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

UdUy III biack ROck, anu tney uSeQ 10
crowd Mavor's 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 a hardware shop,
for his people chucked him, and he was
too proud to write home for money
Just for chance to he 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
bing hard, and to my question he re-
piled:
Its Just like my own
/ "You can't understand this. but to
men who have lived so long in the
mountains that they have forgotten
what 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
, that black camp that bound them to
what was purest and best in their past.
'And to see the mother and her baby
handle the miners-oh, it was all beau
tiful beyond words. l shall never for
get the shock l got one night when l
found Old Ricketts, nursing the baby.
A drunken old beast he was. but there
he was, sitting, sober enough, making
extraordinary faces at the baby, who
was grabbing ut his nose and whiskers
and cooling in blissful delight. Poor
Old Ricketts, looked as If he had been
caught stealing and. muttering some
thing about having to go, gazcd wildly
round for some place in which to lay
the baby, when in came the mother
saying in her own sweet, frank way:
oh, Mr.. Ricketts'-she didn't find out
till aftcrward his name was Shaw
would You mind keeping her Just a lit
tie longer? | shall be back in few
minutes And Old Ricketts, guessed
he could wait.
but in six months mother and baby
between them transformed Old Rick
ctts into Mr.. Shaw. fire boss of the
mines, and then, in the evenings, when
she would be singing her baby to
sleep, the little shop would be full of
miners, listening in dead silence to the
baby songs and the English songs and
the Scotch songs she poured forth
without stint, for she sang more for
them than for her baby. No wonder
they adored her. She was so bright,
so gay, that she brought light with her
when she went into the camp, into the
pits for she went down to see the men
work, or into sick miners shack,
and many n man, lonely and sick for
home or wife or baby or mother, found
in that back room cheer and comfort
and courage, and to many poor
broken wretch that room became, as
one miner put it. the anteroom TO
heaven"
Mr.. Craig paused, and I waited.
Then he went on slowly:
"For year and a half that was the
happiest home in all the world till one
day
He put his face in his hands and
shuddered. .--
II don't think I can ever forget the
awful horror OF that bright fall after
noon when Old Ricketts, came breath
less to me and gasped, Come, for the
dear Lords sake" and I rushed after
him. At the mouth OF the shaft lay
three men dead. One was Lewis Ma
vor. he had gone down to superintend
the running Of new drift. The two
men, half drunk with Slavin's whisky;
set off shot prematurely, to their
own and Mavor's destruction. They
were badly burned, but his face was
untouched. \ miner was sponging of
the bloody froth ooZing from his lips.
The others were standing about wait
ing for me to speak, but ! could find
no word. for my heart was sick, think
ing, as they We're, OF the young moth
or and her baby waiting at home. SO
| stood, looking stupidly from one to
the other. trying to find some reason,
coward that was. why another should
bear the news rather than |, and while
we stood there. looking at one another
in fear, there broke upon US the sound
of voice mounting high above the
birch tops, singing:
"'Will ye no come back again?
Will ye no come back again?
Better lo'ed ye Gamma be-
VIII ye no come back againT
"a strange terror seized us. Instinc-
lively the men closed up in front of the
body and stood in silence. Nearer and
nearer came the clear, sweet voice,
ringing like a silver bell up the steep:
"'Sweet the lav'rock's note and lang.
Liltin wildly up the glen.
But ay tae me he sings ae sang,
VIII ye no come back AGAIN.
Before the verse was finished Old
Ricketts, had dropped on his knees,
sobbing out brokenly, % God, o God,
have pity, have pity, have pity" and
every man took Off his hat. And still
the voice came nearer, singing so
brightly the refrain:
"'will ye no come back againT
ut became unbearable. Old Ricketts,
sprang suddenly to his feet and. grip
ping me by the arm. said piteously:
"'Oh, go to her! For heavens sake,
so TO her!
~ next remember standing in her
path and seeing her holding out her