River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-09-20
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JOHNS MINNIE.


at Pittsburgh,a at Scranton,at Wilkesbarre;
showing on the bleak, black noun
tains and into the shafts leading into the
great coal mines.
At fifteen minutes after four of the
clock Johns Minnie, going home from
school, encountered . group of men. The
snow, with all its homecoming, had not
whitened one of the number Their
faces, hands and words were black.
"Hush," warned one of the men. "Not
another word; that's Johns Minnie a
coming"
The young girl walked on, not even
raising her eyes as she passed the men;
but she knew that her own father stood
in the center of that group of angry, ill
speaking miners, for she had heard the
tones Of his voice and caught from few
words the very bit of news that no man
wished known.
Johns Minnie never looked back; the
snow flakes fell and melted on her warm
cheeks as she pinched her arithmetic and
geography and shut her teeth with lit
tie snap.
At the next turn she saw through the
snowfall womans figure; the woman
was coming down from the mountain
near whose base stood fifty or more cab
! ms, the homes of the miners.
As the woman and the child came to-
gether the child cried out:
miss Wren, have you been on the
mountain, to day."
! "Why not, Minnie Jansen.' replied
/ Miss Wren. There's plenty of misery
and hunger on the mountain to-day, and
/ /. A I. a -, L.
hunger in snow storm, now, is it my
| dearf'
"It's harder returned Minnie, land
Miss Wren, if it wasn't for you'll wouldn't
go home tonight, at all, 0 how l do
hate to go home. Mothers sick, and ia
Tiers cross, and Carl and Jansen never
speak pleasant word, and then the
twins cry, between them, all night; no.
body has enough to eat; the clothes are
all worn out and everything is Just as
miserable as it can be" sobbed the twelve
year old girl with a sudden outburst OF
sorrow; ''and, Miss Wren, things is COM
ing on worse still, things is
''iStop crying, my dear. There! I'll
walk back little with you and you shall
tell nue. all about it,"
'No. Miss Wren, it's something that /
can't tell, and will not tell: not even if
I'm hung down the shaft for IL"
as it anything can help, Minnie:"
ssYour' exclaimed the child. II Won
der how. No, nobody can't help it, now.
o somebody's awful wiked, somewhere.
| wish Just knew who it is that makes
everything go wrong up hare on the noun
tain"
"I'he more tllings 60 wrong the harder
we must try, Minnie, to make sure that
our little duty is done right. Now go
home happy. I've been TO see your
mother to- day You'll find good COM
Portable supper for to night in the house,
and tomorrow Miss Florence will be at
home and we'll see what can be done.
Goodnight. Run home with smile
and kiss for your poor mother
With the words, pretty Miss Wren
turned to retraee her steps.
She had not gone far ere Johns Minnie
ran down, calling out, "Did you say your
sis4cr-that Miss Florence-was coming
home to-night(
''Yes, and we'll see YOU tomorrow"
"What time to night?" persisted Min
mic.
80, too late for you to see her. She
won't be up before the midnight train"
and with a smile, half seen through the
falling snow, Miss Wren went downward
toward the town, and the little girl toiled
through the snow up the mountain. She
pinched her books harder than ever as
she tried to plant her strong young feet
in the footprints of somebody who had
but recently gone upward, and she kept
saying to herself, ''Oh, if it wasn't for
father; il it wasn't for my father"
Johns Minnie had forgotten all about
Miss Wren's advice concerning the smile
and the kiss long before she passed the
group of miners cabins, and by the time
she came to the shaft she had taken
resolution. She had resolved to tell her
mother all about the "things that were
coming on worse still"
Minnie's heart was too full to notice
certain changes that otherwise would have
attracted her attention, even before she
entered the cabin. In the little window
beside the door, pressed close to the panes
Of glass on purpose that she might see
was geranium, glowing with clusters of
scarlet blossoming; but Minnie's eyes
were on the snow.
She opened the cabin door and went in
threw her school-books into a chair and
asked of Carl, "Where is mothers"
81 should like to know if you think
carry mother about with me picking
slatel' returned Carl. who had entered
the house directly in front of Minnie, and
who gave a long whistle as bis eyes
caught sight of the plant in the window.
At the instant Mrs. Jansen entered the
room, carrying in one arm an infant, in
the other a pan filled with potatoes.
"Mother, where did this thing that
dares to live and look pretty come from"
questioned Carl.
"Take this baby, and I'll tel. you, re-
turned Mrs. Jansen, from whose hand as
she spoke the pan Of potatoes slipped and
fell to the floor.
Carl and Minnie gathered up the pota-
toes with many question concerning the
good supper. whose savory edors already
fioated about the room. To each and
every question the same reply was made,
Miss WrtR has been here Miss
Wren brought it, Miss Wren sent it.n
Mother said Carl, suddenly, "If
Miss Wren would only boss the mine we'd
have better times. know she'd pay me
more'n / get for slate-picking.
"Stop talking nonsense, Carl said
Minnie. "Take the baby. Iwant mother
a minute to myself"
aWhat secrets have you got, | would
like to know9 Secrets are dangerous
things to know, Minnie"
Minnie laughed. "Imet Miss Wren on
the mountain as ] came up, and she told
NC