The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1903-01-21
A miner was sponglng off

coward that was, why another should
bear the news rather than L, and while
we stood there, looking nt one another
in fear, there broke upon us the sound
of a voice mounting high above the
Orch tops, singing:
"'Will We no come pack again?
VIII we no come back again?
Better lo'ed we Gamma be.
VIII we no come back AGAIN.
"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 q 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 pltyl' and
every man took off his hat. And still
the voice came nearer, singing so
brightly the refrain:
"'Win we no come back again?'
at became u%nDearablc. Old Ricketts,
prang suddenly to his feet and, grip
f''fN NV ~ Wv tlii, Sstlb llttOllSlN
"'Oh, 20 to her! For heavens sake,
go to herp
81 next remember standing in her
path and seeing her holding out her
hands full of red lilies, crying out:
care they not lovely? Lewis is so
fond OF them!
with he promise of much finer ones
turned her down Il path toward the
river, talking know not what folly
till her great eyes grew grave, then
anxious, and my tongue stammered
and became silent. Then, laying her
hand upon my arm, she said, with gen.
tie swectness:
""Tcll me your trouble, Mr.. Craig
and knew my agony had come, and 1
burst out:
"'Oh, If 1t were only miner
"She turned quite white. and, with
her deep eyes-you've noticed her eyes
drawing the truth out of mine, she
said:
CTS it mine, Mr.. Craig, ana my ba-
by's?'
II waited, thinking with what words
70 begin. She put one hand to her
ncart II with the other caught q little
poplar tree tha. shivered under her
grasp and said, with white lips, but
even more gently:
""rcll me-
81 wondered at my voice being so
steady rs | said:
Mrs. Mavor, God will help YOU and
your baby. There has been an acct
dent, and it Is all over
she was Il miners wife, and there
was no need for more. | could see the
pattern of the sunlight falling through
the trees upon the grass. | could hear
the murmur of the river and the cry of
the catbird in the bushes. but we seem
ell to be in Il strange and unreal world.
Suddenly she stretched out her hands
to me and with Il little moan said:
"'Take me to him.
"'Si down for Il momcn or two,' i
entrcatcd.
Ono, no; | am quite ready. Scc,' She
added quietly; Il am quite strong
81 set of by n short cut leading to
her home, hoping the men would be
there ahead of us; but, passing me, she
walked swiftly through the trees, and
| followed in fear. AS we came near
the main path l heard the sound OF
feet, and | tried to stop her, but she,
too, had heard and knew.
"'Oh, let me go! she said pitcously.
You need not fear
and | had not the heart to stop her.
In Il little opening among the pines we
met the bearers. When the men saw
her, they laid their burden gently down
upon the carpet of yellow pine needles,
and then, for they had the hearts of
true men in them, they went away into
the bushes and left her alone with the
dead. She went swiftly to his side,
making no cry; but, knccling beside
him, she strokcd his face and hands
and touched his curls with her fingers,
m%urmuring all the time soft words of
love.
ooh, my darling, my bonny, bonny
darling, speak to me! Will YOU not
speak to me just one little word? Oh,
my love, my love, my hearts love!
Listen, my darling!
"And she put her lips to his ear,
whispering, and then the awful still
ness, Suddenly she lifted her head
n scanned his face, and then, glanc-
ing round with Il wild surprise in her
eyes, she cried:
"'He will not speak to mel Oh, he
will not speak to met
81 signed to the men, and as they
came forward I went to her and DOL
her hands.
"'Oh,' she said, with a wall in her
voice, The will not speak to me-!
"The men were sobbing aloud. She
looked at them with wide open eyes
of wonder.
"'Nhy are they weeping? Will he
never speak to me again? Tell me-
Ii insisted gently.
"The words were running through
my head,
"There's a land that Is fairer than day,
and 1 said them over to her, holding
her hands firmly i'm mine. She gazed
at me as If in Il dream, and the light
slowly faded from her eyes as she
said, tearing her hands from mine and
waving them toward the mountains
n the woods:
"'But never more here! Never more
herep
81 believe I'm heaven and the other
life, but / confess that for a moment it
all seemed shadowy beside the reality
of this warm, bright world, full of life
and love. She was very ill for two
nights, and when the coffin was closed
Il new baby law I'm thp fothpr'a orne