Waterbury Democrat., 1901-02-16
''Ihe same place" sWhat's his name?' "

t'Why, you know his name, doctor. You have seen him before."t The doctor wheeled around and roar ed: "Well, do I know the names of thousand different men like that? Who Is your father"
 Pump man in the Davis mine" "Ve1l, there are six different pump men up there. Which one is hep
 The boy began to get scared and backed toward the door. "What's the matter with your fa- ther?'' asked the doctor more gently, rising and reaching out for his black case and putting on his hat. The boy began to sob. q don't know. He's hurt.'
 ."Wel, you run down and get into my buggy and. sit there till I come, Hur- ", now" The boy backed out of the door and tumbled down the stairs. The 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 a 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 a bag of something which he gave to the boy. Then getting into the buggy he started off at his usual express rate and dis appeared in a great whirlwind of red iron ore dust.
 Stuart smiled and said to himself: "Dear old Doc! I 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 sight that was growing familiar to the people of Champion.
 It was now about Il o'clock, and into the open space around the band stand in the center of the town square the miners were 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 filled up. At last, as the clock on the tower point
  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 1narch 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 fight for few more cents a 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 sympathize with or understand them.
 And yet" Stuart said to himself, with q sigh, "I would almost eXchang places with nearly any one of them. l mean that I am not where I can use what I was born into as would like to use it.'
 The bands stopped playing, and a miner went up into the stand. This time it was not Eric. The men all un- covered their heads. It was very quiet. The people of Champion stood looking fro, 10 ci1au-oll-c tho rhnpah steps, the railroad depot platform and the store and office windows. The man in the stand lifted up his face and of fered 2 short prayer.
 70 Sod, grant LIS a blessing today as we go to 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 CT from where he sat. There was something indescribably sad to him in the whole scene. The miners put on their hats, and the bands at once struck up a lively tune. The men be- gan to move out into the main street, forming double line or column four abreast. The bands marched each one ic front of section or division of the line of march. The men at q signal shouldered their sticks, and, accustom- ed by this time to the marching, they presented a military appearance as they 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 tance behind them.
 All the way over he was debating with himself what he would say. It was the first time he had really met the men. A great many of them did