Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-09-22
CHAPTER VI.
FIRST oLnipsE OF II MIsE.-uSprn THE

1t must not he supposed that my uncle and
aunt. although they had adopted me, could
Afford to allow me 10 eat for very long the
bread OF ldleness. Had IL been necessary.
they would willingly have shared with me
their slender means; but il was not neces-
sary. j was fourteen years OF age, ] had re.
ceived a good education. and was in every
way ttted to earn ms bread. But what could
i DOR My inclination was for the sea. I
l0Esed TO become a sailor; not because ! had
any particular love of ships, but because |
had SoIse wild idea that it might ultimately
DE the means or bringing me 10 Madeline.
Besides. | must own that | was not exactly
proud OF my newly found relations and a
home which was SO different to MINISTER'S.
Sometimes At night, when / sat furtiyely
watching my uncle smoking his pipe in the
ingIe, n my aunt darning the stockings. /
fell TO wondering what the boys would say
ii uhey saw them, and my cheeks burned
Will shame. 1t was on one of these even
lngs l ventured TO express my wish to go TO
sea. My aunt threw up her hands In horror.
"Lawd love the lad!' she cried; iii he
be'aliit Ike his father already! You'd like
to gaw TO say, would YEP TO wander over the
face OF the earth and die. like your father
did, without a roof 10 cawyer your headY A
sailor! Lawd love zee, and why would yon
be a ~sailorg'
j stammered something about wishing to
work for my living, when my uncle cut my
explanation ssor: 81 patcag ne on the head
and saying:
'You'm a good lad. I'm glad to hear ZEE
talk saw: but heres no cause for zee n gaw
10 say. You'm a comm to wark wi me,
Hugh ~
In the miner | exclaimed In delight, for
my strong desire 10 20 down the shaft was
growing; but my uncle shook his head.
Nav, nav, lad the mine be only for big
coarse men like me: a slip of a lad like you
will be better whar you'm gawing-inta the
awice."
The Officer l repeated, my ardor being
considerably damped.
Have zee fixed it all. Tawm?' asked my
aun
"Iss, mother. / fixed it wi the master this
fawrenoon. Hugh can gaw on Monday and
begin"
Thus il will be seen that my destiny was
mapped out for me. On the Monday | began
my duties as underclerk, with but little sat
i~sfactlon to myself beyond the fact that |
contributed six shiliings a week toward the
hJhSNtiblut Altblllbult. nus lily new lAt
began, a life which promised TO be unevent-
iul enough. AT first | chsted somewhat; but
time, that healer of al things, brought solaee
to me. As months rolled on, the memory of
MINISTER'S began 10 grow dim: ana when I
thought of Madeline 1t was of some lovely
vision seen in a dream.
MOnotonons as my days promised 10 be, l
soon managed TO infuse a little pleasure into
them, principally with the aid OK my friend
and ally, honest John Rudd; for we soon be-
came close chums. lie conceived a great re-
Spect for me, partly on account of my super
ior education, and partly because | rendered
him such valuable assistance in the transcript
ton OF his poems. He placed his boat eu-
tirely az my disposal, also lent ME his gun. q
rusty old Joe MantOn, which kept in secret
and with which / used 10 amuse myself in
the evenings when my work was done.
But the one great fascination for me was
the mine. 1t was becoming a sort Of Frank
enstein," haunting me by night and by day:
/ saw ii before me as L sat writing in the Ole
ice, and when / was asleep at night | saw il
IN my dreams, opening its huge black jaws
and preparing to crush away some hs Sless
life. The more l heard OF 1t, the su ,nger
grew my wish to explore for myself those
dark bowels of the earth.
Again and again l had begged my uncle TO
take me down, but he refused. Atlast, how
ever, one Sunday morning, he came to me
ami 10 my intense delight said:
.'You can gaw dawn the mine t'day, Hugh.
/ BE- GAVIN dawn. I'll tax 'ee wi me-"
Excitement is welcome t. all boys, and it
was especially welcome 10 me: but there WAS
one cloud on my sunshine, when | looked
up and saw that my cousin Annie was as
white as a sheet and trembling violently.
Don't, father, don'tv' she said, piteously.
My father laughed.
'Lor a mussey, Annie, what a frawhtened
little woman you'm gettin' p he said. VIVA,
you arn't like a miners lass, Annie. We
mus max the lad a man, nawt a milksop.
Nav then, Hugh, hurry up, and get ready,
WEN nawt got much time to lose!"
The first thing to be done was to attire N.Y.
self in one of my unc es mining suits of
flannel. and possess myself OF one OF his
broad felt hats. This was soon done. / was
now a man in all but years, n l managed
to cut q tolerabie figure In my uncle's clothes;
indeed, when | made my temperance in
the kitchen, he declared, with a nod OF APP
proval, that | looked every inch a miner. 1t
was a proud moment for me; now, for the
first time, l felt my manhood up0n me, and
l laughed with my uncle ut Annie's pale
cheeks and my aunt's sad eyes.
Ny uncle handed me half a dozen candles
which he told me to put into my pocket, then,
with a merry nod to the w~omenfoik, we start
Cd.
1t was no easy matter to get TO the entrance
of the mine, not being able to 90 straight to
the shafts "a in the case of mines on level
ground. First OF al We bal To r.aEa our
way 10 the counting-house, In which sat ut
my daily toll. The way was long and dill
cult to travel, on account of the accumula-
ton of mining gear we had to pass; long
chains stretched out over bell cranks, wool
en- platforms looking like battered remnants
OF wrecks. yet supporting large beams Of
timber and heavy coils OF rope. Here and
thei.> was a little creaking shed, there a
broken-down post or two, and there again
we had to wind round by the rocky path
amidst chains and cables and ascending
loads.
/, having to travel this road every day of
my life. was well accustomed TO IL and / ac-
cordingly followed on my uncle's footsteps
without much feeling Of curiosity or joy; but
when we had passed the counting-house, as
cended the cliff, and gained the trap-door
entrance TO the mine. my heart began TO beat
with anticipation.
Here we both paused.
You'll keep a strawng head" said my
uncle, looking at me. twill be a bad BUSH
ness II you begin to trambie like our Annie.
Are o sure you amt afraid, lady'
Not a btu returned; then, looking at
the ladder which was set at the entrance Of
the mine, I asked, 'Slall l go first?'
'Bide a bit, bide a bit, ad!' he returned.
'Gl's one o. than candles"
did so. whereupon he liz it and stuck Ii
into my hat, then he lit another for himself;
after this he began to descend the first lad
der, and I followed him.
The first object | was conscious of was the
huge beam OF q steam-englne, which worked
on my riglh, alternately bowling and rising.
and heavily straining at the deluge OF watef
which It lifted. On the other side, through
boards, the chinks of which admitted just
light enough at the foot of one of the ladders
to show the passage, / saw the loaded hubble
or bucket rushing past its descending com-
panion.
we were now between two shafts, descend
ing from stage to stage; the daylight was
completely gone, and we depended solely ON
our candleA, which threw but a faint light
into the gloomy abyss below.
Altar descending two mr. three ladders