Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-05-04

Il
father had said TO her;
81 will not die without letting you
know"
A child's faith is strong. It is not
easy TO drive out an idea which has
once taken root in their minds. So,
when the next morning-she had
remained there all night-they tried to
make her understand that there was no
hope, that she would never see her
father. that they had explored all the
galleries. searched every corner and
could not find him, she shook her curly
head and began to weep, saying:
Seek for papar'
They paid little attention to her. For
forty hours had they not exhausted
every means? There was. doubtless,
something strange in this disappear
ance- Living or dead, Michel ought to
have been found, and they had not
found him. The chief engineer had
himself directed the search. but all in
vain. In the opinion OF all nothing
moro could be done, and it was possible
that. by the force of the explosion, the
unfortunate man had been buried by
the falling debris, and 1t was inn
possible TO tell where or how.
Whence comes to the weak and
feeble such strength in the great crisis
of life? Ask God; it is His secret.
The third day the child was still at
the shaft
81 must put an end to this" said the
chief engineer. approaching her.
Come, my little one, be reasonable
"PapaI Seek for papa"
'Alas! he is dead.
.Nom
She uttered this ''no" with such
energy that the engineer was struck by
it.
"Why do you say 'no?'n he asked.
HE would have told me-"
"Poor little oner murmured the en-
gIneer.
And he made sign to the men to
take her away. But she chung desper-
ately to him, crying:
Papa is not dead. want to go
down. viii find him!''
They bore her away and left her
with the school-teacher. An hour later
she was back at the shaft, and, cling
ing to the engineers knees, she kept
repeating:
Il want to go down! 1 will find
himT'
He was tender-hearted' man. that
engineer, and he took pity on her.
"After all, " he said to himself. ''that
will, perhaps, be the best thing.
When she has seen with her
own eyes, she will believe. This ex-
citement, if it lasts much longer, will
kill her."
And, taking her in his arms, he bore
her to the car and gave the signal to
descend.
She shuddered when she felt beneath
her that yawning pit from which arose
foul air which almost suffocated her.
The engineer felt her little arms in
close his neck, and her curly head was
pressed against his own.
When they reached the bottom she
disengaged herself, sprang to the
ground, and rushed straight forward,
calling:
''Paprl Papar'
The engineer, who could hardly keep
up with her, was tired of explaining 70
her twenty times what he had already
explained the explosion had TAX
en- place, where it had occurred, auC
what they had done to find the victims,
and the child kept questioning him and
repeated:
He is living! Seek for him!
She would have remained down
there in the mine three days, as she
had already done at the surface, i
they had not taken her by force and
carried her up.
The engineer gave orders that she
should be taken back to the school.
teacher, and also orders that IL she re-
appeared at the shaft she should b.
prevented from going into the mine
All his measures had been carefully
taken, and the next day, no Longer
thinking of her, he was inspecting one
! of the galleries when he found himself
siezed by the arm of his coat. 1t wa
Miss Papa.
She had escaped from the school Z
second time. Repulsed at the shaft
she had slipped into an empty coal cal
and had thus descended into the mine
She told all this to the engineer AM
obtained his pardon. Five minute
later she again began her search, still
full OF undiminished faith. The miners
followed her with plying eyes, shrug
ging their shoulders, saying:
Poor little Papal''
, Little Papa kept on seeking with una
! bated courage. Suddenly they saw he
, running toward them, pale and excited
, Down there!" she gasped. ''Dowl
I