The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-06-07
A MINERS STORY.

There be more heroes in this world, ac-
cording to my way Of thinking, than ever
get talked on in the newspapers or have
the Victoria Cross presented to them, or
have books written about them after they
are dead and gone.
All the same, I've never been able to make
up my mind as to whether one man Pve
| known was 3 hero or not. May be I'm 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.
I'm 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
coliiery about fifteen years back, and there
was one man there who hailed from South
| Wales as got pretty friendly with
I've called him "man," but / don't
know if the title comes right. He was
more like stunted boy than a man, and
more like some sort of queer animal than
either. He was dwarf He had 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 COX in them as never
| could get to the bot.~in of-they were deep
set in his head, as black and as bright as a
bit of silkstone, and sometimes there would
| come a cloud into them and dull them, and
he would stare out before him as stupid rs
if he was tranced; it was sad look, too as
well as dull, and never could make cut
what he was thinking of then.
I've said we were pretty friendly, but /
don't know as 1 was anything more than
civil to him. l 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
US. 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 a 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 pic.,
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 We're precious poor, and father
used to say he hoped Hetty would marry
some one able to keep her and so give US
lift that way.
Hetty was powerful pretty. I've seen
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 mad bit of temper, too, but
only what you may call the froth atop
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 a pleasant name
when you think of the hangman, but a
pleasanter sort to look upon than Jim you
never saw. See him on Sunday going to
chapel, clean and smart, as straight as
pole, with blue eyes looking so frank and
smiling you'd say he looked a picture.
He had struck up a mighty affection for
me before he had been a month in the gang.
You would have thought 'twGs wonder
he had managed TO live so long without
me- He told me all about his friends and
such like most confidential, and l found
out he had to keep his mother and hadn't
a sixpence he could call his own.
All he told me Il told Hetty and she
would listen, with lovely color in her
cheeks, and go on talking about him after
/ had stopped, till all of a sudden it came
upon me that him and her knew as much
of each other as l did and more, too, and
liked what they knew to a degree that was
considerable.
was trifie put out about it, for knew
he was poor, and it would be bad lookout
if they was to come together; still, as I've
said, I'm heavy and slow in most things,
and | thought I'd better hold my tongue
awhile longer.
Well, one day. remember it as clear as
yesterday-it was between the lights On
September evening, very quiet and still,
the stars just showing out like sparkles of
diamond light we get in the seams at times
was smoking my pipe in our back room
father was out of the house when | heard
voices in the other room across the passage.
1t was Matty and my sister talking to-
gether.
Niatty was the dwarf. He had long
Welsh name, but we called him ''Matty' Z
In the general way because OF his rough .
hair, and he didn't seem to mind the joke.
knew his voice well enough. 1t wasn't I
exactly unpleasant, though deep, with
sometimes q sort Of crack in it, but any /
thing like it sounded just then / never
heard before.
1t made me sit up and put my pipe down /,
pretty sudden.
Il love you" he says to Hetty 1--WE /
loved you ever since I've seen you; won't 4
you marry me? I'd be good husband to /
you"
She went into light, kind of scornful
laugh.
Marry you:" she says why, Matty, /
you must be dreaming! OF course l won't" (
And then ! guessed she gave her head /
toss with a way she had.
got up and went a step nearer the door, (
for | didn't know how he might take ii, /
them dwarfs being uncertain creatures.
He was silent minute. Then be says:
I'm stunted and crooked, know. but ! /
love you better than any other man Will I
ever love you, and I've comfortable home 4
to offer you"
If YOU had twenty homes J wouldn't /