The St. Johns herald., 1899-08-12

would marry some one able to keep her, and so give us lift that way.
 One day a new hand came to the pit, Jim Marwood by name. See him on Sunday. going to chapel, clean and smart, as straight as a pole, with his blue eyes looking so frank and smiling, and you'd say he looked a picture.
 He struck up a mighty affection for me before he had been month in the gang. He told me all about his friends and such like, most confidential, and found out he had to keep his mother. and hadn't sixpence he could call his own.
 Well, one day-I remember 1t as clear as yesterday-it was between the lights on a September evening, I was smoking my pipe in our back room father was out of the hOuse-when l heard voices in the other room across the passage. It was Matty and my sis ter talking together.
 Matty was the dwarf. He had a long Welsh name, but we called him "Matty' in the general way, because of his rough hair, and he didn't seem to mind the joke.
 'I love youw he says to Hetty. eve loved you ever since I've seen you Won't you marry me? I'd be a good husband to you"
 She went into light, kind of scorn- full laugh.
 Marry you" she says. "Why, Mat ty, you must be dreaming! Of course I won't"
 He was silent for a minute, then he says: "Tm stunted and crooked, know, but love you better than any other man will ever love you, and I've a comfortable home to offer you"
 ''If you had twenty homes I wouldn't have you," she answers quick. "So do say no more about it."
 think he moved round the room af- ter that, for his voice sounded nearer to me- He spoke short and savage-like.
 "Jim MarwoOd's the man that stands between you and me. Do you think I've been blind? Jim MarwoOd has got your heart, and do you think you will ever marry him while I'm alive"
 Hetty never was the girl to be cow ed, and she flashed round on him the next moment like gunpowder:
 Tt is Jim Marwood that has got my heart, and I have his, and Pm not ashamed to say 1t before you or any man. I know you've got your cottage and your garden that you are so mortal proud of, and know Jim is poor, and we shall have to wait for years, but you needn't think you'll frighten me out of marrying him, for you won't; and if I didn't marry him I'd never marry such a miserable, wicked, ugly little wretch as you! So don't fiatter yourself 1 would"
 I saw him no more that night, and I didn't let on to Hetty that had over heard them.
 The next day we were all under ground as usual. Somehow or other Matty and Marwood and me found ourselves always pretty close together. He seemed to me to be hanging on to Jim in a way 1 didn't like, hearing what I had heard, and l kept as close to both as I we'll could.
 noticed the dwarf scarce took his eyes off Jim, except at 12 o'clock, when we stopped for our bits of food, and then he sat in a corner by himself un- der truck and scribbled on a scrap of paper, with queer sort of smile on his face.
 In the afternoon we got down to lower level. It was a dangerous part of the mine, as we all knew, and we kept our davy lamps pretty tight, can tell you.
 There's fire-damp about here," said one of the men.
 And a spark would settle the lot of us, wouldn't it?" said the dwarf.
 "Ah, that it wouldI" Jim answered.
 Nothing more was said about fire damp, however, and that day, the long est day had ever known, came