Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-12-11

| Still she hesitated, but yielded finally. We
pushed out the boat together, and 1 pulled
out On to the dead calm sea. How pleasant
1t was there, with the sun pouring its golden
beams upon us, and the water smiling around
and gently tapping the boats side! Annie
took off her gloves and trailed her fingers in
the water; then she leaned over and looked
down into the emerald depths below, while
my eyes again swept the prospect inland.
Everything was distinguishable from the
sea, the Iow-lying fats stretching black and
desolate beneath the warm summer sky-the
village, which, from my present point Of
vantage, seemed but handful of houses
thrown in a hollow, just beyond the cottage
where destiny had placed me. I also per-
ceived now that there were numerous other
cottages scattered about the morass, and
finally, that there was one large turreted
mansion rising up from belt Of greenwood.
What house is that?' | asked.
''That? On, that is the masters house."
| s"The master?'
Eyes; Mr.. Redruth the master Of the mine.
Besides that" she added, 'he's the master %
the whole place"
Does he live there?"
"Yes; good part OF the year."
| ANYBODY else"'
| 1.-THE mistress"
'Thats alp"
"Yes; except at holiday times, when the
! Young master comes home from school He's
| home flOID."
Having suspicion in my mind asked
| her what the young master was like, and she
gave me an accurate description of the boy
had encountered a few hours before. [ said
nothing just then of my adventure; and, aft
er this, we fell to dreaming again. annie
Il IT, ,,1I,o II
the shore, past which we were lazily irift-
ing. Suddenly my eye was attracte Il to a
huge black mass, which rose like an o,ninous
shadow between me and the horizon ! ask
ed Annie what it was and she replied:
1.-THE miner
To her the word had a world of meaning;
to me it had none. 1t simply awakened in
me keen desire for knowledge, Which i'm
mediately wanted to crafty.
THE miner / said. Il ne yer thought
about the mine before, or we might have
gone to see it. Well pull in and go now;
shall we?''
To my amazement, she half rose from her
seat, and put out her hands, as If to stop me.
mo, mop she cried, 1--WE won't go there
| not to the miner
Her face was white, and she was trembling,
though she was wrapt in the suns rays as in
a warm mantle of gold.
whats the matter, Annie?' asked. "Are
you afrad?'
yes" she said, II am afraid of it, be-
cause know it is cruel. 1t Is like great
black mouth; 1t seems to ask you to come
down, and then 1t brushes you and you die.
1 have seen strong men like my father go
J down into it happy and laughing, and then
sfterward / have seen them brought up dead,
all 30 black and changed and dreadful. Oh,
| don't talk about it, L can't bear itI'
She shivered again, and covered her eyes
with her trembling hand, as II to shut out
| the sight
During this conversation, had been pull
ing steadily onward, so that the boat was
now opposite the cliff surmounted by the
mine. l turned the boats bow shoreward;
then, after stroke or two l rested on my
oars and looked up.
We were now right below the cliff, and the
view from our point of vantage was strange
| indeed
On the very summit Of the crags | saw the
mining apparatus oyerhanging the sea. First
!, chimney, smoking loftily at the top; then
I another smoking less loftily halfway down:
J then, lower down. almost close to the sea In
! fact, third smoking chimney, connected
with what appeared to me to be a small min
| ing office. On one side of the cliff tall lad
derS were placed, to enable the miners to
ascend from, and descend to, the store; and
| he must have sure foot and strong hand
| who could comfortably tread those ladders,
round by round, the sea roaring under him,
and almost finging its spray after him as he
went higher and higher. Taking in the
whole external apparatus in one view, chains
| and pulleyS, chmneyS and cottages, posts
and winding machines, seemed to be scatter
| ed over the whole face Of the cliff, like the
! spreading lines of an immense spiders web,
| while III some parts mules and their riders
| were tTOtting up and down rocky track
| where the pedestrian visitor would scarcely
| have dared to tread
! l turned giddy, even at sight of it. L rub
bed ny eyes and looked again at my cousin.
Her trembling agitation had passed off,
| and she was looking at me.
sit was silly of me to talk like that" she
said; ''but | can't help it. Sometimes, when
| / think O them poor men that have been
| brought up, and remember that fAsher is
| there, 1t a most makes me SCream!'
But there's no danger" | said, ''nO10"
There's always dangerp' she returned.
tom Penruddock said so, and l told father,
| but he only laughed. All, but I've seen 9TH
ers laugh too-them as is lying now in the
churchyard!'
This conversation, sad as it was, had its
| fascination for me. 1t made me want to
know more about the mystery Of the mine.
| What saw. indeed was not the mine itself
but only its outer machinery. The main
| shaft Annie told me- opened down into the
solid earth from the body of the cliff, and
was covered by a trap-door, from which dizzy
ladders led down into the subteuanean dark
| ness.