The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-03-26
TWO RINGS.

| Nuisoni cuiu hufoluup6ruy, bVOuplul
to knock the ashes from my cigar, "perhap
] ought not to ask, although l hay
known you for nearly three years, but is /
usual for wife to wear two weddin,
ringss"
Dead silence. He had just lowered hi
Violin after very soft solo, for it was con
sldefably past midnight when I yenturet
that curious question. There had been ai
evening party, and as was to stay at th,
heuse till morning Carson's wife had sale
"Good night" and left US to finish our in
eyttable smoke and talk. His mouth
twitched a little, but 1t was some tim,
before he retorted in low tone:
Is 1t usual for a man well under 40 tt
have hair as white as miner"
We'll, perhaps not But ! thought you
attributed that to some shock or other
What has that to do with-with the two
ringss"
Everything" He listened at the door
for moment, turned down the lights,
and then came and sat down, spreading
his hands over the fire. 1.-TWO ringsp Elk
actly. One is the ring put on her finger
when married her. The second was put
there by another man and will stay there
as long as the first. /"
''Never mind now," said. His voice
had trailed of huskily. 1T had no idea
there was any tragic element behind the
fact"
''Tragiop Heavens! 1t was more than
that Arthur, f" he whispered, turning up
o drawn face, II never meant to touch
upon 1t, but when you spoke 1t came back
with a rush as vivid as II had been stand
Ing at the mouth Of the old north shaft
again And that was six years ago.
you've heard me speak at least of the
mine itself-the Langley mine in Derby
shire. had only been assistant surveyor
at the pits there for about nine months
when 1t happened. At 9 o'clock that
morning, Arthur, three Of us stepped into
the cage-old Jim Halliday, the foreman;
his son Jim, and myself. The men had
gone down an hour before. shall never
forget that young Jim's sweetheart had
walked over to the pit with him, as she
occasionally did. They were to be mar
ried in week or two, and she-and she
had on her finger the ring that he had
bought in Derby the day before, just for
safety's sake, or perhaps out Of womanly
pride. Irecolleot that just as the chain
cianked and the winter sunshine was dis
appearing overhead he shouted out third
'goodby' to her, little dreaming that it
was to be 'goodby.' Little enough old
Halliday and l thought that days would
elapse before we emerged into Gods sun
light again.
"A new vein had been bored the year
hafara md thor, oho,5opaa loa,,,ao a. ,..S
in the direction of the river We three had
had instructions to widen it for q space of
800 yards, piece of work that had occu-
pied us nearly month Old Jim picked,
and young Jim wheeled the ccal away to
the nearest gallery, from where it was car
riea over rails to the bottom Of the main
shaft
well, by 4 O'Clock that afternoon we
calculated roughly that we had reached the
limit laid down
think it's MS near as possible, Mr..
CARSON old Halliday said. Jim, give
another count We don't want the water
coming In
jim went back. We could hear him
singing out the PAGES In his light hearted
fashion as he returned his voice echoing
through the long galleries. Two sixty
You're miles off it, dadv
He was only score Of yards off, though.
Two sixty nine = two seventy four.
It'll allow full 90 yet, reckon.
"He had just finished his count when
but no man could properly describe
It, 1t was something one had to realize
Tor himself before he could understand
bare half of the sudden terror that whit
ened our lips and seemed to bring our
hearts to q Gtandstill. There were rum
bling in one of the distant galleries and
'ickening trclnhle of the ground under
heath MS; then-then the most paralyz-
ng sound, do believe, that is to be heard
n this world. How or why it happened
S something to be placed among the host !
VI unsolyed mysteries. But there was one
grinding splintering roar, as though the
arth had split into pieces
Before we could stir hand or foot to !
ave ourselves, before we could even take |
n that an explosion had occurred while |
Ve were guarding against another sort of !
LANCER, down Numbered mass of coal, |
ons upon tons Of It, that blocked up the /
My passage leading to tho shaft 1t Just
cached young Jim. Standing where he
i'd, he was struck down. We heard his
creech stifled beneath the debris. For
bout FIVE more seconds tho Garth seemed
0 be heaving and threatening universal
haos Then allbecame as still as tomb.
"A tombp We had our lamps. Old Jim
nd looked and saw that we were cut off
rom the rest of the world
What happened next hardly know. 1
'as stupefed with the shock, sick with
lortal fear Of death. He and stood star
1g mutely at each other The one thing
recollect IS that his face was gray as mar
10 and that q line of froth stood on his
ps.
HE was the first to come back to sense.
10 gave one choking cry of 'Jimr and
forward to that black pile. Tho
oy's hand was sticking out from the bot.
I'M of 1t, clutching conyulsively at moth
70. sank down and watched, in sort
dreary fascination, as old Jim, uttering
range cries, tore at the mass In mad
envy. God help him! Jim was the only
ling he had in the world to love- In less
IAN five minutes he had dragged him out
Id sat down to hug him in his arms
eadP No. He could Just open his poor
lst hlled eyes In answer to his fathers
hispers. But we knew at once that no
ould never again make the galleries echo
s piercing whistle. .. ;
For whole hours, suppose, neither of
attempted to realize our situation. We
t on in the dead silence, waiting for
mething to happen. Once OF twice we
" young Jim's blackened lips move
'bly, and each time his father would
utter brokenly, Aye, my precious boy,
III look after her! Once the old man
oks out quaveringly into the hymn