The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1902-05-29


Ing me to walk soberfy with Beethoven
and Mendelssohn. Yet with all our
free, frank talk there was all the while
that In her gentle courtesy which kept
me from ventWing into any chamber
of her life whose door she did not set
about her, and when Mr.. Craig return
ed the next day from the Landing,
where he had been for some days, my
fiGst questions were:
"Who Is Mrs. Mavor? And how, tn
the name OF all that is wonderful and
unlikely, does she come to be here7
And why does she stayT'
He would not answer then. Whether
II was that his mind was full OF the
coming struggle or whether he shrank
from the tale l know not. But that
night when We sat together beside his
fire he told me the story while smok-
ed. He was worn with his long, hard
drive and with the burden Of his work,
but as he went on with his tale, look
ing into the fire rs he told it. he forgot
all his present WEAKNESS and lived
again the scenes he painted for me.
This was his story:
II remember web my first sight OF
her rs she sprang from the front seat
Of the stage to the ground, hardly
touching her husbands hand. She look
ed mere girl. Let's see five years
aso-shc couldn't have been day over
twenty-threc. She looked barely twen-
ty. Her swift glance swept over the
group of miners ut the hotel door and
then rested on the mountains standing
in all their autumn glory.
Il was proud of our mountains that
evening. Turning to her husband, she
exclaimed:
"'Oh. Lewis. are they not grand and
lovely too|
Every miner lost his heart then and
there, but all waited for Abe, the driv-
cr, to give his verdict before venturing
an opinion. Abe said nothing until he
had taken preliminary drink, and
then, calling all hands to fill up, he
lifted his glass high and said solemnly:
"'Boys, here's to her.
Like flash every glass was emp
tied, and Abe called out:
"'Fill her up again, boys; my treat"'
"IIe was evidently quite worked up.
Then he began, with solemn emphasis:
"'Boys, you hear me; she's n No. /,
triple y, the pure quill with a bead on
it: she's a
"And for the first time in his Black
Rock history Abe was stuck for
word Some one suggested angel
"'Angel" repeated Abe, with infinite
contempt. Angel be blowed! / para
phrase here. Angels amt in the same
month with her. Id like to see any
blanked angel swing my team around
them curves without a shiver.'
"'Held the lines herself, Abe| asked
miner.
"'That'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 Abe's 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," urged, "who Is she"
"Oh, yes" he said. recalling himself.
"She is an Edinburgh young lady; met
Lewis Mavor, 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 hloods here TO re-
form-here in this devils camp ground,
where mans lust is his only law and
when, from sheer monotOny, n man
must bctake himself to the only ex-
citement Of the place, that offered by
the saloon. Good people in the east
hold up holy hands of horror ut these
goddess miners, but tell you it's ask
ing these boys good deal to keep
straight and clean in place like this.
I 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, "did Mavor re-
form?"
Again he reused himself.
Reform? Not exactly. In six
months he had broken through all re-
straint, and. mind you, not the miners
fault Not miner helped him down.
1t was sight to make angels weep
when Mrs. Mavor would come 10 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