The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-06-11
DUST TO DUST.

81 do wish William were come; surely
he ought to be here before this. What
is the time, Aunt Betsy?"
"Never mind the time, dear; your
husband will be here soon; you may de-
pend upon it, he will not stay away q
minute longer than he can help. But
they are always busy when putting on
new mine you can never tell what
may turn up to keep the men over time. -
Yes; | know that. But he ought to
have been home at six o'clock, and |
am sure it is lot past that. do wish
he were come; and l am so weak :"
and as she spoke thus, Mrs. Pollarrack
could not restrain the tears which soon
filled her eyes.
"Now, don't give way so, there's a
DEAR" said Aunt Betsy. "Think of
your child. What mercy it is that the
little thing is sound and strong, and that
you have got through your trouble so
nicely. How proud William will be
when he comes home, to find himself
the father of fine boy!"
A glow of motherly pride lighted up
the young mothers face as she thought
of the pleasure her husband would feel
she looked down on the babe that lay
safe by her side.
William and Mary Pollarack were a
young married couple; he, a strong,
active miner of twenty-four, skillful
about pit-work; she, farmers daugh-
ter, barely twenty, as pretty girl as
could be seen in the west of Cornwall.
Hers was not delicate beauty, but that
strong, healthy sweetness peculiar to
simple country girl. Though they had
been engaged for three or four years,
they did not cease to be lovers after
marriage; their welded life, which was
now of some twelve months duration,
had been q continuation of their court
ship. Theirs was true union-a union
of kindred spirits. The arrival of their
first baby had been looked forward to
with some anxiety by William; but in
the morning of the day in which the
event took place he had gone to his
work at tin mine called Wheal Splen-
dour, satisfied that his wife would be
taken care of by his fathers sister, Aunt
Betsy, who came to them the night be-
fore to stay few days.
Wheal Splendour had recently been
restarted, or rather a company had been
formed to rework it. 1t was an old
mine, near c., that had lain idle for
thirty years. The engine shaft was down
eighty fathoms below the adit, which
was forty fathoms from surface. A band
of men, of whom William Pollarrack
was one, were engaged clearing and Sc
curing this shaft; and at this time they
were about halfway down to the adit.
But to return to the young mother.
Aunt Betsy's advice was acted upon
with good effect Mary did think of her
child; wondered all sorts of things about
it; whom it would be like; whether it
would be dark or fair; what they should
call it after all; for William had always
said if they had son, he should like it
to be called John, after his father
while Mary herself thought there was
no name like William for boy; and
then she remembered one occasion,
when the subject was up between them,
how her husband had laughingly said !:
"All Williams are not alike; you must
not think, if we had son called Will
liam, he would grow up as fine man
as his father;'' and how she had an
swered: 81 don't know that; I sup
pose there are men as fine as you in the