The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-02-21
"Fdther's been hurt" said the bop.

| dOOf anu uoNu NhS StdllS. L liz
doctor gathered up his things and,
shouting to Stuart, "This case seems
to call for my help" he dashed out of
the room.
There was drug store directly un.
der the doctors office, where a case
of candy was kept. Stuart, leaning
out Of the window, saw the doctor
come out Of the store with bag of
something which he gave to the boy
Then getting into the buggy he started
of at his usual express rate and dis.
appeared in great whirlwind of red
iron ore dust.
Stuart smiled and said to himself
"Dear old Doc! was going to say
that his bark was worse than his bite
only it's all bark" His face grew
stern again as he saw from the window
a sight that was growing familiar to
the people Of Champion.
1t was now about II o'clock, and into
the open space around the band stand
in the center Of the town square the
miners wereN beginning to come in
groups Of twos and fours and by little
companies. They came in from their
homes out on the hills, each miner car.
rying stick, the uses Of which be.
came more apparent as the men formed
afterward In marching order.
The different miners bands had al.
ready gathered near the stand. They
united in the playing Of several stir.
ring pieces while the crowd was gath.
ering. Very fast the square filed up.
AT last, as the clock on the tower point.
ed its hands at quarter after II, 1900
men were packed into the open space
surrounded by the town buildings.
Stuart remained looking out from the
Doctors office window. The whole
scene was before him. He could hear
as well. Since that first day when he
had come home from his European trip
he had seen the miners together In this
way several times, but today he was
impressed more than ever with the ap.
pearance of the men, with their rude,
misspelled banners, with their music
made entirely by men out Of the mines
who had trained themselves with great
patience to play Irarch tunes More
than all, he was struck with the faces
Of the men-the stolid, dull, but deter.
mined look that most of them wore.
He was impressed with their general
appearance as human beings making a
fight for few more cents day. And
with all the rest he could not help feel
ing that the men regarded him as an
aristocrat removed from them by his
whole life, so different from theirs,
and unable from their point of view to
sympathze with or understand them.
"And yet" Stuart said to himself,
with a sigh, II would almost exchange
places with nearly any one Of them.
mean that l am not where can use
what was born into as l would like to
use It."
The bands stopped playing, and a
miner went up into the stand. This
time 1t was not Eric. The men all un.
covered their heads. 1t was very quiet.
The people Of Champion stood looking
OH from the sidewalks, the church
steps. the railroad depot platform and
the store and Office windows. The man
In the stand lifted up his face and Of.
fered short prayer.
70 God. grant us blessing today as
we 20 10 our place Of meeting. Be
with us there in our council together.
Grant that we may be led to do the
right. Keep us all from trespass or sin
or drunkenness. And when we have
ended our strife here below. may we
all. master and men. meet in heaven
We ask it for Jesus sake. Amen"
Stuart heard every word Of the pray
er from where he sat. There was
something indeScvibably sad to him
IN the whole scene. The miners put on
their hats. and the bands at once
struck up lively tuhe. The men be.
gan to move out into the main street,
FORMING double line or column four
ioreast The bands marched each one
IN front Of a section or division Of the
'ne Of march. The men at n signal
thouldered their sticks, and, accustom-
ed by this time to the marching, they
presented military appearance as
'ney swung past the church and into
the road leading over to the park,
where they now held daily meeting
at noon.
stuart watched for Eric and as he
came by called to him from the win
dow:
I'll drive over. My horse and buggy
are here"
Eric waved his hand and went by
without replying. Stuart came down,
and after the columns Of men had
passed he drove along at little dis
@nce behind them.
All the way over he was debating
with himself what he would say. 1t
was the first time he had really met
'he men. A great many of them did
not know what the feeling of the new
NINE owner was. They supposed that
ROSS Duncan's son was like the "a
,ner Others among them had known
MN as a child and boy and liked him.
he was q favOrite in the town. Many