Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-04-07
THElIINER'SDAUGHTER


ENDTN LLNAnAUZ MAAE4 --AN
Moved in the mines at Berard assembled
around the shaft TO answer to the roll CALL
there could be seen, arriving last OF all
tall. sturdy looking fellow, who led oy
the hand q little girl seven or eight years
old. They we're Michel PierrOn and bis
daughter.
Before setting foot upon the platform
of tia car 70 descend the man took the
child in his arms and kissed her, and then
replaced her on TIE ground. The little one
cried: GOOD bge, paPS.
When he was upon the car she gazed at
him with two little anxious eyes, and re-
peated. Coed bye, papa.'
When the sigas, for the descent was
given She clasped her hands and kept re-
heating he single word papa until she
was sure that papa could no longer hear
her. Then She went on TO the school
house clcss by, where she spent the DAY.
When evening came she wS5 always the
first at the opening OF the shaft, and Michel
pieuon was 81 ways the FIST man who came
nm Az ut bis departure, Re lifted the child
in his arms. and she threw her arms around
his neck. crying Papa.
The miners had heard her repeat these
two evuabies so often, and had been SO
struck bv the strange passion when enc
mt into them, tha- they gave her the name
OF Miss Papa.
And certainly go name was ever more
aDnlicabIe Her Etcer was everything 70
her. Her mother Bad oeen dead SO long a
time sbe had scarcely known her, she bad
only him. All the memories o. her chit1-
hood were fI,d with him. To her MS
great ROUGH bands lad been az gentle SO
Eous1's Tor ler bis bard, grimy lace
alwavs wore tender smile. For her tbs
nan had h.coue e woman and child 81 the
same sine
AN how she loved her father, and cow
terrified she wa5 every morning when she
saw hi,a descend into the great black noIe'
Of which no one could see the bottom.
Oos dav a miner held her over the mouth
of The shaft. ard sire had gszed down INTO
the dark depths Uttering cry OF terror
she drew bsck.
,sPsn, GOES down there, she thought.
nOb. # hssrolid never come mp.
And thar day. when NJ chel took her 10
his arms as usual and ki. sed Eer, she clung
more tightly than ever TO his neck aud
said to him:
you will come up, won't You:
'Of course, my lit.le one.
"Is there any danger &c "a me, papa
''Why no, little coward.
eDass any one-ca2 any one-die down
there
inc ~ viii no. die without letting yon
know
"Ab, Goodbye, papa"
All that her father said was gospel truth
TO her. snd she went TO school completely
resssured.
But the memory Of that black glh into
which her ewes had plunged could not be
eface7. and from that time che was afraid
every morning and tremSled every even
inc. she feared that her iatcer would never
return from those MYSTERIOUS depths into
whicl ahe had seen him desca d.
Was n a pressntiments Who knows
ore CAV the report suddenly spread that
an explosion had occurred IN tho NIUE. In
moments time q crowd had gathered at
the shaft. Fcom all directions the people,
wild with terror. came lockiDg to the spot.
OF ell those buried far below how many
would see the ligLt again
Nichers daughter was at scnocL on9
knew nothi-g Of il, ana, besides, II any
one had spoken of IL before her Wonlo sne
have coupr hendsdt
Could she know, poor little one, what
an explosion W0st No. But 30 ner age
one knows already what death u.s. one IN
ders.ands, 40 her age, when one sees mani
mate. nutiated bodies extended upon the
ground. ana the approaches to the shalt
we're strewn with them when she arrived
that evening 90 meet her father.
She was stupefe5 Tor q moment, aud
then The truth suddenly 1lsAed upon her;
she had seen those men 20 down living
those men wfom she knew well, who had
kissed her mcuy time; and now they
were brought up dead. Would they bring
M Eer fthtr ike them?
This Thought distracted her she began
to run wildly among The debris which they
had brought ZIP from the mine, crying
"Papa papa. Plpai
There were. 10 is true many others who
cried end called Papa but not one IN
sues desperate accents. The Others they
drove back, but no one could be found TO
prsb her sGsv They let he- run, poor
child. from one body to another, sometimes
stopping before d,sigured face, nesitaung
for moment. as IL she teared that she
might recognize her father.
SO. he vas not smoUg The dead. She
grew calmer, and sought among the living.
Heyyas not there She questioned every
one. but no one had seen him.
OF the sixty miners who went down IN
the morning. fortv-dve had come up alive
fourteen we're dead. There remained but
one To De accounted for, that one was
Michel
She had made them explain all that to
her. and she understood She Clapped hsI
hands ioyously. as D. they had SAID % her
"He sll right You viii se5 him again.
All, how she hoped % sea him. Then she
suddenly rscl,lctei the morning 90 which
her hther bad ssid 90 -er.
81 Will 10. die without letting you
know
A chud's faith is strong. Itis not easy
To drive out an idel which has once taker
root m tleir minds. So, when the mex
ularpire- she tad remained there all might
-thev tried 70 make her understand tha
there was no hope, that she would neyei
see her father, that they had explored ell
the galleries, searched every corner sid
could rot find him, she shook her curly
head ond began weep. saying. Seek toi
papa
They paid lt.le attention 20 her. Fo'
forty bours ned they not exhausted every
means There wss. doubtless, something
strange In ,ae disappearance. Living on
de,d. Michel ouuht 10 have been t0urd
and they had not found him.
The chief engineer had himself directed
the search. but sli ia vain. In the opinion
of all nothing more could Toe done, and d
was possible cha. by tire force 0t the eN
explo.ion. the unfortunate man had beer
buried bv the falling debris, ana .t wa.
~ .-f...-, .r hon