The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-02-24

questions, Tor he was EVANS Iaporefl
and beyond this said nothing except
me work him breast, load five car coal
every day, meself." which, as he Is q
slay, and slays, poor. ignorant crea-
lures, never know when to stop work.
ing, was not remarkable.
Denny Doris, who was ambitious, and
besides working In the Katy Did, was
correspondent for the Sunday Bugle.
heard all there was to be heard, and
like a good scribe" as he called him
self, drew his own conclusions. SO,
when, on the fourth day after Evans
disappearance, the Bugle's Brandy
Patch edition, which was like all the
other editions, contained In black let
tiers headline, "sulcIded for Love-"
and went on to tell the story Just re-
lated, and added that after diligent
inquiry the Bugle reporter learned that
a man answering Evans description
was seen walking toward the river on
the night in question" no further EVIL
dence was needed that the man Evan
had ended his earthly woes by drown
ing himself, Indeed, the Bugle repor-
ter went so far as to hint that the
cause Of the quarrel was James par
TALLY for John.
When John read this he washed his
face, put on a new red and blue tie,
and went up to Grlfith's house, where
he found Jane with very red eyes and
q desire to sit in the shadow. Then the
tongue which had made John chairman
Of the local labor union and delegate
to the Republican convention upheld
its reputation for suavity. and gained
for It's owner gentle pressure Of the
hand, and Come again-John," which
Tommy DUFFY said proved that gals
amt got no hearts" but which to my
mind really proves that they have.
John went again, the next night, and
James eyes were not read at all, more
over the gate was very hard to open,
or to close, or Something, when he de-
parted.
The next day, John, who was assist
ant fire boss at the Katy Did, rushed
shouting to the foot of the shaft, threw
himself on the carriage and was jerked
at the rate Of nifty feet to the second.
to the surface. He stumbled towards
the engine house, white and trembling,
and with nervous fingers fumbled in
the far corner Of the waste box for
the engineers little brown bottle. When
the engineer rescued It, some color was
in Johns face, but he trembled so that
he sat down, and with the tremor In his
limbs duplicated in his voice he ex-
claimed:
Ave seen a ghost. Evans ghost
Sure as ahm alive. In the old Simpson
vein. Was lookin' for gas. Went through
No. 4 headin'. All hears noise, No
body works here, ah says. All on sud-
den a man comes out Of breast. All
says hello. He never answer. Hello
all says. He come on. All saw 1t was
Evan. All shlmmery and white like.
He Just points. All couldn't move.
Then he disappears. Out all Games,
doubling that. He still ltrembled, al
running"
He was frightened. There was no
doubling that. He still trembled, al
though II was broad daylight, but the
engineer laughed, and so did Tommy
Duffy. and so did-well, everybody.
That same afternoon Reddy Mike was
seriously burned by an explosion Of gas
in Evans chamber.
"Ah told you, ali told you" cried
John, although he had done nothing
of the kind hes come to ha'nt the
mine"
Tommy DUFFY and a gang" went
down to look at the damage. As they
approached the breast there was a
cracking and roar, and they spranE
back Just in time to escape being crush
ed by q fall of coal from the roof
That settled any doubts John might
have had. He'll kill US all, !" he cried;
hes come back to kill u.s." and with
that he told 'old man" Jennings to get
somebody else in his place.
In the evening he and Jane went
walking, but he did not tell her about
Evans Ghcst. nor about something else
which was on his tongues end. His
nerves were shaken by the days doIngs.
The next night they avoided Mackln's
porch and IT'S comments in their walk.
and rambled over the hills above, where
the laurel bushes grow high. and hide
the neat little cockpit where, on a Sum-
day, the chlckens-but thnt Is but Tom
my Duff's gossip. Where a big mass
of outcropDlng coal cast deep shadow
they sat down, and after the lights in
the Patch became visible in the dark
ness they were there. and there in the
moon. blazing in big yellow ball, and
peeping over the mountains, as Il does
at Brandy Patch, saw them. Some
thing In It's brilliance encouraged John,
and he said:
"Ah'm goln' away, Jane, up to su-
gar Notch All don't like work here,
an ave got good job there. All saw
a little house. four room an a wash
kitchen outside. an ave got hundred
dollars saved up. You'll like the house,
There's a bit Of a garden, an pump
right in uhe yard"
Jane looked at the moon, but said
nothing.
After a long pause, John continued:
AN ave got little life insurance"
still there was no answer
AN my mothers fine elk dress, you
could cut It down to fit you"
Then he took her hand, and she point
ed 10 ring on the third finger.
Evan gave me that" she said.
John tried to take It on.
No" she cried. leave II on. Dead
or alive. Evans the same 10 me, the
only man as I'll ever-llke."
Jaw, say" began John. then he
suddenly dropped her hands and jump
ed up, staring wildly past her. She
saw him trembling; then she followed
his gaze. There, dim and shadoWy and
mOtlonless, stood Evan.
With faint cry John Red down tho
hillside. Jane heard him crashing
through the laurels, and then there was
silence. She stepped back once, and
then again. and then Evan bounded for
ward and his arms were about her.
you amt no ghost" she said, with
decision.
Nav" he replied. with disgust,
''When got mad because you believed
what John said bout me goln' with a
girl at Broderick's. and you said you
never wanted to see me nFnln. I thought
as how would 90 away for n while. SO
I Just hid In the mine, in old wOrkln'a,
and RhhhY Mlkn hrnnUhL me aImif 10