The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-10-19
REX MCCARTHY.

grisly aspect came stalking towards
them. He had candle stuck in his
cap and pipe in his mouth.
| "Thats John BOwles, stranger; it's
a civil word he'll give you, anyway"
The stranger nodded and smiled, and,
with the light of the smile on his face,
turned to the overman.
"John Bowles," he said, "I want a
job; can you give me one"
"What's your name, friend?"
"Rex Mccarthy"
"What can yo' do?"
al could be heWer."
''In high seams?"
Eyes, in high seams"
'In course. Yo'd niyer bend them
long legs and yo're long back enough
| for some o. our lille seams; but we've
there's other wark besides. I'll gle yo'
a pound week"
"DOne."
care yo' ready now, man?'
"Now."
''Then down yo' CO."
And in the swinging, banging,
bounding basket down Rex went
down through thousand feet of dark
ness. Bowles' practiced eye watched
his descent. "Yon chaps no pitman.
The basket were as new to him as it
were TO me, forty years ago." All the
more, however, he admired the pluck
and address with which Rex had taken
his turn; and, if f"no pitman," he WELD
ed the pick-axe like giant. Before
night Bowles was well aware that he
had made good bargain. just before
the hour for CLOSING" he sought out
the little fellow whose friendly words
had encouraged Rex to speak to him in
the morning. He found him in cor
ner full of floating coal-dust, barely lit
by three or four candles stuck in bits of
clay. He was lying on his back, near
ly naked, and with small pick work.
ing away ut the scam couple of feet
above him.
"Wili Hewittw
The man turned his glimmering eyes
toward the overman.
"There's chap int pit to-day, raw
hand, I'm thinking; m'appen yo' could
do for him. PhGbe's tidy wench, and
kind one, too. I'd be loath for him
to come to i'll folk"
off misses likes. Pm none again it."
just then long, shrill, resonant cry
came from The top of the shaft, "Ioose |!
l-o-o-s-e! l-o-o-s-ew 1t was taken up
by the men below, and rung from gal
lery to gallery and from mouth to
mouth, until the men and BOYS i'm the re-
motest recesses had heard the welcome
sound.
Bowles' suspicious were strengthen
cd by the fact that Rex did not under
cfon1 fhsc ,noIa nf 1iopscco1 To baI
to go to him and say:
"There's no clocks nor bells here, my
lad; yon's the 'looscning'-cry. Up yO'
gow
When he got to the top of the shaft
he found VIII Hewitt waiting for him
and after a few words together, the two
went toward the pit-villagc. No vii
lage could have been uglier or more de-
pressing than these long rows of brick
cabins in their desolate dirtiness. The
black ground, the black cutters, the
patches of blackened grass, the black,
weary men, and the still blacker and
wearier children trapsing homeward,
oppressed him frightfully. A vision
that would not be put away intensified
by contrast this dreadful picture-a
vision of great white house set in
sweet old garden ways, and guarded
by steadfast hills lifting bare heads TO
the blue skies above them.
lie was so occupied with this vision
that he scarcely heard the occasional
sentences with which Hewitt tried to
interest him. Yet they cost Hewitt
some effort of courtesy and self-denial E;
for men who have been hcwing coal all
day in desolatc cramped corners are
usually silent men until their bath and
dinner have restored them to them
| selves.
Still, amid all his preoccupation and
WEAKNESS, Rex was glad TO see that
Hewitt left the most squalid cottages
behind them, and approached one OF
the very cleanest and most inviting OF
a row of larger and more respectable
dwellings. 1t had even little garden
plat in front, where, in spite of the coal
ly atmosphere, some primroses and
pansies were blooming. The door-stone
was pipe-clayed, and white muslin
curtain hung behind brilliant show OF
geraniums in the window.
Hewitt may be excused the pride
with which he opened the door and ush.
cred the stranger into his home. Col.
nln,yed ovar heastb 90 ,vb;to o". as e,n "nm
So,,;es oav onoro,i' I" y, "I m"ao 10 nuom
Sor nbone tha;r c,ot;o, H., ~ vv;I,n a,nre ,,o
hogan,. M % bodstnad and niasa Da' of ~ =" drou ,~
nn5 "" a;nht J.' Jaw oSn"' a ovo. Vi ,N,' u.amers
%m;',ht " and o,co, o'oSH S'.; VIZ spolacssi,
,naSn ' "ha ,ho oso soamrod Is adn VI s ape
nsomo a III Shov .o nh;no J hr;,,ht oH p,o.u,,
S hrasscs Matched % nn;it and emsh;ons ms s an and
ne,sIt PlI n~nry I's ns " so,ioss un, anu
cave | to tbe small anorimcnt % r"ws rh;"d .,
5ri@ht and bomelv heamtv 70 y which % NO No
best oo,id ho ;'eaos;i'io W ""'0' 'o
Not tha ioost nieasant fao,,ro &, .h;s
n;cture wos a LITTLE c"' r"s~ sm;,;nn ~ I,,
%dmmn,;no % "@ Of a woman man sett;ny1, tGy, ''r,, ,nnmS
tah,n haSoro 20 tho "o oon, Sooa,SS So,S io"'if, +,
,~os not iowf,,I o o. vo 80, ea. W1;,i ~ II
tsr % NV Nv, ,ho front , ~ doos aa' & ~, ~ W en-
home from tho nj, " ond m,,on Ho ,',;h. o;.,iI.
;nstiy have "ot al; ,;,sin % oross ans W VIZ ansa1'
S;rty ;ntrnders Ru, phoaSo SnoJs ~ o, Two sad,
tii'g iiiti ubcio. but tttbc Oilil Ifldtt