Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1899-07-13

and your garden that you are SO mor.
and we shall have to wait for years
but you needn't think you'll brighten
me out of marrying him, I'd never
marry such a miserable, wicked, ugly
little wretch as you! So don't fatter
yourself l would"
The next day we were all under
ground as usual. Somehow or other
Matty and Marwood and me found
ourselves always pretty close togeth
er. He seemed to me to be hanging
on to Jim in a way 1 didn't like, hear
ing what had heard, and 1 kept as
close to both as l well could.
l noticed that the dwarf scarce took
his eyes off Jim except at IL o'clock,
when we stopped for our bits of food,
and then he sat in corner by himself
under truck and scrubbed on a scrap
of paper, with a 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 spark would settle the lot of
us, wouldn't it," said the dwarf.
'Ah, that it would"' Jim answered.
Nothing more was said about the fire
damp, however, and the day, the long
est day / had ever known, came
around to o'clock without an eXplOs-
ion.
The cages were ready for us to get
UP to the top of the shaft, and most
Of the men had gone.
You go now" says I to the dwarf.
NO. he answered, I'm going to
stay a little overtime tonight. You
all go on and send the cage down for
me. And, look here, give this to your
sister Hetty-will you?- and tell her
to open it."
He put a bundle into my hand tied
up in a handkerchief. / took it gin
gerly enough, for with such suspicious
in my mind l half expected it might
go off in my face somehow.
"What are you afraid off," he asks,
sharp.
NOJulnS, L Says, DIS SudIp.
And we touched the signal rope, and
up went Jim and me, and the dwarf
stood underneath and turned his face
up, watching us out of sight
Well, l felt more comfortable when
we put our feet on firm ground on top
of the shaft and had sent the car down
again for him.
wonder what's in that bundle"
says Jim.
Maybe Matty will tell you some
time'' I replied, little thinking how
it concerned him.
[ took it home and called I1etty to
| open it. Our cottage wasn't far from
the pits and it couldn't have been
above ten minutes since the dwarf
had put it in my hand.
She undid the knot, and there-1f
you would believe it-were the title
| deeds of his cottage and $50 tied up in
a bit of canvas and the scrap of paper
I had seen him scribble under the
| truck, There were the words on it:
"What is here is for you. Ugly and
miserable l am, but wicked 1 am not.
I said YOU shouldn't marry him while
| | was awe anu SudIl hcep LILY WOAu'
Think kindly of a dwarf, if you can.
God made me as we'll as him.
We hadn't got to the end of the poor
dirty little letter when we heard
sound that made our hearts stand still
a long, dull, roaring shook the earth
where we stood, as if it was thunder
under our feet.
IAN explosion in the mine! says
Hetty. with a face as white as chalk.
1t was no use trying to dig him out.
He knew where he opened his davy
lamp-and he must have opened it
that human help could never reach
him there.
She cried about it for a week and
said she should never be happy again.
But think she is happy now, for she
married the Easter after. They live
in Matty's cottage still, and the gar
den is all abloom with t1owers.-Lon-
don Evening News.