Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-12-17

to become his wife, She told mother this
that same night Well, it seems she said
that Joe muslin look for that, for she was
already promised and was going to be wed
at Whitsuntide. When she told Joe that,
he never said word, but he grew very
white in the face and turned quietly away.
1.-THE next day he had to work beside
the very man who was promised to the
lass he loved. WE'LL they had been at work
for some time when Joe's mate, turning
round to get hold of shorter pick that
was lying near, sees him standing behind
him with his arm raised and the pick in
his hand, as if in doubt whether to strike
or not and with look in his eyes as he
had never been known to wear before.
1.-The two men looked at one another
without speaking for awhile till Joe said,
God forgive mel and turned away, and
from that day they never worked side by
side again. don't know how it was, but
we used to think Joe kept away on pur-
pose-I mean so as not to be in the way to
strike the other one. That would be a mat
ter of three or four months before the fire. "
"What fire." asked.
"What fire?'' the other repeated in tone
of establishment. "Why, Fenton'spit. Did
you never hear of the fire in Fenton' pitt"
"No," replied. "You know, am a
stranger here. -
"Ah, you must be, should think, !" the
man said somewhat roughly, if you never
heard tell of that"
He took out small blackened pipe from
his pocket and filled the bowl in a me-
chanical way, for his thoughts were evil
IDENTIFY far away, and his face became sad
dened and almost tender in its expression
under their influence.
He remained silent SO long that said,
II should like to hear about that fire If
you don't mind telling me. F"
"Was you ever down in pit, mate?" he
asked.
1 told him no, but had often thought l
should like to see one.
"Better stay where you are" the man
answered
"Ah!" he added after another pause,
"it's strange how we mining people die.
But it's stranger how we live"
Chow do you mean" asked.
GIVE worked in the pit for more nor 20
years. he replied, but ! never go down
in the cage now-that is, since that time
speak on-but think may be going to
my grave. What with the rising of water,
or the fall of the coal, or the choke damp
that means death, the lives as such as us
amt worth much. But all these put to-
gether amt nothing to a pit on fire.
"When the coal is bursting out with heat
and the heavy masses of earth fall down,
crushing or tanning them that can't get out
of the way-when the cry is, Every man
for himself and God above for us all
when fainting and struggling they think
for moment of wife and children, and
then they fall and die!
''Well, that was the sort of fire speak
of, and all Of those at work in the pit that
day rushed for the lift that might carry
them up away from the place where the
flames were roaring and rushing with the
noise Of great wind.
'Well, Fighting Joe was the last man
in the lift, as they thought but just as
they were beginning to move they heard a
loud cry for help, and they saw that other
one-him who had married Joe's sweet
heart making for the lift and begging
them, for God q sake, not to leave him be-
hind.
"Well, I'll tell you, the lift was overfull
then, but Joe sprang from it and seized
uOlu VI UIl0 OULCI Ouo Nltil tIC ilOIp VI
those inside, hauled him in, and all we
heard him say was, Tell her did it, and
God bless thee, mattel
HThen we heard tho roar of the flames,
and we never saw Joe again"
The man sat quietly for q second or two,
and, though his voice did not falter, he
added in a softer tone:
"But the next day, when the fire had
burned itself out, was one of them that
went down into the pit.
"There was crowd of miners wives
and children standing at the pit mouth,
and when we came up again we laid a
body gently on the ground and the men
took off their caps and said meier word,
while the women cried, and many of them
sobbed aloud. 1t was blackened and
burned, and, but for where the pitman' s
jacket saved him, it might have been no
more than the earth it was lying on.
"But as we stopped tenderly to raise and
carry the body away the jacket fell off,
and there, OH that part where once beat a
true heart, was lock of woman's hair.
"'He had begged it Of her, she said, so
often she had not the heart to refuse him,
and God only knows, mate, what comfort
poor Joe might have felt in wearing it for
her sake
"We buried him with that little curl ly-
ing on his breast, and, with many sob
and many God bless thee, poor ladP we
lowered him to his rest
"We planted them little flowers, and it
seemed to me as If they growed brighter
on his tomb than anywhere else"
He paused again, and as stole look
at him saw two large tears rolling down
his hard face.
He was little embarrassed at my OBJ
serving them, think, for he said:
"Don't think the worse Of me, mate, be-
cause I'm giving away a bit, but am the
man Joe saved. Spare Moments