The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-02-15
Teddy was not

Father Ryan, as soon as he could make
himself heard.
where's Teddy Neal?" cried Mrs
Sprout, catching the foreman by the
shoulder and pushing his sobbing wife
aside.
"They were in a back passage behind
the heap of slate made by the explosion
We were this side of it" he answered.
lied was with us, an'-an. He looked
uneasily at Honor, who had come up to
him and was staring into his face with
her lips open. They moved back to
ask question, but she could not make
a sound
"Where is the boy?" asked Mrs.
Sprout, impatiently.
"He turned back to go to them. l
could not help it," he exclaimed. HE
would have it that he knew II way out
of the back of the mine; and that if it
were open, he could guide the men
through it. There was crack at the
top of the heap of slate, and he's such a
lean little chap he wriggled through,
with our pushing him behind"
"You pushed him to his death" Mrs.
Sprout screamed. And then a sudden
silence fell on the crowd.
Every man and woman there under
stood that the boy had not five chances
in ten for life, when he oraW led into the
blackness of the walled up pit to save
his fellow workmen, that he had deliber.
ately taken the risk. Father Ryan said
something to the foreman, carefully
hear of 'fire-damp."
ko1J %ha
But he was determined to go. I could
not stop him."
There was nothing for us to do but to
wait. The men we're in the heart of the
hill, which rose before us in the warm
sunshine, with the black seams ..yawning
through the grass and weeds. 1t was
impossible now to reach them. If alive
they were doubtless struggling through
the back passages. of the mine toward
the outlet which Teddy had found.
Every man of the crowd believed the
boy to be mistaken. 1t was not likely
that such an opening could exist, and no
miner ever have discovered it. But no
body had the heart to hint doubt with
Honor and the wives and mothers of the
buried men to hear it. SO the crowd wait
ed; whispering to each other, listening
in silence for some sound from Within
cry,-a muffied knocking which
should show that the buried men still
lived. AS long as there was a chance of
their escape by any back passage, how
ever slight, the men feared to begin work
on the heap of fallen slate at the mouth
of the pit. as any conclusion might bring
down masses of earth from the room of
the chambers, already loosened by the
explosion.
Honor came up to the Methodist par
son. How long will it take Teddy to
bring them out, sir 2"
The good old man avoided Der eye.
That depends on-well, really. l don't
know where the passage is. Now, my
poor soul, let us trust in God. He will
take care of Teddy in the pit just as we'll
as if he were here beside you"
But want him beside me, sir. The
Lord >Lways left Teddy to me to take
care of. 1 want him, sir. l want my
little by"
MIR. Knox began to speak, but his
voice failed. He shook his head and
turned away l saw that he had but lit
tie hope.
At that moment duh rumbling was
heard. Every man looked at his neigh
bors. One of the miners, muttered fire
damp" which is another name for death,
in these pits; but the others were silent.
Then came sound like thunder and
heavy crash. There had been another
explosion, and the roof of the main cham
Der had probably fallen. Shrieks of des
pair went up from the women.
"It's all over - said Father Ryan.
"Look at him y cried Honor, wildly,
pointing down the road. Me by Ted
dyw
There. coming up the road, black rs
negroes, were the nine men, every one
of them alive and shouting, Teddy lead
ing the van They had reached the
mouth of the opening and had dragged
each other through. and had time to come
down from Pressley's hills before the
second explosion.
There was u town meeting that night.
1t was gathering which would seem
queer and old fashioned enough. now.
adays. There was a great table set in
the town hall. ard every housewife sent
something to be eaten, from Mrs. Judge
Larkin's frosted cake, to poor Honor's
loaf of bread; and rich and poor came,
the miners and their wives in their Sun
day clothes. to shake hands and rejoice
together. The Methodist and Presby-
terrain clergymen offered prayer, and
Father Ryan and Judge Larkin made
speeches, and there was plenty of jokes
and laughing and kindly feeling. But
most of the glory of the occasion fell to
Teddy's share. In his speech WELDON.