, 1874-12-19

Work, work; and I've thought since that
II she had been dying it would have been
all the same. However. l heard soon
after that She seemed little better; and
found out atterward that doctor there
had given the poor thing something that
seemed to calm her, and she went to
sleep.
1t would have been strong dose,
though, that would have sent me off TO
sleep, as still OF, hour after hour,
worked there, never tiring, but lifting
beams that two OF three men would have
gone at, and tossing the rubbish away
Ike so much straw
The owners were kind enough, and did
all they could 10 encourage the men,
sending out beer and other refreshments: !:
but the heap of stuff to move was some
thing frightful. and more than once |
felt qui e in despair, and ready 10 sit
down and cry weakly Bu, 1 was at il
again the next mOment~and working with
the best of them.
Hadn't you better leave now?n said
one of my masters; III see that every
thing is done"
| gave him one look, and he laid his
hand kindly on my shoulder, and said no
more to me about goinge and ! heard
him say Poor fclloWr" 10 some one by
him, as he turned away.
We came upon the biler quite half a
dozen yards out of its place, ripped right
across where the rivcts went: while rs
Tor the engine II was one curious bit of
iron tangle-rods, and bars, and pieces
OF iron and brass twisted and turned and
bent about ike so much string; and the
great tly-wheel was broken in a half
dozen places.
This showed Us now where the great
celiar-likc placc-the stoke hOle-was,and
We worked down now toward that; but
still clearing the way, for how could l
tell where the child might be- But it
was weary, slow work; every now and
then rigging up shears, and fastening
ropes and pully, and Sheaf TO haul up
some great piece of iron, or a beam; and,
willing as everyone was, We made very
little progress IN the dark night.
Once we had to stop and batter down
Il wall with scaffold pole; for the police
declared it to be unsafe and the Sergeant
would not let US FORK near il till il was
down; and all the while was raging like
a madman at the check But il was Of
no use and the man was right. He was
doing his duty, and not like me, search
ing for the little crushed form of nv dar-
ling in the cruel ruins. The people made
me worse, for they would talk and say
what they thought so that | could hear.
One would say she might still be alive,
another would shake his head, and 50 on;
when l kept stopping, in spite of all l
tried not, listening TO what they said, and
il all seemed so much lost time.
The engine-rOom was now cleared, and
in spite of my trembling and horror as
every big piece was disturbed, nothing
had been found; but all at once as We
were trying TO clear behind the biler and
get down 10 the StOke-hOle one Of the
men gave a cry. caught at the man
nearest to me. and then lights, rubbish,
the strange Nlid SCCnC al ScUmU: ID run
round me and should have fallen only
the man held me up and some one
brought me some brandy.
| was myself again directly, and,
over the bricks TO where knot
If men had collected, and d policeman
had his bull'S-cyc lantern open and they
lay Just under beam they had raised
to the left of where IeXpected she would
be found
Smashed" heard some one, with his
back to me, say; and then some one else,
'' Poor little thing, she must have run
past here"
Then, with my throat dry and my eyes
staring, crept up and thrust two men
aside, right and left, when the others
made way for me without speaking, and,
when ! got close up, covered my face
with my hands, and softly knelt down.
The policeman said something, and
some one else spoke cheerily; but |
couldn't hear what they said, for my
every thought was upon what | was
going to see. And now, for the first
time, the great, binding tears came
gushing from my eyes, so that when |
slowly took down first one hand and then
another l was blinded, and could not see
for few moments, till, stopping a little
lower, there, smashed and tlattened, Gov
cred with mortar and dust, was my old
red cotton handkerchief, tied round the
basin and plate that held my dinner,
dropped here by my little darling.
For u few moments | was, as it were,
struck dumb-it was so different a sight
To what had expected TO see; and then
leaped up and laughed, and shouted,
and danced-the relief was so great.
Come ON | cried again; and then,
for an hour OF more, we were at il, work
ing away till the light began to come in
the east, and tell US that il was daybTeak.
Late as it was, plenty Of people had
stopped all the time; for, somehow or
another, hundreds had got to know the
little bright, gOlden-haircd thing that
trotted backward ami forward every
day with my dinner-basin. She was too
little to do il, but then, bless you, that
was our pride; for the wife cOmbed, and
brushed and dressed her up on purpose.
And fine and proud We used to be OF the
little thing, going and coming old
fashioned. Why, lots OF heads used 10
be thrust out 10 watch her; and seeing
how pretty, and artless and young she
was, We used 10 feel that everyone
would try and protect her. and it was so.
Time after time that night saw mother
Unlocking women that | did not know,
with their aprons TO their eyes, sObbing
Ind CRYING; and though ! didn't notice 1t
then l remembered it well enough after
ward-ah, and always shall; while the
wav in which some of the men worked
weil-ru-d do men who would have thought
themselves insulted if you'd offered EN-
five shillings for their nights job
showed how my poor little darling had
won the hearts of all around. Often and
often since, too, l could have stopped
this one and shook hands with that one
for their kindness; only there's always
that shut-upness about an EngliShman
that seems 10 make him ali heart al q
time Of sorrow and piece Of solid blunt
ness Al every other time
Well, it vas noW just upon morning
and we were all worked up 70 pitch OF
excitement that nothing could be Ike.
We had been expecting 10 come upon the
moor child all the afternoon and night,
hut now there could be no doubt OF It,
She must be here, for we we're now down
in the stoke hole, working again win
more yigor than had been shown tor
80 Ma,Is faces were nusle0 ana