The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-03-18

no better at the bottom than / am. He's
got the devil of a temper, and he don't
love you half as well as do"
l might ha' said more, but the door
opened sharply and some one spoke from
the threshold. 1t was Mr.. Henderson.
What is this" he asked, just as If he
was boss of the place. what does this
mean?" And he looked from Margaret to
me, and from me TO Margaret.
at means you've come back sooner
than we expected you, ana sooner than
you was wanted ! said.
Him, at least, l could anger. and l
meant to do it.
"Not quite so soon as / was wanted, l
should say" he said, as he walked across
to where Margaret stood; "but, now l
have come, I'll trouble you to go and
make this tipsy row in q more suitable
place"
'Then you'll trouble me to no purpose"
l made answer. I'm no more tipsy than
you are yourself, and there's no man nv
ing shall order me out of this ROOM"
Then if you won't go for asking
civily," he went on, II shall 90 so far as
to turn you out. / don't allow any one to
speak to the girl who has promised to be
my wife in the tone you have spoken.
There's the door, and the quicker you are
Oh Ille OiDeT sue Vi IL TIC DtblcT iOI YOU.
Now, don't want to throw the blame
on him, at least, not all of it. We hated
one another, and he had bested me in the
one thing l wanted most in the world. 1t
seems to me there'd be deal 10 say of
how things stood at that minute betwixt
him and me, if | had larnin' to put it in
ship-shape, which | haven't.
Meg did not speak. She stood with
her eyes on the ground and her bosom
heavin'. | could see she was unhappy,
and all because o me; but / hadn't the
right to comfort her, and / knew she
couldn't take my part nor do anything for
me ii l stayed there, yet i couldn't de-
mean myself TO do his biddin', not even
for her sake.
When he'd waited minute he said:
"Well, do you hear?"
II heard right enough" land II you
want my answer, there IL Is.
sprang at him as | spoke, with my fist
doubled and my arm raised.
Now if any one had ever told me that /
could have been such brute in front OF
my little Margaret, L should have swore
it was impossible; but at that moment all
| wanted was TO strike him down and to
zee her crying for fright. He wasn't pre-
| pared, neither-even he thought better
things of me-and | could give have him
a blow on the head that would have half
killed him, only she was too quick for me.
She put herself between us, holdin' him
back with one hand, while she laid the
other on my uplifted arm, and still she
did't speak. She only looked at me. Her
face was as pale as death, her lips trem-
bled, and her eyes were swimming with
tears as she fixed them on mine. 1t was
such a look as might have tanned a wild
beast.
"Amosw she said, in a faint, far-of sort
! Of tone, Amos"
That was all; then down went my arm,
my fist unclinched, and / forgot that he
could see was conquered, forgot every
thing except that loved her, and that in
| the depths OF her eyes i could see she
cared for me still, though she wasn't to be
my wife. l tried to say something, but
when l opened my lips nothin' came but
great sob. Then ] turned round and
went out OF the room, and out OF the
house, and away out OF Cannock altogether.
! / wasn't gon' TO stay there and see Mar
garet Kerr the wife OF Mr. Henderson.
After that l went right away up North,
and got work ut Wigan colliery. heard
nothing OF any one, for | called myself by
another name, and took good care not 10
let any one know what had become OF me.
Sometimes, though, had bitter longing
TO 90 back and see her once again, for
couldn't leave off lovin' her, nor put any
one in the place I'd wanted her 10 take
but got the better of my home-sickness,
and time went on, till IL was a matter o.
seven ear since I'd turned my back on
| Cannock.
Then ono day / was took greatly abaclS
| by some one as capped me on the back
| and BALLAD Vpn hxF FnN IL tga
one OF my old mates from the West CAM
pits, and the sight OF him made mo all OF
| sudden hungrier for news OF her than ever
| I'd been.
"Come and have arr pint for the sake
OF old times. Amos" says he, and you may
think If went nothing 10th.
| He hadn't come straight from Cannock I;
he'd been knockin' about from one pit 20
another for n couple OF years. Neverthe-
less, he'd plenty TO tell mo, and let him
90 on without venturin' TO try and get
him 10 what my ears were burnin' 10 hear.
"And then there was that little lass
you'd used TO walk with on Sunday even
ings," he said ut last cher as lived at the
Cross Keys on tho Stafford road. You
amt forgot her among the Lancashire
wenches, nave youT
al warn't likely 10 have forgot her."
said I'VE were kinsiolk."
"Then most likely, you know what be-
come Of herr" he said.
81 knows nothink WHATEVER" i an
swered; and tipped up my mug over my
face, 80 that he shouldn't SEQ il l turned
color.
"Well, you remember young Honder-
son." he went on. "a nasty sort OF chap, in
the West Can'k pit? Well, him and her
! got married, and there was deal o. talk
about the marriage. Some folks said he
oughter done better for hisself."
'fwas 'tother way about, should say"
put in.
$50 should J." he made answer; "but
his family thought otherwise. They
| wouldn't have nothink 10 do with the lass,
nor with him. That ried him sorely, and
as she was nearest to him, she had to bear
| the brunt of it,"
"She was q high-spirited lass" ] said ;
"she wasn't one he could bully. j expect
che learned him better, didn't she?"
''She didn't, my lad. 1t seems she was
greatly wrapped up in him, and when he
began TO be- unkind to her and neglect her
she couldn't bear it. She couldn't bear
il ! il broke her heart"
"What do YOU meant" / called out.
could scarce keep my head.
81 mean she pinned away and died." he
said "If you'd stuck to her she might
ha' been Twin STILL"