The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-09-04

the force of the explosion, the unfortu-
nate man had been buried by the fall
ing debris, and it was impossible to tell
where or how.
For forty-eight hours little Miss Papa
waited anxiously, but without manifest
ing the slightest uneasiness. AT every
human form which appeared at the
opening she started forward, and, not
recognizing him whom she awaited, she
sank back upon the ground with deep
sigh. They tried to take her away, and
she uttered such piercing cries that
they considered it best to leave her
there. They thought that she must
soon yield to fatigue.
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.
" l must put an end to this" said
the chief engineer approaching her.
"Come, my little one, be reasonable"
i" Papal seek for papaP
Your papa is dead"
"No."
She uttered this "no p" with such en-
ergy that the engineer was struck by it,
"Why do you say no. ?'' he asked.
"He would have told me-"
Z" Poor little one," murmured the
engineer.
And he made a sign to the men to
take her away. But she chung desper-
ately to him, crying:
=" Papa is not dead. l want to go
down. l will find himl"
They bore her away and left her with
In unhn nl- A lotn hn
was back at the shaft, and, cinging to
the engineers knees, she kept repeat
ing: :,
him!'
He was a tender-hearted man, that
engineer, and he took pity on her.
After ALL" he said to himself,
ct that will, perhaps, be the best thing.
When she has seen with her own eyes
she will believe. This excitement, if it
lasts much longer, will kill her."
And, taking her in his arms, he bore
her to the cage 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
"Papap "Papa!"
The engineer, who could hardly keep
up with her, was tired of explaining to
her twenty times what he had already
explained how the explosion had
taken place, where it had occurred, and
what they had done to find the victims;
and the child kept questioning him, and
repeating
" He is living! Seek for himl'
She would have remained down there
in the mine three days, as she had al
ready done at the surface, if 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 if she re-
appeared at the shaft she should be
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 felt himself
seized by the arm of his coat. 1t was
Miss Papa.
She had escaped from the school
second time. Repulsed at the shaft, she
had slipped into an empty coal car and
had thus descended into the mine.
She told this to the engineer and OBJ
tanned his pardon. Five minutes later
she again began the search, still full of
undiminished faith. The miners fol-
lowed her with plying eyes, struggling
their shoulders, saying:
Poor little Papap'
Little Papa kept on seeking with I'M
abated courage. Suddenly they saw her
running toward them, pale and excited
"Down there!" she gasped. "Down
there! Papa"
"What? Down there?" said the
miner.
His blouser'
bah! Where?"
down there!"
In moment every one had heard
the news and the mine was in tumult.
The child declared that she had seen a
piece of blue cloth in hole, which she
could not raise, because it was held
down by an enormous block of coal.
Where?" they asked her again.
She turned, followed by the crowd of
miners. Then she stopped and hest
tated.
She could not find the spot. All the
blocks of coal resembled each other; all
the cavities were alike; all the galleries
were the same. And yet she was sure
she had seen that piece of blue cloth.
Where the blouse was the man must be,
living, no doubt, and that man was her
father, and she could not find him!
One by one, tired of the useless
search, persuaded that the poor girl
was crazed by grief, the men withdrew
and returned to their work. But they
had hardly taken up their pickaxes when
loud cry recalled them to the child.
have found it! | have found it,! ~
They pushed her aside and looked.
Yes, it was piece of blue flannel. 1t
was a blouse! There was a man there {!
They set to work with will, and, in
the twinkling of an eye, the wall was