Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-07-27

Maine." Mary read on the oven door
many times day.
Mother" she said, holding her
stove-rag in her hand as she knelt
before the range, II always give the
name an extra polish, for it seems
to mean so much to us. This is
our first real home. Nobody under
us and nobody over us, and such
heaps of room all aroundw
Mary's intense delight in all she
saw, and the deep gratitude she ex-
pressed for all that was done her,
made every one anxious to give her
pleasure. She was thoughtful and
unselfsh and the whole settlement
learned to love "Cronin's Daughter"
Was a child unruly? The mother
would call Mary in to help her, and
soon the unhappy little one was list
ening with open eyes and dirty
mouth expanding into a smile, to
her account of some ST. Patrick's
day parade, or a Fourth of July ex-
hibition of fireworks on Boston
Common. To Mary versed in city
lore and sights, the country was one
thing to be desired; but the Kata-
hdin children, tired of monotony
and of life in the woods, could
never hear enough of crowds and
noise.
So "Cronin's Daughter, became
the story-teller of the settlement.
Often the workmen stopped and
Joined the circle of children and
crowed around her in the summer
twilight and listened to her story.
"Seems a different place, some
how, since 'Cronin's Daughter
came" said many of the people.
1.-THE children don't fight half so
much as they did, nor torment the
critters. They're nice folks, them
Cronins."
Before her mother was taken i'll,
Mary's hands and feet and head had
been at the service of the whole set
Element. Every one loved, petted
tyrannized over her.
In spite of her mothers sharp but
short illness, from which she was
now recovering, the summer and
autumn had passed happily with
Mary. Her father had kept sober,
and no one suspected his past shame.
John Cronin was a good workman
and soon rose from being a driver
of the four-horse wagons which
carried the ore down from the
mountain to the works, to being a
"top-man."
The duties of the top-man were
of very responsible nature.
Eight times an hour the elevator,
built beside the chimney, came
creaking and grooming up to the
top house with its load Of ore and
limestone. The top-man fastened
the elevator with a bolt, and the
car to the rear mouth of the CHM
ney. Over this the car rested while
the top-man pulled chain which
opened the bottom and precipitated
the mass of ore and rock down the
chimney and into the furnace below.
The car was returned to the eleva-
tor, the bolt pushed back, a bell
rung, the man below started the
machinery and the elevator began
its downward journey.
All this required methodical care
and wakefulness. The children of
the settlement had told Mary Of an
awful night, two winters before,
when, owing to the neglect of the
night top-man, an explosion had
occurred which wrecked and burned
the works and brought all the men
in the top-house to fearful death.
No wonder Mary's heart stood
still with fright when her father
reeled through the door, nor that
she resolved to follow him to the
top-house to make sure that he had
not fallen asleep. She had watched
the furnace and knew by the shower
of sparks that were sent up that the
ore was being dumped regularly;
but at any moment sleep might
overtake him-sleep that means dis.
missal and disgrace, and possibly
death to himself and others.
The road was white and lonely.
The frozed river had no word Of en-
couragement as she crossed the old
red bridge and the stars were Far