Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-05-06
A MINERS STORY.

are dead and gone
All the same, l've never been able to make
up my mind as to whether one man I've
known was hero or not. May be Pm a
heavy kind o. chap, and things don't strike
me so clear as they do others; but if | tell
you the story just as it happened, you can
put what reading you like on it.
Pm a miner down Staffordshire way,
have been miner all my life, and reckon
Pm likely to stick to the pick till some ex-
plosion comes along and makes an end of
me-
worked with gang in the Nine Pits
colliery about fifteen years back, and there
was one man there who hailed from South
Wales as got pretty friendly with.
I've called him a man." but | don't
know if the title comes right. He was
more like stunted boy than man, and
more like some sort Of queer animal than
either. He was dwarf. He had a mon
strous large head and shoulders, and pair
of little, bowed, twisty legs no bigger than
a child's Of nine years old.
His back was crooked; he had lot Of
hair on his face, as those Welshmen have,
and his eyes had look in them as ! never
could get to the bottom of-they were deep
set in his head, as black and as bright as a
bit Of silkstone, and sometimes there would
come cloud into them and dull them, and
he would stare out before him as stupid as
If he was tranced; it was a sad look, too as
well as dull, and never could make out
what he was thinking Of then.
I've said we were pretty friendly, but l
don't know as was anything more than
civil to him. | have always been cautious
with them dwarfs, for though he seemed
gentle enough, had heard they could be
spiteful and vicious if you. crossed them in
any way He was clever, as they often are,
and could speak English as well as any of
u.s. He had been two years and more at
the Nine Pits, and he brought some money
with him when he came, for he had a cot
tage of his own and tidy piece Of garden,
which was above what the rest Of us had
You might think that, being so mis-
shapen and little, he wasn't much good in
a coal mine; but can tell you there wasn't
man of six feet among us stronger than
he was. To have seen him swing his pick
would have made you hold your breath; he
went at the work like steam, and he could
walk, you see, down some of the narrow,
low galleries, where chaps like me would
have to crawl.
lived along with my father and sister
then. We were precious poor, and father
used to say he hoped Hetty would marry
some one able to keep her and so give us a
lift that way.
Hetty was powerful pretty. Pve seen a
sight of. women, as you may suppose, in
six-and-thirty years, but | have never seen
one that could come near her for good
looks Bright and light she was as sun
shine and she had bit Of temper, too, but
only what you may call the froth atop a
jug of cider, making it all the spicier.
When me and my mates left work of an
evening, she would come along the road To
meet us sometimes, and put her arm
through mine and talk as gay as a bird.
One day a new hand came TO the pit, jim
Marwood by name. Not pleasant name
when you think Of the hangman, but q
pleasanter sort to look upon than JIM ou
never saw. See him on Sunday going tC
chapel, clean and smart, as straight as 9
pole, with blue eyes looking so frank anc
smiling you'd say he looked picture.
He had struck up a mighty affection fol
me before he had been a month in the gang
You would have thought twas a wonde
he had managed to live so long withou
me- He told me all about his friends anC
out he had to keep his mother and hadn'
a sixpence he could call his own.
Ali he told me told Hetty, and sh
would listen, with lovely color in he
cheeks, and go on talking about him afte
l had stopped, till all of a sudden it cam
upon me that him and her knew as muc
of each other as did and more, too, an
liked what they knew to a degree that wa
considerable.
was trifle put out about it, for kneN
he was poor, and it would be a bad lookou
il they was to come together; still, as Nv
said, Pm heavy and slow in most thing
and thought I'd better hold my tongu
awhile longer.
Well, one day. remember it as clear q
yesterday-it was between the lights on
September evening, very quiet and still
the stars just showing out like sparkles {
diamond light we get in the seams at time
was smoking my pipe in our back room
father was out Of the house when | hear
voices in the other room across the passag
1t was Matty and my sister talking u
gether.
Matty was the dwarf lie had a lon
Welsh name, but we called him "Matty
In the general way because Of his roug
hair, and he didn't seem to mind the joke
| knew his voice well enough. III WASH
exactly unpleasant, though deep wit
sometimes sort Of crack in it, but an
thing like it sounded just then | new
heard before.
1t made me sit up and put my pipe dow
pretty sudden
81 love your he says to Hetty. "1''
loved you ever since I've seen you; won
you marry meS I'D be a good husband
you"
She went into light, kind of scornf
laugh.
"Marry your" she says. why, Matt
Won must be dreamingi Of course won't
And then guessed she gave her head
toss with a way she had.
got up and went step nearer the doc
for / didn't know how he might take
them dwarfs being uncertain creatures.
He was silent minute. Then he says
ppm stunted and crooked, know, but
L.. -, latsar tbau amy other man w