, 1898-11-09
END OLA ROMANCE.

November's raw air warned negligent
h~ouseholders that it was time to lay in
their winters supply of coal, and ev-
erywhere up and down this wind swept
length of the city's residence streets
rafting coal troughs barred the pedes-
TRANS path and discharged their black
torrents into Unsuitable sidewalk scut-
ties. Mrs. Matthews, who lived on quiet
but highly select Prospect street, had
ordered ten tons of coal put into her
cellar, and the first instalment had ar
rived-a two ton load-got to the crest
of the steep, narrow street by much
hard pulling on the part of the horses
and stentorian shouting on the part of
their Irish driver.
"Mr. Coal Mani" cried Mrs. Mat
thews from the up stairs bay window.
".Be sure you close the coal scuttle when
you go. Don't leave it open. 1t is SO
large somebody might fall in"
"Yis, num- assented the driver,
raising his grimy face and smiling in
the dazzling way that distinguishes
coal beavers and negroes. Then, with
a perversity Us sublimely unconscious
as that Of inanimate objects themselves
he went away when he had finished his
task, leaving the iron lid of the scuttle
leaning against the side Of the house.
Three or four minutes later a small,
dapper, nicely dressed young man step
ped out of the street door next to the
Matthew'S and TUNED to make his final
adieus to q lady, slightly faded, but
still young, who had accompanied him
to the threshold. He backed away, bow
ing and holding his hat politely and
jauntily q few inches above his head.
Just az the final ''Thank you goodby!'
had escaped his lips and the door had
closed upon the lady the young man
whirled around, lowered for a ~fateful,
strenuous instant upon the yawning
edge of the coal hole and disappeared!
Mr.. Dennis Murphy, happening to turn
his head ut the same moment and be.
holding the sudden ingulfment of the
young gentleman, uttered hut the two
words, "Howly murther!" and flashing
his steeds into clumsy, galloping flight
disappeared with terrific clatter down
tue cDDplo pdSeu H!E.
But Mr.. Murphy was not tho only
witness Of the tragic disappearance of
the young mar who had emerged from
81. Miss Minerva Matthews had stop
ped for q moment at the little table in
the bay window to get q book of verse,
from which she wished to make a quo
tation. At the precise moment, when
she laid her hand upon the volume, her
eyes, carelessly lifted after the unob-
servant manner of one in deep thought,
had beheld q young man sink apparent
ly into the earth, directly in front of
the quiet, respectable house in which
she and her mother and her maiden aunt
kept themselves aloof from the world.
Miss Minerva did not scream. She
simply said. "Motherr" But the man
ner in which she uttered that word was
infinitely more startling than any mar
ticulate cutlery could possibly have
been.
Mrs. Matthews came scurrying out
Of her room with a face as closely ap-
proximating an animated Interrogation
point as might we'll DO.
Mother! A man has just fallen into
our coal scuttler"
Mrs. Matthews gasped convulsively
and collapsed into q chair. Twice she
tried to frame a%rticulate words, but the
shock had been too great. She could
only choke and clinch and uncIinch her
slender, Transparent hands. If those
same delicate hands could have closed
Just then upon the brawny throat of
Mr.. Dennis Murphy, they would have
left him little breath indeed for protes-
tation.
Minerva saw that her mother was
practically helpless for the time being,
and that whatever was to be done in
the emergency must be done by herself.
Even at the height of the second story
she could hear the unwilling and un-
welcome intruder laundering and STUN
bling and rafting about in the dark coal
bin as be aimlessiy sought some egress.
II will go down to him, mother. l
will explaini" she cried. "Oh, the care
lessness Of that detestable coal man!'
Miss Minerva Matthews fed down
stairs as fast as she could go. But as
abe opened the door at the head of the
cellar stairway she stopped for a mo-
ment and shuddered from head to foot.
It was like the initial plunge of the
swimmer into cold water. After that
the worst Of the terrible shrinking was
over. She picked up her skirts and
darted down into the twilight of the
cellar.
The coal bin was a large IL and WAS
- --IALs.. - R@,k ~. -yx, oF