Wichita eagle., 1888-12-16
MISS PAPA.

Every morning when the miners employed
in the mines as Berard assembled around the
shaft 20 answer 60 the roll call there could be
seen, arriving last Of all, q tall, sturdy look
ing fellow, who led by the hand a little girl
Z or years old They were Michel Pierron
and his daughter.
2 Before setting foot upon the platform Of
the car TO descend the man took the child In
his arms and kissed her, and then replaced her
On the ground The little one cried, Good
by, papaF"
When &c was upon the car she gazed at
him with two little anxious eyes, and re-
peated, "Good-by, papay'
When the signal for the descent was given
she clasped her hands and k-pt repeating the
single word papa" until she was sure that
papa could no longer hear her. Then she
went on 20 the school house close by, where
she spent the day.
When evening came she was always the
first at the opening Of the shaft, and Michel
Pierron was always the first man who came
up. As at his departure, he lifted the child
In his arms, and she threw her arms around
his neck, crying 'Papar'
The miners had heard her repeat these two
sytlables SO often, and had been 50 struck by
the strange passion which she put into them,
that they gave her the name Of Miss Papa
And certainly no name was ever more ep-
plicable. Her father was everything 70 her.
Her mother had been dead a long time; she
had scarcely known herr she had only him
All the memories of her childhood were filed
with him To her his great rough hands had
been as gentle as a womaus. For his hard,
grimy face had always worn a tender smile.
For her this man had become q woman and
child at the same time.
All how she loved her father, and how
terrified she was every morning when she
saw him descend into that great black hole,
Of which no one could See tie bottom
One day q miner held her over the mouth
Of the shaft, and she had gazed down into
the dark depths. Uttering a cry Of terror,
she drew back
Papa goes down there" she thought
sob, II he should never come upF'
And that day, when Michel took her in
ais arms as usual and kissed her, she clung
70 him:
You will come up, won't you?"
sol course, my little oner
''Is there any danger, tell me, papaF'
why no, little coward
A'oSS GLJ cifS-cet4 any CLle-Cle DOWN
thereF7
Have no fear" replied Michel, laughing;
81 will not die without letting you know
Ali good-by, papa"
All that her father said was gospel truth TO
ler, and she went 10 school completely reas-
sured.
But the memory Of that black gulf into
which her eyes had plunged could not be eff
faced, and from tat time she was afraid
every morning and trembled every evening;
she feared that her father would never re-
turn from those mysterious depths into
which she had seen him descend
Was it presentimentl Who knows7
One day the report suddenly spread that an
explosion had occurred IN the mine In q
moments time a crowd had gathered at the
shaft. From all directions people, wild with
terror, came focking to the spot. OF all
those buried far below there how many would
ever see the light again2
Michers daughter was at school She
knew nothing Of it, and, besides, if any one
had spoken OF il before her would she have
comprehendedf
Could she know, poor little one, what an
explosion was3 No. But &C her age ons
knows already what death is; one under
stands, at her age, when one sees inanimata>
,uutilated bodies extended upon the ground;
and the approaches TO the shaft were stre~n
with them when she arrived that evening to
meet her father.
She was stupefied for q moment and then
the truth suddenly flashed upon her; she had
seen those men 60 down living, those men
whom she knew well, who had kissed her
many time, and now they were brought up
dead Would they bring up her father Ike
themi
This thought distracted her. She began 70
run wildly among the debris. which they had
brought up from the mine, crying: "Papal
papal papa"
There were, IL IS true, many others who
cried and who called Papa but not one in
such despairing accents. The others they
drove back, but no one could De found TO
push her away. They let her run, poor child,
from one body 10 another, sometimes stopping
before disigured face, hesitating for mo
ment as if she feared she might recognize her
father.
No. he was not among the dead She grew
calmer, and sought among the living. He
was not there. She questioned every one.
but no one had seen him
morning forty-ive had come up alive; four
teen were dead There remained but one to
be accounted for; that one was Michel
She had made them explain al that to her,
and she understood She clapped her hands
joyously, as If they had said 10 her; lie IS
sIl right Yeu viii see him again Ali
how she hoped 10 see him Then she suddenly
reoollected the morning On which her father
hai said 70 her:
Il VIII not die without letting you knows
1t needed only that TO give her the Ger
tainty that he IS living.
\ chlla's faith Is strong. Il is not easy 70
drive out an idea which has once taken root
In their minis So, when the next morning
she had remained there 81 night-they
tried 70 make her understand that there was
no hope, that sac would never again see her
father; that they had explored all the gal
leries, searched every corner and had not
found him she shook her curly head and be-
gan 10 weep. saying: Seek for papa,7
They paid little attention 70 her. For forty
hours lad they not exhausted every mesnsi
There was doubtless something strange ia
this disappearance. Living or dead, Michel
ourht 70 have been found, and they had lot
found him
The chief engineer had himself directed
the search, but al in vain In the opinion OF
all nothing more could be done, and IL WIS
uossibIe that. by the force OF the explosion.
the unfortunate man had been buried by the
falling debris, and it was impossible 70 tel
where or how.
For forty-eight hours little Miss Papa
waited anxiously, but without manifestln-
the slightest uneasiness- AT every human
form which appeared ct the opening she
started forward and, not recognizing him
whom sha awaited she sank back UPON the