Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1898-03-05
II was not until the mid&. Of The

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Il was not until the middle OF ths
afternoon that an attempt could b
made to enter the mine, and then 1t wat
Harvey Neil who came forward, the
FIRST 10 go down. A solemn hush fell
upon the crowd as they watched him
step into the bucket, while the crude
hosting apparatus, hastily constructed
orealingly passed him out Of sight
Everybody knew that II the air below
had turned foul, Us many held must b.
the case, another victim might be added
to swell the horror Of that day; and
hardly q whisper broke the stillnes.
until the signal came to bid them draw
him back. Then, as he reappeared, 4
wild cheer broke from lips turned pale
and women sobbed for joy when he tolt
that the air seemed good, which prom
ised well for the men below; but he hnd
found, some forty feet down, fallen tim
bers so wedged across the shaft thai
there must be more hard work be for;
the full descent could be made.
The sun was setting when finally thr
way was clear. Again Neil laid his hand
on the side OF the bucket, although now
there were others who would have
gone; but there was that in his manner
which gave him the place without dis
cussion; and again the crowd, in awed
expectancy, watched him out Of
sight.
He was gone much longer this time;
and when ut length he returned. the
first look at his face told the staring
eyes what 1t was that, covered Ly a
coat, lay huddled In the bucket at his
feet-the dreadful something tl.at but
n few short hours ago had been his
enemy, Col. Randolph Meredith.
"Dead-every one" Neil whispered to
those nearest, rs he stepped out upon
tho ground, barring his head before he
turned back to help the other hands
that were reverently oustretched to lift
to earth the burden he had brought.
Long before this Mrs. Morrison had
persuaded Dorothy to 60 home with
her, and Neil would permit no one to go
there with the dreadful truth until
teams had come to carry the dead down
to camp. Then, with a slow step,
tagging no less because Of the pain
fulness of his crrand than for the utter
physical exhaustion following the
frenzied toll and excitement OF the day.
he betook himself over the hill to the
Mascot clearinghouse.
Recalling with sharp sense Of dread
Dorothy's mood OF the morning, he
thought IL better to let her receive the
awful truth from Mrs. Morrison, who.
however uncouth in speech and man.
ner, had yet woman's heart to tell her
how to soften the blow for the unhappy
girl.
lie sat down upon the steps outside
when he had sent her with the mes
sage, his heart aching for his love while
he waited to hear how she bore IT.;
meaning by and by to beg word with
her, to learn II she would have him
ride to Orodelphia that night to tele
graph her friends, or what her wishes
might be respecting her father.
A long time he patiently waited, after
Mrs. Morrison had reported that the
girl was crying "fit to break her henrt;"
refusing the good woman's urgency
that he should come in to supper, al
though to please her he accepted the
ten and toast she brought him at the
door, feeling the better for the refresh
ment which he had been too much
wrought up to think Of needing.
1t seemed to him hours before Mrs.
Morrison, listening at the door and
hearing no sound, finally decided that
Miss Meredith might now be calm
enough to hear that he waited to see
her; but it was with frightened air
that, after considerable delay, she came
back.
Miss Meredith had begun taking or.
crazy-lil;e, at the very idea Of seeing Mr..
Neil, she reported, with evident reluc-
lance, plying the pain and mortifica
ton she could not but see upon his
face. "She says as how you hnted her
father n she mustn't never forget 1t.
OF course she don't rightly sense what
she's sayin', m bein' you're n stranger
to her N ALL" the good woman sooth-
ingly and in all innocence argued,
''mebbc it's MATCHED she should be preju-
diced. Anyhow, she is; there's no
blinkin' that, Mr.. Neil; n she's SO sot,
don't believe there would be no man
ner OF use your seem her anyhow. I'll
take her back to camp n do for her
q much s I can. She don't seem 10
sense that / belong TO the Mascot; but
you-why, it's unreasonable, Of course,
but what you goin' to do about it? j
s'pose her pas set her up to it. n it's
only Jest matched. her feelin' SO. You
can't blame her."
"No," said Neil, wcarily. his face as
dullcd and set rs those which had been
brought up out Of the mine that day.
81 can't blame her"
I-o DE CONTINUED
SOCIETY REPARTEE.