The Van Buren press., 1874-08-04
MISCELLANY.
Down in the Hines.
BY NJ A. DENTON.

You see, said the old lady, father was
what you might call unfortunate in his
younger days. If 'twan, in one way
twas in another. Work lard as ever he
could he could never git aiead. SO when
one of the children was ylown with the
shils, and Mary Ann hadh hands full,
and was only twelve, and Bessy was
just born, there came the hardest stroke
of alt. The mill stopped work
I'll never forgit the dsy father came
home with that awful do.n-look on his
face. We knowed what it meant well
enough We'd seen it atore, plenty o
times. 1t meant bread wi%p.us butter,no
sugar, and water instead oEser.r
There was seven of ~ then. Polly
Ann, she was the oldest Marcy, our
beauty, she came next, tfen !, then the
twins, and Tiny an: Bessy. just think
of that-and no work by which to get us
bread
We passed dismal week Father went
about from morning till night, and got
nothing but odd jobs, and the money he
earned hardly kept us from starving.
Polly Ann went to work sometimes, for
she was very capable. and just managed
to keep the wolf from the door, as the
saying is. ! don't knoy what we'd a
done without her. She kept all our spr-
its up, and was always Aumming and
laughing when at home.
One day poor father cane home look
inc lighter hearted than usual 1t seemed
to me that meant work, aud l wasn't
mistaken.
81 heered they wantsl hundred
hands over the hill, to Jessup's Cut, he
said, looking at Poly Am SO | went
this noon, and | got the stua,ion. It's
good wages for US "
"rm so glad, sighed mother.
Mother was delicate,lt little woman,
with good deal of the lazy in her, poor
thing! She used to worry so because
her children couldn be eedicated but
don't see that they havenI got along as
well as the generality o'folks 1t was
pretty to see her pale cheeks flush up,
and how she kissed the mite Of a baby
to hide her tears
What's the situation. pa?' asked
Polly Ann, putting an extra pinch Of tea
into the teapot.
90, well, it's paying one, said faith
er, rather evasive like.
"Aint no factory to Jessup's Cut, I"
says Polly, thinking. ~ didn't know
there was anything but mining gon'
on over there, and then she stopped
and looked rather queel. and nother
turned her face round s. 81 srAtch faith
er's eye, but fathers eye didn't seem to
care about beng caught
"Pa, it isn't going down there, is il p
mother asked, all the color gone out Of
her cheeks.
Nancy said father, in solemn sort
of voice, ave must live.
o, dear Lord - that was all we heard
and then | knew mother was crying, she
was looking at the baby so close.
"..There nothing happened for wears, >
father spoke up by and by; a." it's the best
mine in the county. Flagg's worked
there all his life, and he's saved up a
house, It's just what you like, dear, !"
he turned to mother, green blinds, and
a porch, and paling; six rooms. and
water right at the door. Then the view
is just splendid. Hills upon hills It's
rather tame here, you know, mother
The horrid mines, " moaned mother.
ave can't starve, you know. and
fathers voice sounded stern " For my
part, can feel thankful enough to the
Lord for His mercy in giving it to us just
now. There's house there, tidy, but
small. can manage to fix up lean to
for the stove in summer, and If you like
you can raise vegetables Flagg says he
gifts all his cabbages for winter, and had
a goodish lot Of corn this summer "
"Whcn must we move - asked moth
er beginning to take cheerful view OF
things.
"Well, jest as soon as you're stronger.
reckon Id better go in at once.
guess by the tenth we can git the things
carted over there amt many You and
the kittens can 90 in the last load "
Father always called the babies kittens
Well, in less than fortnight we were
settled, and mother was round and get.
lin used to things.
think there never was sublimer view
than we had from that little five roomed
house Why, I've sot there Of moon
light evening, when the light streamed
over the hills aud down into tie black
gorges. and made the top of the trees
seem as il they were swimming in a melt
ed silver,-l've sot there and looked over
miles and miles of rolling country, all
frightened with rivers. and miners
homes, and wonderful mountains. and
jest lost myself for hours together, till
I'd almost forgot | was mortal Greater.
Mother enjoyed it, She had an eye for
the beautiful always, and would talk OF
God and His works to us children
For long time mother was anxious
about father. She couldn't seem to help
feeling that there'd he an explosion or
something terrible happen from one day
to another, but by. .and-by, seeing father
always come home regular, she got over
the fear more or less.
Our neighbors were mostly rough peo-
pie, but they all got along with mother.
/ don't know who couldn't, she was so
gentle like. The agent, he lived not far
Off from us-a man that had raised him
self from poor station and was tolerable
rich.
Well, two years passed on and nothing
human ever did grow so sweet and beau
tfa as our Marcy. o, ! couldn't begin
to tell you what lovely little thing she