Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1898-01-27

qrcrcd, psogrrss was tediouSly slow
The heavy hlackcned thinkers wcr. no:
and difficult To handle, while, for want
OF space, only a few could work at clear
lag away the debris which rhokcd tn"
mouth of the shaft.
Ii was not until the middle of the
afternoon that an attempt could he
made Ia enter the mine, and then il MAS
Harvey Neil who came forward, the
first Ia go down. \ solemn hush fell
upon the crowd rs they watched him
step into the bucket, while the crulr
Eoisting apparatus, hastily constructed
Creakiugly passed him out of sight
Every body knew that if the air below
had turned foul. as macy held must hc
the ease, another victim night he added
To swell the horror of that day; aud
hardly a whisper hrok" the stiffness
until the signal came 10 bid them draw
HIM back. Then, as he rrappcared :,
Wild cheer broke from lips turned pa e.
and women s"hhed for joy when he toId
that the air seemed good, " hich prom
i>rd well for tie men hcloN; hut lac had
found, some forty feet dow n. fallen ii n
hers 50 wcdged across the shaft that
there must he more hard work bcfcra
the full descent coul,. h. made.
The sun was settling when finally tao
way WAS clear. Again Neil laid his hahd
on the side of the bucket. although nov
there were Others who would have
gone; hut there was thar in his manner
which gave him the place without DIS
cussion; and again t:le crowd. in awed
expectancy, watched him out of
sight.
He was gone muCi longer this timr:
and when ut length he returned, Ia.
first look at his fa... told the starir.e
eyes what il was iAat. covered hv u
coat, lay huddled il, abe bucket at his
fect-the dreadful something that bar
few short hours ago had been hi
enemy, Col Randolph Meredith.
"Dcad-cvery one" Neil whispered 10
those ncar,st, as he stepped ont up,n
the ground. barring lis hcad before De-
turned back Ia help the other han l.
that were rcvcrcutly .JuStrctchcd 10 lifi
{" earth the burden = had brought.
Long before this Mrs Morrison had
persuaded Dorothy 10 go home with
her, and Neil would permit no one 10 70
there with the dreadful truth unul
teams had come la carry the dead down
&" camp. Then, VITA a slow step,
lagging no less hct a,Ise of the pain
fulness of his crranG than for the utter
physical exhaustion following the
frcnzied toll and excitement oi the dan.
he betook himself over the hill Ia the
Mascot clearinghouse.
Recalling with sharp sense of dread
Uorothy's mood of the morning. ne
thought il better 10 let her receive the
awful truth from Mrs Morrison, who.
however uncouth w. speech and man.
nsr, had yet womsh'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 " hill,
he waited 10 hear how she bore il,
meaning by and by to beg a word with
her. to learn if she would have HIM
ride to Orodelphia that night to tele
graph her friends, or what her wishes
might he respecting her father.
=, long time he patiently waited, after
Morrison had reported that the
glrl was crying - l~-,aL i..---iieuI e
refusing the good woman's urgency
that he should come in to supper, nj.
though 10 please her he accepted thc
tea and toast she brought him at the
door, feeling the better for the rcfrr, A.
ment which he had been too much
wrought up to think of needing.
Ii seemed To him hours before Mrs.
Morrison, listening at the door and
hearing no sound. finally decided thai
Miss Meredith might now be calm
enough TO hear that he waited to see
her; but it. was with n frightened air
that, after considerable delay, she came
back.
Miss Meredith had begun taking on.
crazy-like, at the very idea of seeing MIR.
Neil. she reported, with evident reluc-
tance, plying the pain and mortifica
tion she could not but see upon his
face. "She says as how you hated her
father N she mustn't never forget il.
OF course she don't rightly sense what
she's sayin', m bein' you're a stranger
10 her N ALL the good woman sooth-
ingly and in all innocence argued,
''mebbe it's MATCHED she should be preiu-
diced. Anyhow, she is; there's no
blinkin' that, Mr.. Neil; n she's so soi,
l don't believe there would be no man
ner of use your SEEM her anyhow. I'll
fake her back to camp m do for her
3 much s ! 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? l
s'pose her pas set her up 10 it, n it's
only Jest MATCHED. her feelin' so. You
can't blame her"
NO" said Neil. wearily, his face rs
dullcd and set as those which had been
brought up out of the mine that day,
Il can't blame her."
t-o En- CONTINUED