The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-07-01

SAM cerely attached to
me, and | have
profound interest in them and their sim
pie lives Yes, expect | shall always live
near the mines and keep an eye on them
Il do not believe that the owner of large
property interests should absent himself
from them and leave affairs in the hands
of subordinates.
The girl turned her beautiful, insolent
face toward the row of miners cottages
which dotted the hillsides above them, and
after staring through her gold trimmed
lorgnette at the tiny habitations mo-
ment, dropped it and said contemptuously:
"Fancyf'
The two walked on in silence Tom Mid
dleton was too hurt to speak. This was not
the first alteration he had had with his
fancee Miss Violet Vancouver ON this
subject. Both were positive in their opin-
ions Each regarded the question from
standpoints as opposite as the two poles
Tom felt hopeless sort of rage as he
glanced from under his eyelids at the fair,
proud, contemptuous face under the big
white parasol at his side
And as they walked, a vague idea, which
of late had puzzled him more than once,
crept again i'm his mind. Could they-as
far apart in their convictions and opinions
as two planets-could they ever be happy
together? He tried to fancy himself mar
ried to Violet. He saw her up at his beau
tiful house on the hill yonder-a queen in
her drawing room But when he tried to
fancy her going about from cottage to cot
tage, looking after the sick and feeble ten
ants-when he attempted for one moment
to imagine Violet as ministering angel,
he smiled cynically.. Miss Vancouver re-
garded him coldly:
81 am charmed that you amuse your
self" she said
81 was wondering what you would do in
case of an explosion in the mines," said
Tom, with surprising candor.
The carriage which they had left for
their walk was approaching Violet put
up her hand, dainty in it's soft suede glove,
and signaled the coachman. II am going
back to the house." she said haughtily.
Don't trouble yourself to come with me.
No doubt you are needed down Mt the
Mines" and before Tom could recover
from this sudden sally Violet had beaten
mastery retreat.
Miss Vancouver was thorough Anglo
maniac. Tom Middleton, to whom she
had been betrothed for six months, was
on the contrary typical American, be-
lieving in his country, its customs, laws
dutl he Tie IlStl HIS own lucas Oil UIl6 Tt
lations between capital and labor, and be-
ieved that every employer could individu-
ally do much to lessen the antipathy be-
tween the classes. Therefore he preferred
to manage the Spitfire iron mines, of
which he was part owner, to trusting af-.
fairs to another and idling his time away
in the customary pursuits of young men
of wealth.
His firmness on this point had veXed and
annoyed Miss Vancouver beyond descrip-
ton. Repeatedly had she urged Tom to
delegate his duties to an overseer, come to
the city where she lived and lead "the life
of gentleman" as she was pleased to
put it. But Middleton was eXasperatingly
stubborn and refused to leave the mines.
Violet and her mother had been visiting
the Middletons through the lovely month
of June, and Tom had made one more
futile attempt to interest her in his aims
and his life, but without avail. Violet
drove back to the house this morning to
sulk in stately fashion, while Tom walked
slowly down to his Office at the mouth of
the mine, his hands in his pockets, his
eyes upon the ground, thinking.
He was still thinking as he entered the
office-thinking of that inlexible little
blond head, turned SO haughtily away
from him as it vanished from his sight
Possibly it was because he was thinking
of Violet's stiff neck and defiant back hair
that he suddenly noticed another head
bent over the big ledger on the tall desk.
1t was quite as shapely as his fiancee's.
The hair was a deep bronze, and grew
close to the temples, rippled just over the
ears and was bobbed up at the back to
show "A very white, soft, plant looking
neck Tom looked at that neck thought
fully 1t wasn't bit stiff. 1t had a de-
ightfully womanly and yielding appear
ance, and the hair above it was soft and
silky and seemed not to have a too disa-
greeable will of its own. The owner of
this neck and back hair lifted her head
and turned her face as she heard Middle
toms step. A light leaped into the gray
eyes and smile parted the sensitive lips.
Good morning, Mr.. Middleton"
Somehow the daily salutation from his
pretty bookkeeper had never before fallen
quite so musically ON Toms hearing. The
gentle voice rested him, for Violet's con-
temptuous accents had tired him woefully.
GOOD morning, Miss Clayton" he said.
Amy newsa"
arbere was a delegation from the men
here this morning" Miss Clayton answered.
''There were Smithson, Jenkins Preston
and that terrible beast Jim Bowling, who
was intoxicated and ugly"
what did they want? asked Middle
ton carelessly, preparing to open his mail
'They seemed very excited, almost
angry" replied Miss Clayton and said
they should return about noon and hoped
you would be here"
Middleton made no answer, but was soon
absorbed in his correspondence. No sound
was heard but the scratch or Miss Clay
toms pen and the rustling of papers, until
ponderous bell above the office sounded
twelve strokes. Then there came a bang
on the Office door. and presently the dele