The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-02-13

she was wfnJIuB IUr $-IU ohU orso
The cage was let down again. Some
anxious minute followed that seemed like
hours Once more 1t appeared with It's
load of men. Jessie pressed eagerly for
ward. Great heavensl He whom she
sought was not there Several voices asked
after him-Jessie dared not trust herself
to do so-and then came the appalling an
swer:
"Choke damp ha' taken him, and bit
wall fallen In over himl"
Suddenly woman's voice rang out
Jessie Mac cDavitts:
"Then he be T. danger-dying- dead
hayhapl He gave his life for one O. ye.
Arn't ye menH Are none O. ye goin to
save unS Then wull'
She pressed forward toward the pit but |
q dozen strong arms restrained her, and |
one old fellow said:
keep back, lass It'll be death to go |
down there for nigh an hour yet. This be |
no place for women fowk."
She needed not, and breaking away from |
them, entered the cage. Two or three men
followed her. ashamed to think that a
girl should be braver than they, and down
they went, from the light into the dark
ness, down among the noxious deadly
gases-down TO the unknowni
A long, long time now elapsed, or so it
seemed to the anxious watchers. Two or
three cages full of miners came up, but
they were not among them. Great heav.
ensl Was 1t possible that all had perished
| In the heroic attempt2
The news that Jessie had gone below
reached her mother, and Mrs. MacDavitt
with her sleeves tucked up, fresh from
the wash tub, her cheeks pale as death,
her eyes streaming--rushed madly to the
spot.
Even at that moment the cage was COM
Ing up again. A deafening cheer rang out,
loud and long, upon the murky air. 1t
was they-they at last, thank Godl But
were they aliveP Two inanimate forms
were lying down upon the black, dusty
bank-the forms of Jessie MaoDavitt and
Steven Armstrong.
Jessie MacDavitt sat alone at work In
the little front parlor at her mothers cot
tage. She was quite we'll again now, but
her recovery from the effects of her ad-
venture in the mine had been slow and
painful.
There was knock at the door She
called out, Coon in" In sweet, CHEEKY
tones. 1t was Steven Armstrong who en-
tered the apartment. She looked up sur
prised and colored up to her very brow as
she rose to greet him. She had not seen
him since that fearful day. Perhaps this
was the reason of her confusion. He did
not wear his working nor yet his "shift-
! In" clothes, but was habited In a tweed
suit and wide awake. How brave and
noble he looked, albeit a trife pale just
nowl
"Mr. Armstrong; she said. II am so
glad to see you fettle again. haven't
seen you since
"Not since then-no. 1t wur churlish
o. me not to COON and thank thee, only
only there be nae thanks possible for sio
things as that. Oh, Jessie, why didst do
it-why didst risk tina lifeP''
Because you gave your chance o. life
to him, she answered simply, but with
an unsteady tremor In her voice.
"Now l ha' come to bid thee goodby,"
Armstrong said, like man who has an
unpleasant duty to perform and wants to
get 1t over quickly. "a be goin away"
"Goin awayp she echoed. "Where tor"
"Reed away-foriver. To America or
Australy--a' hardly know where yet. A.
be tired O. T. life here. But remember, II
there be iver onything con do for thee,
a wull. Tha shalt know where 1 go to,
and IL tina should liver want friend or q
helpin hond all come to thee IL 'twere half
across T. world II a. han't said mooch,
remember, a know that a can niyer hope
: to pay ma debt to theep'
"Oh, dunnot talk like that-please dun
not talk about 1t. IL hadn't an idea
ye were thinkin O. goin away-it's ye've
took me so uddenlike-I-dunnot know
what to say"
; "Say, Jess ma lass, just say, 'Goodby,
and God bless thee, Steve Armstrong; or
J SOON sic words as all be able to TAX wi
} me and cherish 4 memory o. thee when a
be far away"
I'm say, God bless thee, Steve Arm
strongl' WI all ma heart, but not, good
: by" Jessie said In voice that was even
: more unsteady with emotion than before.
: "Ah, dunnot it nun be, l say-tha
; would not torture meY"
} "Wouldn't tina stay, Steve, If a. were to
: ask yeP''
) "Ther's naething wouldna do that
; you bid me--excep' that-excep' that,
why, a. be goin away fro theeW
"Fro' mep"
"Surely, a. medina tell thee all over
again. A wish thee and tha husband well
WI all ma hoart-but Gamma stayp'
: "Ye said just now ye'd do anything for
me-" Jessie answered, casping her hands,
and the bright color mantled in her cheek
hotter and redder than ever such coy,
pretty blushl They were hard words for a
girl TO speak, but she had made up her
; mind all at once and felt impelled to go
on. "Ye said ye nivver could hope to re-
! pay yer debt TO me. Suppose l show ye
g. wayY Stay here for ma sake, and-dun-
not ye understands Dunnot max me bave
to say ony moor
"What madness is thisP And y mon
tha'rt plighted to-
"We are M plighted now. He begone
: rect away. Heven't ye heerd"
. "No, hav' ma been mooch among &
8 chaps o. late"
at was u small thing that parted us.
Something asked un TO give up for ma
. sake--only T. drink. But he said no. Nc
. wenoh should ivyer max a milksop o
him. Then a. cam TO compare ye botf
2 togither. He, who wouldn't even do thai
: : moochi ye, who would ha' given yer very
y life for ma sake. A think T. were at I
! ! pit mouth T. thought first cam to mo- A
I. weighed both 4 scales, and then o. knew
7 which way ma heart had gonelp
! And that was whore she nestled nov
her pretty head--to that bravo heart whiol
: was 20 be her homo forpvermore.
u@>>Als~ sl"