The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-09-22
JOHNS MINNIE.


John himself was fifty, and coal miner.
1t had been showing all day; showing
at Pittsburgh, at Scranton, at Wilkes
barre; showing on the bleak, black
mountains 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 down coming, 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
q 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, i'll
speaking miners, for she had heard the
tones of his voice and caught from a
few words the very bit of news that no
man wished known.
Johns Minnie never looked back; the
snowfiakes fell and melted on her warm
geography and shut her teeth with lit
tie snap.
At the next turn she saw through the
snowfall a woman's 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
it isn't one bit easier to bear misery and
hunger in a snOw-storm, now is it, my
dear?"
ITS harder" returned Minnie, "and,
Miss Wren, if it wasn't for you, l
wouldn't go home tonight at all. Oh,
how do hate to go home. Mothers sick
and fathers cross, and Carl and Harry
never speak pleasant word, and then
the twins cry, between them, all night;
nobody has enough to eat; the clothes
are all worn out and everything is Just
as miserable as it can be-" sobbed the
twelve-years-ol girl with sudden out.
burst of SORROW" and, Miss Wren, things
is coming on worse still, things is"
"Stop crying, my dear. There! I'll
walk back little with you and you shall
tell me 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 it."
is it anything can help, Minnie?"
"Youw exclaimed the child. 81 won
der how. No, nobody can help it now.
Oh, somebody's awful wicked, some
where. wish just knew who it is that
makes everything go wrong up here on
the mountain"
The more things 60 wrong the hard
er we must try, Minnie, to make sure that
our little duty is done right. Now go
homes happy. I've been to see your
mother to-day. You'll find a good COM
Portable supper for tonight 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 retrace her steps.
She had not gone far ere Johns Min
ME ran down, calling out: "Did you say
your sister-that Miss Florence-was
coming home tonight"
eyes, and we'll see you tomorrow"
"What time tonight" persisted Min
ME.
"Oh, 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
punched 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: ooh, if it wasn't for
father; if it wasn't for my fatherl"
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 a
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 win
dow beside the door, pressed close to the
panes of glass on purpose that she might
see, was a geranium, glowing with clus-
tiers of scarlet blossoming; but Minnie's
eyes were on the snow.
She opened the cabin door and went in,
threw her school-book into chair and
asked of Carl; Where is MOTHER"
II should like to know if you think l
carry mother about with me picking
slater" returned Carl, who had entered
the house directly in front of Minnie,
and who gave long whistle as his 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 pan filled with potatoes.