The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1890-05-08

10 puy,
He was gone, but, nevertheless, ! was
haunted by those solemn, pleading, visit
full eyes--eyes in which the glad light of
happy childhood had never lurked; eyes
which looked out upon life Swallowed by
the wing of poverty aud hopeless misery,
"You may remember, sir" began his
mother, ''the great strike of the miners
in this region in the year 1SS-. Sandy,
my husband, was agin it, sir, from the
first. Well SIR" she continued, "the
men had been idle for months, but still
they chung to the hope that by holdin'
out their future would be bettered. 1t
was bitter cold, and Sandy had gone ont
to get the trust of pail of coal. He
was very white, sir, when he came back,
and there was that in his eye which
made me shudder.
I" Why, Sandy cried, my man,
why do you look 500
"For answer he pointed to the empty
pail.
"'They would gle me name, says he,
slow.like and husky. They will nae
trust us more.
"'And Why l asked, all of trem-
bic.
"'They mean to turn us out Of the
house Tomorrow he answered, bitterly.
New men, my lass, are coomin' to take
our places at lower wages the day.
"'But the BARN, our sick BARN. ]
cried. SHE has been cryin for sup of
broth since early mornin'. She is dyin,
,Sandy-dyin' for the lack of nourish-
ment.'
"Sandy groaned. He was a big,
brawny man, sir, willin' to work, and he
well-nigh worshiped the little one which
lay there moanin' and cryin' for the
broth which he couldn't give her.
"'Yc maun get II chicken, Sandy,
cried granny 'try it, mon. The darlin'
is starvin'; can We no see!'
"'A chicken cried Sandy, with a
bitter laugh. 'Ye maun as well ask me
for the keys of heaven, granny. They
would nae gle me the trust of a pail of
coal the morn. A chicken. They would
call me mad an should ask for it
madp
"Well, SIR" continued the woman,
after painful pause, "the next day was
cold and raw. Afine, drlzzling rain set
in, which froze as it fell. The little one
was worse. She lay quite still now and
moaned no more.
"'They will not turn us out in this
storm, Sandy, with sick BARN, l said;
'they can never be so cruel as that
"'The new men must have homes, he
answered, despairing like.
"Just then came knock at the door,
Granny looked cut the window, then
turned with white face and set lips and
grasped Sandy by the arm.
"'Be mon, she said, in a low, deep
voice, sbe mon, Sandy, and Dina let
them turn us out this awful day. Think
O. your dyin' BARN and be mon.'
''Sandy SHOOT; in every limb, but an
swered not a word. There was louder
rap now at the door. Granny wrung her
hands in agony, for just then from the
bed came low moan.
I" Broth, cried the BARN; granny,
BROTH
"'Open the door, Sandy, said gran
ny; open the door, and, taking the lit
tie one in her arms, she stood like fig
| ure turned to stone in the middle of the
| floor.
"Jemmy, hardly more than babe,
| chung weeping to my skirts, and as
knelt in prayer by the fireless stove, ask
ing aid from One greater and richer than
the owners of the coal mines.
"There was silence for moment when
the door was opened, then one of the
men laughed.
i" Come, he said, make ready to be
out of this by noon. You had orders
yesterday, Sandy, and we mean to en-
force EN-
g But the BARN is near to dying, an
swered Sandy, choking like, and sure
you will not turn us out in the storms
"'Well, if the brat be near dying,
said an officer, brutally, she may as well
die outside as in
''Then," continued the woman, shield
ing her eyes with one hand, II heard a
growl as like from wild beast, then a
cry of mortal agony, and then"
Her voice broke and she half arose
from her chair and looked with fixed,
stony gaze straight before her.
"And them" I queried, after a pain
full pause.
'And then" she resumed, with white
| lips, "the man who had uttered that cruel
speech flung up his arms, swayed to and
fro and fell at Sandy's feet without life
or motion. Then the rest sprang upon
Sandy, who stood there dazed and
horror stricken, white as the dead man
at his feet.
81 did nae mean to kill him. he
said, solemnly, with uplifted had; God
above knows l did nae mean to kill
him. But the BARN is the light O. my
eyes, and if any OF ye be fathers, We maun
know h1w-how-'
"He could say no more, sir, for the
tears which choked him; tears wrung
from his great noble heart--a heart as
tender as woman's.
"'Come, said the dead mans friends,
savagely, come. We don't want any
more of your whining. You'll get {
halter for this days work, never fear
GA halter!" exclaimed granny, dazed
like-'a halter for my Sandyp
"Then she looked at the dead mans
face and laughed, such horrid laugh
sir, that it curdled the blood in ou
, veins.
"The child no longer moaned, but lay
, quiet within her arms. Sandy shook of
the hands which held him and stopped tc
kiss the BARN.
"'She's dead, he said, quietly; I'm,
Jenny, our pretty barn, is dead;' and
without another word turned and wen
out of the door, never to enter it again.
"Surely," l stammered, she was not
not
could not bring myself to utter tn
horrible word.
''No, sir" said she, quietly; ''but h
was sent to prison for life"
"And you and the boy and granny"
J inquired, ''what did you do9"
.-T.t