The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-07-30

instantly after any person connected with
the mine had passed through it. AL
though there was considerable escape
of gas, the air-current was so direct and
strong that men worked with open oil
lamps and, albeit, there had been pretty
severe "blowers," rs sudden spurts of
local gas are termed, no danger was APP
pretended by either of the gangs who
owned and worked the mine.
1t was now three years since Evan
Hughes met his sad fate and on fine
May morning there were great rejoicings
in the village. Bunting waved from
every available flag staff, and the cutters
in front of the ale-houses literally ran
beer The Gritfiths were in high feather,
for Sam and Anne Shepherd had been
married in the morning. Long before
noon the brides proud sire was purple
in the face with pledging the young
couple, and with urging others to do
likewise. Gayly-dressed groups of youths
and maidens danced round the May-pole
on the village green, and everybody was
in supreme state Of enjoyment-all ex-
cept Mrs. Hughes, poor Evans mother,
and Hannah, his twin-sister. The merry
making palled on their hearts. 1t re-
called the lost one-the flower Cf the
flock who had so miserably perished, and
who to-day might have been Anne Shep-
pherd's husband. Therefore, they re-
tired early in the evening, and by clos
ing doors and windows tried TO exclude
the sounds of merriment. While the
days festivities were being prolonged far
into the night, the mother and daughter
ra@,xa1 10 Slaa,N fa11 41,n,,.
sad eyes and each woman dreamed
dream-a dream SO marvelously uniform
in detail that it was as if the two had sat
and watched the same tableau.
They saw the three men sinking the
Great Oak Shaft they saw Evan charge
and prime his shot, and then attach the
end of the " firing-cord ;" they heard
him give the signal to be hauled to
bank they saw old Bill Conway begin
to turn the windlass they saw Sam
Griffiths steal out of the "hut " with
red-hot ring and slip it down the rope
they saw the old man quit hold of the
windlass in horror, and they saw the
powerful young murderer dash the old
man down the shaft in the face of the
shower of stones thrown up by the ex-
plosion.
Mother and daughter awoke in tie sol
emn midnight and discussed their dream
with trembling and with awe. And
they clung to each other, and confronted
each other, and tried not to believe it.
Just then, John Hughes, the husband
and father of the two women, entered,
and after some banter-he was in liquor
the women again slept
=,
stance" Coroner Williams used to say,
"but both these women dreamed the
self same dream over again.
In the morning Mrs. Hughes met
Dick Conway, the idiot lad, took him
aside, and questioned him about what
he saw that day when he lost his father.
He indicated by dumb show how some
one was thrown down the shaft, and how
some one else was struck on the face,
meaning himself.
Mrs. Hughes shortly after died. The
doctors who attended her were not
agreed respecting her malady but DIR.
Jones, of Mold, was certain that her
mind WAS gone, and that she was the
victim of hallucinatiOns. Hannah, the
twin daughter, now devoted herself ex-
clusively to her father. She would fre-
quently descend the Great Oak Shaft
while he was at work, and carry ale, hot
/ coffee, tea, ETC., to him and consequent
/ ly she achieved kind of envied noto-
riety for her bravery in descending the
coal-mine. She had several admirers !;
but her kind words and light looks
seemed reserved for her father. On his
part he repaid her with an affectionate
! Il, tl,@ o,,,,,.DooI,o1 Io1
and it was his boast that when his
head was laid low Hannah would be a
lady.
On dark December midnight, few
months after her mothers death. Han
nah Hughes and the idiot lad Conway
stole quietly away from Buckley village,
and proceeded toward the Great Oak
Shaft Her father and his companions
would have stopped work at II o'clock,
and the two nocturnal pedestrians avoid
ed the road by which the miners would
return to their homes. When Hannah
and Dick reached the pit-heap all was
still as the grave. The horse had been
loosed from the "gin windlass, and lay
sleeping in his straw, and not stan
cheered the gloomy vault of heaven.
Hannah soon obtained light the sta
BILE door was opened the gin-horse was
harnessed and hitched into the ac-
customed shafts for raising the coal
the young woman took her seat on the
"corve," or basket, and told Dick to
CLOVER away" Into the black, yawninq
pit she descended without fear or trepi
dation, and when the bottom was reached
she stepped briskly out of the "corve,
proceeded to the air-door near the bot
tom of the shaft, and securely propped
} it open. Then she walked along the two
thousand feet that separated her from
} the Great Ash Shaft, and, reaching the
} arid oor there, securely propped itopen
} The air-current now shot along tn,
shortest route between the two shafts
/ and by its violence extinguished hel
light but she returned undismayed 10y
J the darkness or the inequalities of th,
rugged tramway, until she reached tn,
= shaft where she had descended. Ther
: she shouted to Dick, who started tn,
: horse, and she was wound up until sh,
} reached the bank in safety. The hors,
5 was now unhitched and returned TO tn,
{ stable, and the girl and the crazy lac
2 made quick progress homeward.