Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1896-06-18
No. | D



fu bursts of flame from time to time,
and fresh fuel was added when the
sleepy village Of Tregarthen awoke one
morning to find itself the headquarters
of the Iregar,hen Coal &, Iron COM
Eany. All of the coal and iron land on
the mountain belonged originally to
the l.atimcr estate, but the Bynums had
disputed with the colonel the owner
ship to one of the coal veins which
cropped out near the boundary of Nc
Nabb's cove. They We're defeated in the
litigation that followed, and the old
fcud lost none of it's rancor by the de-
riSi0n of the courts. When its right to
the McNabb vein had been established
the company had endeavorcd to open it,
but the ovcrhanging stratum of sand
stone proved to be singularly intracta-
able, and the further development of
the vein was postponed until such time
as the depth of the other workings
would make it less costly TO timber the
Nc Nabb tunnel. Opinions varied as
to the cause of the difficulty in the
McNabb. Expert mining engineers
had declared that the sandstone form
ing the roof of the tunnel was as
tenacious as that everything the other
veins, and that there was no apparent
reason why it should require timber
ing; but the indubitablc fact remained.
While the work of development was in
progress, the miners frequently found
the labor of a week undonr in a single
night by Il cAvnG of the roof which
filled the tunnel with broken rock.
Ludlow had its own theory about these
mysterious accidents, but he kept it to
himself. It was suggested by the smell
of black powder which he detected
one morning when he was examining
the debris that had fallen during the
previous night. 1t struck him as be.
inc curious, because he knew that the
miners were using dynamite; and it led
TO a series of casual inquiries among
the dwelcrs in Harmony Valley near
est to the entrance to McNabb's Cove.
The replies were not entirely convinc-
ing, because the nocturnal noises heard
hy the valley folk might have been
nothing more than the conclusion of
the falling rock; but Ludlow heard
enough to make him believe that when
it became necessary to take coal from
the McNabh vein a night-guard at the
tunnel would possibly avert disaster
moro efficiently than the most elaborate
system Of timbcring.
It was during the progress of the
lawsuit that jeff Hynum returned to
the farm in MrNahb's Cove; and the
rumor " hich had pointed to Texas as
the objective of his migration was con-
tirmcd by his own story of his wander
inCs. Not contented, however, with
this tribute to its vcracity, gossip again
busted itself with his affairs, and there
were vague hints of lawlcss soiourn
in the Lone Star state, coupled with a
still more indefinite intimation that his
career in the west had terminated in
open crime.
CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.
Long Engagement.
Shc-I haven't anything new to sing
to you tonight, George.
lle--Wcll, give me something old
then
She broke into a refrain that was
"a song of the day" II years before.
He Cat the close)-Thats very, very
cid, Clara.
Shc-Ycs, George; I sang that to
YOU the night we became cngagcd,--
Demorcst's Magazine.
The Wrong Word.
"Iou refer to JopkinS as an amateur
painter"
Eyes"
"Nell, it's a mistake. An amateur is
one who pursucs the art for the love of
it,"
"Of course. That's what Jopkins
does"
NO. If he loved art he couldn't poSsi-
bly, treat it as he does. Washington
Star.
------------------------
Not So Bad.
He was tarred and feather from head to
feet,
But groWlcd he never a word
For he looked at his fcathcry coat conf
plctc
And cackled: Il feel like bird!'
Il. a. W. Bulletin.