Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-04-25

HIS FIRST THOUSAND.
Saving q Child's Life Gave Him His Sta
In Life.

in Life.
''Do l remember the first thousand
dollars ever earned?" echoed Harry
Westfall, 4 wealthy resident of Colo
RADIO, in answer to rather lead
ing question from the writer. "Well,
rather. was a young lad at the time,
and the only child of the poorest
family in a coal-miniug town in Penn,
sylvania.
'one day, while engaged in picking
slate, heard a big commotion at the
top of the mine. The men were very
much excited, and the owner. who was
the richest and most devout church
man in town, was wringing his
to do something. Running up
learned that the men had fred
fuse attached to an extra large cart
ridge, and had just come from the mine
when they discovered that they had left
the pretty little daughter of the owner
behind. She had gone down with her
father,and while the latter came up for
an errand had wandered away. The
cartridge had not yet exploded, as the
fuse had purposely been made long to
enable the men to get up.
1.-The father, as you may imagine, was
agonized. He offered Thousand dol
lars to anyone who would go down
bfter the little one. But no one would
stir. All had families OF their own
except. of course, myseIf-and would
not run the risk Of death. This sum
was a fortune to me, especially
as my father was, from sickness, unable
to work. jumping in the car, l called
to be let down, and amid the cheers of
the men 1 descended. Each moment
had death in it for me unless the fuse
was longer than was thought. But I
tried not to think of it, and when l
reached the bottom the child was play
ing at the mouth of the shaft. grabbed
her, put her on the car and gave the
signal to he hoisted up; but the car did
not move. l repeated the signal, but
still without avail. In agony of fear I
jerl1ed it again, and the car still re-
manned at the bottom. I bade the little
girl stay where she was, and then l ran
into the new drift where the explosion
was to take place.
"A spark revealed the wherea bounts
Of the fuse. The fuse was still an inch
long, and ! took hold of it and pulled
it out. tried to cheer, but had tainted
instead. When came to ] was on top
of the ground, taken there by the men
| who, in answer to my last signal-they
had not received the other two-had
| raised the little girl and then came
down after me.
''Well, the next day the father
| thanked me, but said nothing about
the thousand dollars. The men ad.
| vised me to ask for it. l refused. Then
some of them asked for me, and the
owner told them they were mistaken;
he had offered nothing. SO mad were
they that they threatened to throw
him down the mine, but they desisted
| at my request A few wceka later l
| was discharged, proba bly, because 1 was
| an eyesore to the owner. My father
| having in the meantime recovered, I
went and soon secured fair position.
conc day, about fifteen years after
| this event, charming young lady drove
| up in her carriage and, coming in. called
| for me. She did not at first give her
name. but asked me if I would do her a
| favor. OF course I said yes. She then
| told me it was she whom I had saved;
that her father had died short time
| before, and that in looking over his pa
| pcrs she had found letter of some OF
| the men to him, upbraiding him for not
paying me one thousand dollars. This
| was the first time She had heard of the
| obligatio and Sh had Immediately set
| out to find me. AS she said this she
handed me a check for fifteen hundred
dollars, being, she explained, the inter-
est. I was about to refuse to accept the
| check. but She reminded me that had
promised to do her a favor. and so
| must keep my word. SO l took it. with
her card. and she lett. What became Of
her~ Well. six months later she became
my wife. Labor Tribune.