San Saba County news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1874-19??, 1893-02-17

helps mother mother says she's a
big girl now, an helps lot.
Are You working here?n | asked
him.
Yep; I'm top man now an gittin'
my fifty month; but, say-don't We
think it'd pay me { git out o this an
go down in tn mines? This here's
lazy work, b'lieve. Mebbo ye ed
git me job"
/ reflected a minute.
Il can get you a job, said; "but
it may not be pleasant one You'll
I have to work two months for dollar
a day, or until you can show yourself
able TO do miners work; then you'll
get three and half 1t isn't u good
country to 90 into, though Its new
and pretty wild.
Pink was silent few minutes and
seemed to be figuring.
u reckon, he finally said. slowly.
Il en- afford it, ef there's three an a
half a day on top o. the two months;
but dye think Iii ketch on. o. X"
assured him | thought he would,
and he added: ,.All right-I'm y'r
boy; ] en- 90 next week, when my
months up.
SO Pink left the ranch and went to
work in the hills. in new mining
district. Every once in a while after
that used to hear from or OF him. In
one of the superintendent first let
tiers after Pink's arrival ne sent me by
my request few lines about the new
/ man.
The new man you sent is dandy
green. or course. but nobody's fool.
He's eager to work and lilies at it like
it was fun. Evenings now he takes a
hammer and set Of drills and goes
over on the hill side and drills rocks,
to get his hand in. wish there were
a few more people like him.
it was no more than | had expect
cd. but | was pleased. nevertheless.
1t was not long until Pink w. u
miner, Of course, and a good one. too;
and as such he continued for the next
couple OF years, always in the same
place.
One day the man who had been
experimenting the property dropped
in on us at Denver: he was going to
quit, as he had some property of his
own to look after, he said, And. - he
added, ''of course have nothing to
say, but if you want man to look
after the property. you'll hunt long
time before you find match for that
red-headed shift-boss, Pink Dyer; he
knows every foot Of the mine
We went down TO take a look at the
property; we arrived in the evening.
as Pink was just coming off shift. He
looked just as | expected he would,
barring the deepening of the crows
feet and the lines about the mouth;
they were too prominent for so young
man.
..Th' folkse7 said Pink. oh.
they're all fine. Got new house.
mother an tn kids have, an putin
on heaps o dog Minis got three
young uns now, an Grace's got
couple-don't it seem funny, though?
Tn twins, they're gittin' on tip-top,
an Ted, too An Fan-why, ] s'pose
she's young lady by this time No.
! hain't never been back; I'm goin'
Christmas this time, an no
foolin'.n
did not tell him of his coming
promotion; l wish had. for ne never
knew Late that night-it must
have been one o'clock in the morn
ing or thereabouts-th whistle blew
at the hosting works. and we ali
hurried up to see what the trouble
was, Pink. as temporary boss
among the foremost.
One Of the miners had been killed:
he was a new man. and had been try
ing to make too good showing
is, he had failed to clean the roof and
walls Che was drifting) after each
blast, and loose chunk of rock had
fallen and killed him.
Pink and another man went down
to bring up the body. and, presently.
when we expected the signal .'hoist,7
there was an alarm from below, which .
continued for some seconds-then
came the -'hoist" signal.
A single man stepped from the
cage; it was the man who had gone
down with Pink to bring up the dead
miner. In "A few words he told lis the
cause of his first signal.
As they were bringing the dead
man ont of the drift. there had been
another fall of loose rock. and Pink
had gone down beneath it-he and
the dead man.
It was not long before We had them
out, but it was too late to save Pink.
His back was broken, and we knew he
could only live few hours. We put
him to bed. tenderly. aud watched by
him. Once in a while he would come
ont Of his unconscious state and talk
queerly. At last. about daybreaI. as
| sat looking at him, his eyes opened
What day is ,this2" he asked.
december eighth
"Hm-littie over two weeks;
don't blieve I'll git well enough by
then. Darn it all, seems's if I'd never
git t 90 home-an' sometimes
think / never will. Somethin' allus
turns up last few years"
AL lhis ne saiu SLOWLY ana PAINFUL
y; but his next words We're spoken .
more naturally. just as the morning {
sun sent . stray beam into the little /
window Of the dingy room, Pink's
yes opened suddenly again. {
LES see, he said; lies sec
Eighth, twenty7ffth - more'n two /
weeks - Inn. Les see - les sec
EN-, seven, seventeen. en- git l
home. I'm goin' home - they's no Z
ise talkin'. He shut his eyes a lit I
lie while, then added, forcefully; l
i am goin homer'
Yes, my boy. I know it, . I said.
r. /. Betchum in the Argonaut.
wanted to Know. a