Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-01-25

Kate, something Expresses me-
Something is going to happen on the
morrow. Should you care if met
my death in the miner"
She laughed lightly.
mot at all"
Without a word he turned and walked
hastily away. She watched his figure
vanishing in the light of the silver
sun.
Fool" she said. HAS he not We,
learned that no man on earth may drive
me?''
Then she wert into the house and
stood thoughtfuIly near the window
where were many flowers She
heard step behind her and began to
hum softly.
'.Art 1ight-hearted, lass?' said he,
fathers voice, and the next moment
she was in his arms. He looked at he.
proudly, with her noble figure. hen
strong arms and her broad, handsome
face-a true woman of the people. g
daughter of the mines. "Weel, thou
art no featherweight, lass" he re-
marked. and then escaping from him.
she went into the kitchen, where he
to herself. There was knocking or
the window. Turning she saw the
Norwegian and smiled pleasantly
Then he came in and asked permission
to sit down and watch her preparations
for supper. This she granted and his
eyes frightened as he followed hel
with his gaze. The light fell upon hel
hair and there was a strange look upon
her face.
will you not stay to supper:" she
asked.
He assented eagerly. Half an hou,
later Geoffry, passing by, saw them all
three sitting together. chatting gaily.
With curse he turned away and fol
hours tramped over the snow in the
darkness
On December %, the day following,
Geoffry and the Norwegian We're work.
ing on the footwall on the third tier w
from the level mining out the fourth
tier underhand. This portion of the
mine had cayed in the year previous
and the rooms were filed and the posts
more or less crushed, SO that great care
was necessary in taking ont the pillars.
They had worked ont one lot of sets on
the east side of the pillar and were
engaged on the one next to it.
In mining these crushed pillars,
sets of smaller dimensions are used
in order that very little ground
should be opened at one time with
out timber. Here the ground was so
soft that laths were driven TO support
the bnck until the timber could be put
in This particular set was nearly out
and prop and head board HAD been
erected to support the laths, this prop
resting on Il plank laid across the lag
ging of the set below. Geoffry and the
Norwegian We're working silently,
but now and then they gaZed furtively
ct each other. The heart OF the Eng
lishman was full of insane jealousy
and he was not himself that morning.
After his long walk the evening before
he had drank until daylight and now
with the liquor working in his brain,
mad desires chased one another
through his mind and he regard
ed the Norwegian with the glance of
q wild beaSt-a look that impelled
the latter to the greatest caution.
Never once did he turn his back to the
Englishman; never once was his at
tention detracted from his danger.
Like two dumb brutes. filed with
savage impulse, the primal wish of
man to kill, they worked side by side
in the narrow place. The Norwegian
moved to the other end where work
was necessary, when suddenly he
slipped. With u hoarse cry the English
man sprang forward with up!ifted i'm
plement to brain his fallen antagonist,
when suddenly there was crashing
behind them; the framework gave
way: huge masses of ore and rock de-
scended with a rumble like an ava
lanche. The Englishman stood stock
still, thinking his last day had come;
in a moment he was frozen like a
statue. When he recovered his senses
he heard the groan Of the Norwegian
and saw that he was pinned to the
earth by masses OF ore. fastening to
him, as best he might he removed the
ore from the crushed body, which
he took in his arms and bore
to the other end of the cham Der
in which they were literally entomb bed.
The Norwegian was grooming in the
greatest pain and Geoffry lifted his
head and pressed his flask to the lips Of
the dying man, whose eyes never even
in his agony left those of the other.
While before, the picture was that of
primal man, born to kill. to Stay, to an
initiate, now it was picture of that
human brotherhood which lies deep
down beneath all evil desires and
toward which the young world is strug-
Cling and struggling. Into the eyes Of
the Norwegian the Englishnan was
gazing. Both Were members of the
same fraternal working order. The
breath of the dying man came in gasps,
shorter and shorter; the light faded
from those deepset eyes and the form
became stiff Geoffrys rival was
dead. The Englishman, shut up in
that horrible prison. threw himself up
on the body and wept How long he
remained thus he never knew. for what
are periods when anguish annihilates
time-when the lines of the poet, "out
of space, out of time" give certain
divinity to human nature. Geoffry did
not suffer from suffocation. Although
shut out from the world by what seemed
a solid wall a draft of air was apparent
and it was evident there We're crevices
somewhere.
Meanwhile the news of the disaster
had spread far and wide. The captain
was busy over his books in his little
office, and near him sat bonny Kate
Why did she come? Was it to catch a
glimpse of the Norwegian as he
emerged from the shaft? Was love,
then, so inpatient? A man covered