The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1902-05-31

"Shc iA In Ia. nbaf~N Apuu% tAut AAeN
Lewis Mavor a youns scotch English
man. In London. wealthy. good family
ard an that. bet fast and go'nS tc
pieces ut home. His people. who own
large shares IN these mines here. as
last resort send him out here 20 reform.
CuriousIy innocent IDEAS those old
country people have Of the reforming
properties OF this atmosphere. They
send their young bloods here 90 re-
fcrm-here in this devils camp ground.
where a mans lust is his only law and
when. from sheer mouotOny, q man
must betake himself 20 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 lighting the
devil ana doing my work generally
and that gives me enough, but these
poor chaps hard worked. homeless
with no lrpak or change-God help
them and peg And his voice sank
low.
Well" persisted, did Mavor re-
form?"
Again he reused himself.
"Reformf Not exactly. In six
months he had broken through all re-
straint. and. mind you, not the miners
fault Not miner helped him down.
Ii was a sight 10 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. a 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
II puzzles me to this day. but she never
made any sign, and her courage never
failed II was always a bright, brave.
proud face she held up 20 the world.
except in church There ii was differ
ent. | used 70 preach my sermons,
believe. mostly for her-but never SO
that she could suspect-as bravely and
as cheerly as | could, and as she lis
tened. and especially as she sang-how
she used 10 sing In those days!-there
was no touch Of pride In her face,
though. the courage never died out, but
appeal. appeal! | 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 miracles!-f from that day
he never drank a drop. She gave the
baby over TO him, and the baby simply
absorbed him
"IIe was new man. He could not
drink whisky and kiss his baby. And
the miners-it was really absurd II 1t
were not so pathetic II was the first
baby In Black Rock, and they used TO
crowd MAYORS shop and peep into the
room at the back OF It'll forgot TO tell
you that when he lost his position as
manager he opened n hardware shop
for his people chucked him. and he was
too proud TO write home for money
Just for q chance TO be asked In 20 see
the baby. / came upon Nixon standing
ut 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:
Its just like my own
"You can't understand this, but TO
men who have lived 50 long in the
mountains that they have forgotten
what a baby looks like, who have had
experience Of humanity only IN its
toughest, foulest form. this little mite.
sweet and clean. was like an angel
/ fresh from heaven. the one link in all
4 that black camp that bound them TO
what was purest and best in their past.
"And 20 see the mother and her baby
4 handle the miners oh. IL was all beau.
tlful beyond words. ! shall never for.
4 get the shock | got one night when
found old Ricketts, nursing the baby
4 A drunken old beast he was, but there
lac was, sitting, sober enough. making
extraordinary faces at the baby, who
was grabbing ut his nose and whiskers
! and cooling Id blissful delight Poor
Old Ricketts, looked as If he had been
caught stealing and, muttering some
thing about having 10 go, gazed wildly
round for some place In which 10 lay
the baby. when In came the mother
saying in her own sweet frank way
oh, Mr.. Ricketts, didn't find out
ill afterward his name was Shaw
would you mind keeping her just lit
tie longerI | shall be back In few
| minutes And Old Ricketts, guessed
he could walt.
But in six months mother and baby
between them transformed Old Rick
etts into Mr. Shaw. fire boss OF the
mines. and then. In the evenings, when
she would be singing her baby e
sleep. the little shop would be full OF
miners. listening In dead silence Go the
baby songs and the English songs and
the Scotch songs she poured forth
without stint for she sang more foi
them than for her baby. No wonder
I Ga n. A