Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1902-05-03

EVERY miner lost his heart then anC
there, but all waited for Abe, the driv
er, to give his verdict before venturins
an opinion. Abe said nothing until hi
had taken a preliminary drink, anC
then, calling all hands to fill up, he
lifted his glass high and said solemnly
"'Boys, here's to her.
Like a fash every glass was emp
tied, and Abe called out:
Fill her up again, boys; my treat!
Gle was evidently quite worked up
Then he began, with solemn emphasis
"'Boys, you hear me; she's No. l.
triple K, the pure quill with bead on
it; she's a.
"And for the first time in his Black
Rock history Abe was stuck for a
word Some one suggested angel
"'Angelv repeated Abe, with infinite
contempt. Angel be bowed! l para
phrase here. Angels amt in the same
month with her. I'd like to see any
BANKED angel swing my team around
them curves without a SILVER
"'Held the lines herself, Abe| asked
a miner.
"HThat's what said Abe, and then
he went off into fusillade Of scientific
profanity expressive Of his esteem for
the girl who had swung his team
round the curves, and the miners nod
ded to each other and winked their en-
tire approval of Abes performance.
for this was his speciality.
every decent fellow, Abe, but his
talk wouldn't print"
Here Craig paused, as if balancing
Abes virtues and vices.
"Well," l urged "who is sheT
ooh, YES" he said, recalling himself.
"She is an Edinburgh young lady; met
Lewis Mavor, a young Scotch-English-
man, in London, wealthy, good family
and all that, but fast and going to
pieces at home, His people, who own
large shares in these mines here, as
last resort send him out here to reform.
Curiously innocent ideas those old
country people have Of the reforming
properties of this atmosphere. They
send their young bloods here to re-
where q mans lust is his only law and
when, from sheer monotony, a man
must betake himself to the only ex-
element of the place, that offered by
the saloon. Good people in the east
hold up holy hands of horror at these
goddess miners, but tell you it's ask
ing these boys a good deal to keep
straight and clean in place like this.
/ take my excitement in fighting the
devil and doing my work generally,
and that gives me enough, but these
poor chaps, hard worked, homeless,
with no break or change-God help
them and me!' And his voice sank
low.
"Well," I persisted, Ibid Mavor re-
formY'
Again he reused himself.
Reform? Not exactly. In six
he had broken through all re-
straint, and, mind you, not the miners
fault. Not a miner helped him down.
1t was a sight to make angels weep
when Mrs. Mavor would come to the
saloon door for her husband. Every
miner would vanish. They could not
look upon her shame, and they would
send Mavor forth in charge Of Billy
Breen, queer little chap who had be-
longed to the MAYORS in some way in
the old country, and between them they
would get him home. How she stood
it puzzles me to this day, but she never
made any sign, and her courage never
failed. 1t was always a bright, brave,
proud face she held up to the world,
except in church. There it was differ
ent. 1 used to preach my sermons,
believe, mostly for her-but never so
that she could suspect-as bravely and
as cheerily as l could, and as she lis
tened. and especially as she sang-how
she used to sing in those days!-there |
was no touch of pride in her face, |
though the courage never died out, but |
appeal, appeal! I could have cursed |
aloud the cause of her misery or wept |
for the pity of it. Before her baby !
was born he seemed to pull himself to- !
gether, for he was quite mad about |
her, and from the day the baby came
talk about miraclesLfrom that day
be never drank a drop. She gave the
baby over to him, and the baby simply |
absorbed him.
stHe was a new man.. He could not
drink whisky and kiss his baby. And
the miners-it was really absurd If it
we're not so pathetic. 1t was the first
baby in Black Rock, and they used to
crowd MAYORS shop and peep into the
room at the, back of i'll forgot to tell
you that when he lost his position as
he opened a hardware shop,
Cor his people chucked him, and he was
too: proud to write home for money
lust for a chance to be asked in to see
the. baby. came upon Nixon standing
At the back Of the shop after he had
seen the baby for the first time, sob
bling hard, and to my question he re-
piled: & /
It's just like my own n -
"Yeu can't understand this, but to /
men who have lived So long in the
that they have. forgotten
what a baby looks like, who have had I
Of humanity only in its