The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-02-15
DOY.

Honor Neal was plump, merry little
Irish widow, who worked early and late
as washerwoman, to support herself
and her son. One day Mrs. Sprout, one
vi her employers stopped her at the gate.
"Honor, it is high time that that great
boy of yours was put to some regular
employment. He cannot spend all his
life carrying baskets of clothes"
"Indade, an that's thrue. An he's
got the foine head on him, Teddy has!
But he seems to be dull in the use of his
hands, men,"
Lazy. Ell? Has he had any school
ing?"
"Och, he has that same. Father Ryan,
he saw the foi1e head he has on him, an
he took him in the parish school to make
praste of him. But he was dull at the
Latin and he slnt him home"
Hes good for nothing. them"
"Indade, mem, an it's he has the
great taste for spiders an bugs. He has
big collection"
''Send him here tonight. I'll get my
husband to put him to work in the store.
He ought to be earning something in
stead of spending his time in the fields
gathering bugs"
sugar and measuring molasses as he was
at Latin. He knew every Granny and
hiding place in the hills within ten miles,
but he never could find the starch or the
tape measure in the shop. He could tell
}u the color and habits of every bird,
FISH or moth in the woods, but he stared
vacantly at customers across the coun-
ter, when they asked for ''Lone Jack, 4"
or "Nigger head In fortnight he
had an empty corner in the shop filed
with his bottles of snakes, or sheets of
beetles or butterflies. Did an old woman
want balm or a balsam apple he was ready
to get it if his employer would let him go.
He was the guide for many of the Der
rying parties which the young folks
started during the summer. Everybody,
in fact, liked the spoken, gentle lad i,
whese big gray eyes stared absently at
them everywhere but in the woods,
where he became boy, keen and alert.
But in September Mr.. Sprout discharged
him; as utterly worthless for shop-work.
A week later l met his mother.
''Is it Teddy? Och an he's fixed for
life, now! Mrs Sprout she got the boss
av the Fenton coal mine to take him on
thrial. It's u foine place, she says, an
he'll make good wages.
When the fall came We used to beg for
Teddy to be freed from his grimy black
prison for a day, to 90 with us to the
woods; but to no purpose His mother
said e had "got down to stiddy work,
an was done with runnin' wild like a
ground squirrel" l met him once at
n.ghtfall, creeping home-thn and
STOPPED, his eyes looking big and wild in
the black mass of coal-dust that covered
his face and clothes. There had recently
been some accidents in the neighboring
mines from the caving in of shaft
Take care Of yourself, Teddy" said
l. 81 wish you were orSt of that pit. +"
Teddy's eyes twinkled in the black. II
kin git out av that pit any minute l
Place" he said, lowering his voice. II
found crack back of Pressley's hills a
year ago. It's a hole ladin' into the
mine. Nothin' kin happen to me in
there The very next day there was an
alarm through the town. There had
been an explosion in Fenton's mine,
and thirty men we're buried. Whether
they were living or dead nobody
\ knew. The church bells rang fur
iously. Everybody left their dinners
L was about o'clock-and ran to the
kreet. The crowd emptied itself from
Y court house. and judge, lawyers and
" left the prisoner and constable in
dock, and joined the throng rushing
n the river road. Honor was sitting
he bank; not crying like tho others.
round red face looked pinched and
IN. A basket Of newly -ironed
hes stood beside her, for she had
j on her way home with them when
duh report OF the explosion was
Ard. Mrs. Sprout was near her,
bbing and talking loudly.
("Teddy's in there" she cried, as |
came. II sent him there. | wish / had
lee<him at home. It's always my luck
y On do the best can to help people.
At that moment there was shout
from the men at work at the mouth of
the mine, and some 20 of the miners
emergel from the mouth OF the pit,
stunned and terrified by the explosion,