The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-20
sriAsed By Special Arranoemea Nth de Axfhor.
NORA.
A True Story of the Coal Mines.
BY ALEXANDER d. BAILIE.
Copyrighted 1888, by s. 8. McClure-An
Rights Reserved.1
A S O r Y.

deformed miner, they are herein recorded; with
an honest attempt to reproduce the dialect,
phraseologv compounded of English, Irish,
Welsh and Scotch the latter being evidently the
mother tongue of Crooked Ben"
1t was an evening of early fall in the anthra-
cite coal regions of Pennsylvania.
A traveller who had been exploring the mine,
was seated with Ben--hls guide during the day
on rude bench in front of the miners board
inghouse where the stranger was to pass the
night.
1T is hard life. that of miner"
"Ay, sur, y'sb be main roit It's hard; t boody
an soul, tbs hard.
And the conversation languished until slight
movement of the miner attracted his compan-
ions attention.
Down the road, coming toward them, was
woman-young. slight and neatly clad, with
face framed in wealth of rich brown hair, pale
and delicately beautiful, and irradiated with
great, deep. dark eyes from which far-away
look told of mind mo aw' RIGHT"
'Thour early tn noight, Moral"
faye, Ben" she answered, turning her face
toward him as sine slowly moved on, and giving
him gentle, friendly smile AYE Ben, times
Mattie's earyr nor other, and must be tae tn
pit gin he comes up" And she made her way
steadily on.
Ben followed her with his eyes until she had
passed out of sight around curve in the road
leading TO the shaft of the mine; then motioning
with his hand liz the direction taken by the
woman, he SAID:
'Theer's one, sur, thot lass tn best, truest
~ %ohO at Ernfc
hardness O miners loife, an tn hardness O. tn
loife o aw' belong'n tae him, better'n wusser'n
words can tell nor moind can 'magin' on. She
ha' liv'd an soofr'd unner il, monny tn day. lang
an dree. She ha' loss husban', an choir an
health, an sens uner't. She ha' loss aw' but
1oife; Gonno's only why thot wor lef her. But
Go'nno's bes', Go'nno's bes'"
''What was it that unsettled her mindl"
''Weel, sur" replied Ben, speaking slowly and
low, as if unwilling to approach almost sacred
subject, IAN if it's but tae show you tn trolls
an suferin' DER common among tn poor, don't
mond telin' yo', tho bent DER willin' t speak
OF t. most folk. But tits aw'ys in my moind, n'er
outten my heart; an yo'r a kindly mon. sur,
ha weel gathered that, an I'll just tell yo' aw'
aboot t.
'You see, sur, yon lass, Nora; ha' knob her
sin we wor both wee bits children. I wor brotten
op wi her. Her an Mat an me- aw' taegithr.
We aw' coomed over here taegither. / wor
brotten op tae tn mimi. wor aw'mos' born i
o mine. ha' lived i mine mos days O my
life an I looks foard Z deein' in mine.
'Toimes wor, sur, an we crowd owl'r, as did
think ont to ha' her fur my wofe she wor awys
gentl an kline tae me, sweet an purity emo
tae DROVE man hotterin mad An / ha lo'ed
her, VII ev'ry drop O. tn blud my body an
heart; aw'ys lo'ed her; aw'ys will But I wor a
slow-goin', quiet dummon'd sort O. chap, an
meier much Z look t. an I had TIL feelin's she
wor far aw'y abo' me- But Mat, he wor q gey
winsom lad, clever an hanson, broight an Free
an Lsoon seed wheer tn lass had glen her lo'c
an t wor no fur me t gruege Nora nor my
frien' aw tn happiness tn wourld cou' gi' 'em,
an so meier ga ony sign
''Weel, sur tha' wor mated aw right an
toight b. tn parson' i tn ovid country an soon
coomed tn bad tonnes an half work, an strikes
an troobles sore. So we minded t. COON over
here, ,wher' we hearn tn work wor plenty an
tn wages big an golden. We coomed over,
aw' three o us, an quick we twa lads gat work
& pit looer doom an aw' things look'd varra
weel. Then there coomod here tn cut doons
an strikes ar shut-doons an aw' tn troobles we
had flied fra an i the strikin' an 'citements, an
.speechn, an meetins, an poverty, ontl croosts
O. bread wor loik tae loomps O. goold; then Mat
he wen wrong, thro' gettn tae TAX tn droop
too much, an fra tn bes' O. men when sober, he
wor tn worst o aw rampin' deeyils when
droonkin'
'Toimes did ma gatten no better an fra bad
tae woors, an fra woors tae woors'n, Mat wen
on. onti he worn't his'sep no ane our aw' tn
week. An tn poor lass, Nora, it worn't no
along O her, his carryn on. She wor thot kin,
an paint an helpful 3 e'ern angel on earth or
tn hevins. He druv her fra her house. mo-
once, nor twice, but tonne alter toime--a hun
red tonnes. He token the few pence she ha'
earned wi tn toll o. her poor weak body, q buy
tn hellsup he wor aw'ys hungrin after. She ha'
gone tae' her home, after n hard days out
washin', t fine aw she had i TIL woorld, an tn
few scant boody clothin' ceptin' wa she ha' on
her, toorn aw tier rags an troompd i tn mud.
~ fine tn bed she ha boten' wi her own hard
earn'd wage, an hal aw' ready fur her quick
coomin' lynn in; tae fine it aw mass O. cinder,
an he thot had loighted't, in his droonkin mad
uess, layin' stark an helpless on tn foour, with
out sens to- bless nor curse his aim VII"
"Neer hot woord fra outen her mou', neer
black look fra outen her cen e'er erased nor
angerd him; paint an soofrin', helpin' an
bearin she wen on; tn same loein', greevin'
heart thot naught eud alter.
He did strike her once--yes, sur, he did
strike her-I seed him dot wood a killed
him then an there. I cud "a done t. Their wor
money as wud q done 4, but we know'd thot
evry blow on him wor knife i her heart, an
we he'll our hans off him. But did TAX her
ava then, an none tao soon foun' her a
place wi n good, comfortable. motherly WILDLY
body an KEEP her in peace an slIoit until her
oaooy boy wor bornd. Then I hunted op Mat.
4 tn rum hol an stuck I, him an, not him 1,