The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1892-07-01

NE#X cerely attached to
'w1 me, and Il have a
profound interest in them and their sim
pie lives Yes, expect shall always live
near the mines and keep an eye on them.
] 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:
"Fancyr'
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 a hopeless sort of rage as he
glanced from under his eyelds at the fair,
proud, contemptuous face under the big,
white parasol at his side.
And as they walked, vague idea, which
of late had puzzled him more than once,
erept again in his mind Could they-as
far apart in their convictions and opinions
as two planets-could they ever be happy
togetherf 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
sell, d" she said.
II 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 its 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 at 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
and life. He had his own ideas on the re-
lations between capital and labor, and be-
lieved that every employer could individu-
ally do much to lessen the antipathy be-
tween the classes. Therefore he preferred
to manage the Spitfre 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 frmness 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 1.-THE life
of a gentleman" IN 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 infexible little
blond head, turned so haughtily away
from him as it vanished from his sight.
Possibly 1t 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 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. II wasn't bit stiff. 1t had a de-
ightfully womanly and yielding appear
ance, and the hair above 1t was soft and
silky and seemed not to have too disa-
greeable will Of its own. The owner of
this neck and back hair lifted her head
and turned her face rs she heard Middle
toms step. A light leaped INTO the gray
eyes and a smile parted the sensitive lips.
GOOD morning, Mr. Middleton"
Somehow the daily salutation from his
pretty bookkeeper had never before fallen
quite 80 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.
"Any newsi"
"There was 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 wantw asked Middle
ton carelessly, preparing to open his mail.
"Tbey seemed very excited, almost
angry" replied Miss Clayton, land said
they should return about noon and hoped
you would be here"
Middleton made no answer, but was soon
absorbed I'm his correspondence. No sound
was heard but the scratch Of Miss Clay
toms pen and the rustling Of PAPERS, until
a ponderous bell above the Office sounded
twelve strokes. Then there came bang
on the ofics door. and presently the dsas'