, nor
could not tell Mary. If she loved him it
would grieve her terribly, and be dishon-
orable as well; and perhaps he might inn
prove. l can tell him, though, l thought,
and l made up my mind that l would;
and meeting him one night, evidently hot
and excited with liquor, I spoke to him
about it.
If you truly love that girl, john"
/ said. "you1l give up this sort of
thing"
He called me meddling fool, said he
L
hankering after her myself, but she only
laughed at me; and one way and another
so CALLED me that we fought. l went home
that night bruised, sore, and ashamed of |
my passion; while he went to the Andrews
and said he had to thrash me for speaking
insultingly about Mary.
l heard this afterwards, and don't
know how it was, but l wrote her telling
her it was false, and that loved her too
well ever to have acted so.
When next we met | felt that she must |
have read my letter, and laughed at me.
At all events, John Kelsey did; and had |
the modification of seeing that old An !
drews evidently favored his visits.
John still kept up his attendance at the !
school, but he was at the far end; and !
more than once when looked up it was |
to find Mary Andrews with her eyes fixed |
on me. She lowered them though, direct |
she turned them upon John.
1t seems to me that "a man never learns |
till he is well on in life how he should be- |
have towards the lady of his choice, and |
how much better it would be if he would |
60 and, in a straightforward, manly fash /!
ion, tell her of his feelings. l was like |
the rest, l could not do it but allowed |
six months to pass over my head-six |
weary wretched months-till Christmas |
and bitter as was my heart.
1t was Christmas Eve, and in a dreamy, |
listless way was sitting over my break |
fast before starting for work, when heard |
"A sound, and knew what it meant before |
there were skrieks in the village and |
women running out and making for the |
pits mouth quarter of mile away | |
tell you turned sick with horror, for |
knew that at least twenty men would be |
down upon the night shift, and though it |
was close upon their leaving time, they
could not have come up yet.
''Pit's fired! pits firedl'' heard people |
shrieking; not that there was any need, |
for there wasn't soul that didn't know
it, for the pit had spoken for itself. And
as | hurried out l thought, all in flash |
like, of what Christmas it would be for
some families there and | seemed to see
a long procession of rough collins going
to the church-yard and to hear the wall |
ings of the widow and the fatherless.
There was no seeming, though in the !
wailings, for the poor, frightened women,
with their shawls pinned over their heads, |
were crying and shrieking to one another |
as they ran on.
/ didn't lose time, as you may suppose
in running to the pits mouth, but those
who lived nearer were there long before !
me; and by the time / got there 1 found
that the cage had brought up part of hle
men, and three who were insensible, and
that it was just going down again.
1t went down directly, and just as it
disappeared, who should come running
up, pale and scared, but Mary Andrews. |
She ran right up to the knot of men who I
had come up, and who We're talking loud /
" in rk-iId fri nod hor