Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1897-09-25
TALE OF TWO RINGS.

/
although / have known you for near
~ three years, but is it usual for
wife to wear two wedding rings?'
Dead silence.
He had just lowered his violin, al
ter very soft solo-for it was con
siderably past midnight when I ven
tured that curious question.
There had been an evening party
and, as I was to stay at the hous'
till morning, Carson's wife had sale
"Good night" and left US to finisl
our inevitable smoke and talk. Hi
mouth twitcbed little, but it wa
some time before he retorted IN
low tone:
SIS it usual for man well unde
forty to have hair as white a
mine?"
"Well, perhaps not-but / though
you attributed that TO some shocl
or other. What has that to do will
with the two rings ~
Every thing"
He listened at the door for mo
ment, turned down the lights an(
then came and sat down, spreading
his hands over the fire.
"Two rings? Exactly, one is thu
ring | put on her finger when / mar
ried her; the second was put there
by another man, aud will stay ther'
as long as the first
"Neyer mind now" | sad. Hi
voice had trailed eff huskily. g.
had no idea there was any tragi,
element behind the fact"
"Tragic? Heavens 1t was more
than that, Arthur" he whispered
turning up drawn face. II never
meant to touch upon it, but whe1
yon spoke it came back with rusl
as vivid as if / had been standing a
the mouth Of the old north shat
again. And that was six years ago
you've heard me speak at least
Of the mine itself, the Langley Mine
in Derbyshire. had only been as
sistant surveyor st the pits there fol-
about nine months when it happen
ed.
SAT nine O'Clock that morning
Arthur, three OF US stepped into th,
cage-old Jim Halliday, the fore
man, his son Jim, and myself; th,
men had gone down an hour before
l shall never forget that young jim
sweetheart had walked over to th,
pit With him, as she OCCASIONAL,
did.
"They were to be married in
week or two, and she-and she ha,
on her finger the ring that he Dough
in Derby the day before-just TO
safety's sake, or perhaps out of NO
manly pride.
81 reeollect that just IS the chair
clanked and the winter sunshine va
disappearing overhead, be shouted
out third "Good-by p to her-lit
tie dreaming that it was to be good
by. Little did old Halliday ant
think that days would elaps,
before we emerged into Gods sun
light again.
"a new vein had been bored th,
year before, and then abandoned be
cause it ran in the direction of til,
river. We three had had instruc
tions TO widen it for the space of 30t
yards--a piece of work that had &C
cupied US nearly month.
"Old Jim picked and young jim
wheeled the coal away to the neares
gallery from where it was carried
over rails TO the bottom of the matt
shaft.
"Well, by four O'Clock that after
noon we calculated roughly that w
had reached the limit laid down.
"'I think it's as near as possible
Mr.. Carson old Halliday said
'Jim, give another count, We dom
want the water coming in
"Jiin went back. We could heal
him singing out the PAGES in hi
light hearted way as he returned, hi,
voice eehoing through The long gal
leries.
T" Two-sixty- nine-pooh Your,
miles off from it, dad! He was only
score of yards off, though. Two
sixty-nine-two seventy four. It'll
allow full twenty yet, reckon
ssHe had just finished bis eous
when-but there, no man couit
properly describe it. 1t was some
\
thing one had to realize for himsel
before he could understand bar,
half of the sudden terror that whit
ened our lips and seemed 10 brin:
our hearts to a standstill. Their,
was a rumbling in one of the distan
galleries, and sickening tremble 0
the ground underneath us then
then the most paralyziDg sound,