The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-07-22

way '-'hllod with the EnOStS anu |
shadows" stretching away to the north
Peace. good will to men was the mes
sage of the night and it fell on his
soul raising him above the earth until
he felt his great likeness to the great
Creator of all.
Long he enjoyed the beauty of this
peace and greatly refreshed returned
TO his duties. Through with these, he
laid down on his bench and fell asleep,
only to he awakened by the sound of
footsteps rushing by his very bench,
the sound of body falling, a scuffie |
and then some one running swiftly up |
the gangWay toward the inside work. |
ingy Surprised into moments para |
| lysis he reached the door too late to |
catch sight of his tormentors. We'll, |
| he must try to put stop to them;
| they were beginning to be 4 nuisance |
| and he didn't see where the fun came
| in any way; they would not get him
| jumping up to look after them again.
so he went back and paid no more
attention to their rappings. and rae
ings, and ratings. He wondered that
they did not tire of such monotonous
| work.
With the morning came joy, for his
sister and little Grace were already
arrived and waiting to greet him at
the gate. They spent very busy day.
| working at the little house under the
Elm, transforming the new strange
place into home, sweet home. Little
| Grace who was not very we'll was left
| to the care of motherly Mrs. Grant,
the boarding house mistress. When
| our home makers returned in the
evening Grace seemed no better and
| Hnglarpa ba tho littlp
showed symptoms of whooping cough,
but which would not result seriously
if attended to right away. An old
fashioned but the surest cure she knew
was to take Grace into the mine for a
few hours each day. The change Of
air was all that was required. The
mother greatly alarmed, for she had
seen children carried off by this dis
tressing malady, insisted on her brother
taking the child into the mine that
very evening. Little Grace was de-
lighted to so anywhere with uncle
| VIII" and he none the less to have
her. lie would keep her an hour or
two and then bring her up home again.
Down the two Nent-the little one
greatly amused at the funny lamp on
Uncle Wits head. wondering at the
black walls all around. and SPELL
bound at the woking of the great pump.
To Thorn the heretofore weary mo-
ments elivened by the quaint and mer-
ry chatter of the little one, passed
quickly by, until e'er he was aware
the heavy white eyelids closed and the
golden head dropped to his shoulder
the little chatterer had arrived at
slumber land. He made the bench as
comfortable as possible with his coat
u..zl -.
down. He had a few things to do
about the pump, then he would carry
her home. He hoped the men would
not disturb the peace of the shanty
while Grace selpt. But vain hope
Just then he heard footsteps approach
ing from the direction of the slope. He
stood at the door with lamp in hand
to try to prevent any of the usual
racket from occurring, But just be-
: yond the pale of his light the steps
ceased and three terrific raps sounded
on the hard wall. Greatly aggravated,
with glance at the little one who still
, slept, he charged swiftly toward the
slope in the direction of the sounds,
, determined this time to discover the
/ identity of his attentive friends. But
the darkness gave forth neither sound
nor form. He stood still to listen, when
he distinctively heard the very same
: scuffling back at the pump-house door
, and the same swift running up the
| gangway towards the inside, which he
70 had heard the evening before. He flew
, back to the pump house, glanced in and
, rushed quickly to the child. who sat
, straight up with her blue eyes star
4 ing in round wonder.
Whats the matter Grace?"
e "Oh. Uncle VIII, did you see the
, mens?"
q What men dear?'
{ "The clean man and the black man.
Y said the child. "The naughty black
t man ran out and knocked the clean
f man down and he sticked the knife
v in him so." (and she illustrated with
her little ARM And the red ink spilled
Q all over his clean clothes"
t You said the black man ran out
= pet. Where was he?"
= He diSged in the corner there anC
s the clean man came at the door anC
y looked at him. Then the black mar
r ran out and they lighted at the door.
$ Thorn took her hastily home and re.
d turned to his mysterious shanty
d pondering the things he himself haC
e heard and the things little Grace haC
: said, He would ask Sandy in tn,
" morning if he had ever heard anything
II Nothing more occurred for the rest o.
the night. In. the morning Sandy ac
If knowledged having heard stranG,
g sounds, but "hadna" flashed his hceC
he aboot them. There were Sey quar-,
le things happenin in the warl' and i
d was no for the likes % him to be givinl
~ his opinion" Evidently there was les
ID than no satisfaction to be gotten ou
Id of "Scotty" and Thorn went his way
10 telling Sandy that he would find ou
h before long what it all meant. How h.
ID was going to do this he had not tn
N slightest idea but he was determined
IS 10 get to the bottom of these mysteriou
lg happenings in one way or another.
Re Next night he performed his dutie
m as usual and prepared to welcome hi
So faithful visitants. Stretched on hi
X back on the bench busily reading hi
le newspaper he gave a mighty start, 70
ly there, framed in the doorway, clad il
le mine-b -blackened shifting clothes, stoo
II. the figure of a man encirCled by a pc
he culiar blue light. The apparation Jus
l. stood and looked at him. But such
ne look. 1t stirred the very depths G
Id Thorn's being. He had never seer
rs hoped never to see again, such be
ut seeching, despairing expression on
ss human face. What could 1t mean? Th
We expression never changed, seemed eve
ly to gain in intensity as the figure stoo
still as IL waiting for Thorn to d
tie somethng-but what? His voice stuc