The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-02-21
MISS PAPA.

Dh~S / Al y.
Every morning when the miners en-
ployed in the mines at Bernard assem-
bled around the shaft to answer the
roll-call, there could be seen arriving
last of all tall, sturdy-looking fellow,
who led by the hand little girl seven
or eight years old. They were Michel
Pierron and his daughter
Before setting foot upon the platform
of the car to descend the man took the
little child-in his arms and kissed her,
and then replaced heron the ground.
The little one cried: 'Good-by, papa. "
When the signal for the descent was
given she clasped her hands and kept
repeating the single word papa" un-
til she was sure that papa could no
longer hear her. Then she went on TO
the school house close by, where she
spent the day.
When the evening came she was al
ways first at the opening of the shaft,
and Michel Pierron was always the
first who came up. As at his departure,
he lifted the child in his arms, and she
threw her arms around his neck, cry
ing, papa.
The miners had heard her repeat
these two syllabIes so often, and hal
been so struck by the strange passion
which she put into them, that they
gave her the name of Miss Papa.
And certainly no name was more
applicable. Her father was everything
to her. Her mother had been dead a
long time; she had scarcely known
her; she had only him. All her MEM
ories of childhood were filed with him.
To her his great rough hands had been
as gentle us womans. For her, his
hard, grimy face had always worn a
tender smile. For her, this man had
become woman and Il child at the
same time.
ALI! how she loved her father, and
how terrified she WAS every morning
when she saw him descend into the
great black hole to which no one could
see the bottom.
One day miner held her over the
mouth of the shaft, and She gazed
down into the dark depths. Uttering
a cry of terror she drew back.
Papa goes down there, " she
Thought. ''Oh, if he should never come
up"
And that day, when Michel took her
in his arms as usual and kissed her,
she clung more tightly than ever TO
his neck, and said to him:
''You will come up, won't youP"
"Of course, my little one"
sis there any danger, tell me, pa
pap"
''Why, no. little coward"
Does any one--can any one-die
down thcre?"
Have no fear," replied Michel,
laughing; Il will not die without let.
ting yon know"
''Ah! Good-by, papa"
All that her father said was gospel
truth to her. and she went 10 school
completely reassured.
But the memory of that black gulf
into which.her eyes had plunged could
not be effaced, and from that time she
was afraid every morning and trem-
bled every evening; she feared her
father would.never return from those
mysterious depths into which she had
seen him descend.
Was it presentiment? Who knowse
One day the report suddenly spread
that an explosion had occurred in the
mine. In moment's. time a crowd
had gathered at the shaft. From all
directions people, wild with terror,
came tlocking to the spot. OF all
those buried far below there how many
would ever see the light again?
Michers daughter was at school.
She knew nothing of it, and besides if
any one had spoken of it before her
would she have comprehended?
Could she know, poor little one,
what an explosion was? No. But at
her age one knows already what death
is; one understands at her age when
one sees inanimate, mutilated bodies
eXtenued upon the ground, and the APP
proaches to the shaft were strewH with
them when she arrived that evening to
meet her father
She was stupified for a moment, and
then the truth suddenly flashed upon
her; she had seen those men go down
living, those men whom she knew So
well, who had kissed her many a time:
aud. now they were brought up dead.
Would they bring up her father like
them?
This thought distracted her. She
began to run wildly among the debris,
which they had brought up from the
mine, crying: Papa! Papa! Papa!'
There were, it is true, many Others
who cried and called ''Papar' but not
one in such despairing accents. The
others they drove back. but no one
could be found to push her away.
They let her run, poor child, from one
body to another, sometimes stopping
before disfi9ured face, hcsitating fol
a moment as if she feared she might
recognize her father.
No, he was not among the dead
She grew calmcr and sought among
the living. He was not there. She
questioned everyone, but no one had
seen him.
OF. the sixty miners who went down
in the morning forty-live had come uE
alive; fourteen were dead. There re-
manned but one to be accounted for
that one was Michel.
She had made them explain all thai
to her, and she understood. ShC
clapped her hands joyously, us if they
had said to her: ''Hc is all right. Yot
will see him again" All! how sht
hoped to see him. Then she suddenly
recollectcd the morning on which hel
father had said to her:
Il will not die without letting yOr
! know
1t needed only that to give her til,
certainty that he WAS living.
A child's faith is strong. 1t is no
easy TO drive out an ihea which ha!
once taken root in its mind. So. whel
the next morning-shc had remained
there all night-they tried to max,
| bap undapstauu thot thnl.a NVnS mn hona
that she would never again see hel
father, that they had explored all tin
| galleries, searched every corner ant
had not found him, she shook hel
bead and began to weep, saying
"Seek for papa!"
They paid little attention to her