The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-10-14

again, and for over half n year ne was inV Yi'
HE Then he suddenly appeared again, Tx
. had nenny. the miners said, but ne oni
hang sbout-without offering to WORK IN III
mines ale was bad, shittless lot" DIE
mond Pit folks said of him, and 10 good
ever come TO him." and they fought very sh
of him.
Things were IL this state when, one brigh
summer morning, WIDOW winner anu he
little daughter went on journey 10 the neal
es, civ. fifty miles off great feat for Did
mond Ptite, for in the rough little villag
folks did not like travelling, and they wer
Obliged to 90 in their own vehicles, nethe
railway nor coach ever coming any way nea
the isolated little place.
They ACCOMPLISHED their journey one day
spent a week IN the city, and then started on
fine morning for home. Half the Journe,
was done, and halt made to rest the hors
at a little wayside inn. Kate had got nun
'bewildered about the route, and asked 'h
lnnkeeper. Most likely he misunderstood
her, for he gave her wrong direction ant
she took a road that led her ten miles out
her way, so that instead OF reaching Diamond
Pit in the afternoon, it was dark when sh'
had still mile or more to 90.
She felt little nervous, for she had heart
it said that these hills between which she was
IdrlvInr were infested with robbers; thongi
Kate privately wondered what they coulc
find worth stealing in this region.
She was thinking of this as she drove along
and was rather glad Pansey was asleep ana
could not ask her troublesome questions aDou'
the robbers, when a loud neigh from the morse
and violent movement, as II he haa oee,i
suddenly seized by the bit, caused her 10 iooh
around. Half a score OF dark, silent hguieS
| l. InI tha
Kate sprang up, utering a piercing SHREK
but scarcely had ii left her lips when The lead
err OF the band put his brawny hand over het
mouth, and with the other arm lifted hcr out
of the carriage, and started to ascend the NIL
with her on his arm, but Rates struggles rem.
dered il impossible, and he called to one OF
the men TO assist him
Kate dashed his hand away, and screamed
in good earnest In an instant answering
shouts came from the opposite side OF the
hill, and the forms of half dozen miners
came into view The robber who held Kate,
when he saw who the approaching men were,
dropped her, and the whole party, evidently
wishing to escape ncognito, vanished over
the hill. Kate drove home, escorted by VIII
Cortland, who happened to be one of the set
who had heard her screams, and came SO op.
porlunely to the rescue.
Popular feeling ran high against Wild Dan,
who, every one said, was the author OF the
outrage There was no real evidence against
him, but, as the witness said, This acts speak
for him" The miners were enraged. They
rose and turned out in body to hunt for
Wild Dan; found him; then captured him,
though he made hard fight. He professed
inter ignorance of the affair, but no one be-
leved him, unless il was Kate herself. She
suspected others than Wild Dan; and II she
and Mr.. Daventry had not lnterfered the
miners would have lynched him most surely.
As 1t was, they were to give him sort or
rude trial, so they locked him up for the
night in one of the cottages, watching 1t all
night, back and front, while he escaped by
the chimney to the roof.
so, as before said, Diamond Pit was in an
uproar The miners hunted high and low
for HIM, but found him not, because IN the
very place they did not think 1t worth while
to look, there he was.
Little Widow Wilmer had hidden him in
her garnet, for she did not believe he was las
black as he was painted" and so had saved
his life for if he had been caught, the infuri
ated mob would certainly have lynched him
On the spot. However, he was not found, and
when the search tor him was over he departed
from the village, and as he did not return,
after time he was, if not forgotten, at least
out of the minds Of the miners
One sunny morning late In August little
Pansey Wilmer, standing by the window,
saw Will Cortland pass, on his way to the
mines A scheme came into her busy little
head, and running out OF the house she caught
hold of his hand.
"Oh, WILL" she said, breathlessly-she al
yays called him "Will"--"Won't you take
ne down in the mine with you today You
to sometime; let today be some
me,' please. l haven't been down half a
lozen times since papa died: do take me-"
Nothing else would suit her. and VIII was
ieslrous of pleasing the little girl, so he en-.
ercd the house and got her mothers consent,
and then took her down the long village
street to the shaft, where they entered the
bucket and descended into the mine. Pansey
was like all children, she loved dirt; so she
played around in the mine till she was more
iusty than the blacklist miner,
Meanwhile the village above was hot and
silent The long street. bordered with trees,
was almost descrted only here and there a
igure crossed It, The rows OF white houses,
with their little rallied gardens before them,
we're all sunshine, and here and there child
played in the garden. In some places the OPP
m cottage door showed mother rocking her
babe to sleep, and singing low, soft lullaby
o it; in others, a tall girl, surrounded by her
title sisters and brothers, helI ing her mother
with the homework; here sat II big boy on
doorstep amusing his little brothers; there
sat M old man with his baby grandson on
his knee, and his old dame spinning and soft
" huming 10 herself in a low vice some frag-
ment of an old.fashioned tune. High up on
the hill, at the iurthcrest end of the village,
was Mr.. Daventry's mansion, sunny and ST.
lent, and in the shade of the porch the man
himself sat doing in chair, with one hand
On the head of the great, black pet dog, who
sat beside him. On the same hill, but nearer
the mines, was widow Winners house, cool
and dark with the shadows which the trees
near by always threw on it, and on the heavy
stone veranda Kate herself sat, with her sew.
inc IN her hands.
Kate, glancing down the village street, saw,
to her surprise, viii Cortland walking along
there; she waved her handkerchief to him,
and he came M the Hill to her.
Where is Panscyy' asked Kate ms soon rs