The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-27
THE BLACK PIT,
By THE EARL OF IDDEsLEIGEI
Author Of The Luck o Lassendalc, &c.
(All Rights Reseryedo
wsEEiS1g1EMi

| All that Sunday morning there had
fingered in his memory tho beautiful
| lines of Longfcllow in which the lover
recalls the happy day that had seen
him under the lindens, and In the
village church with the gentlest of his
frients."--Was not lie, Rupert Oxton,
n lover too?y Was not his promised
bride the gent1est friend ever given
to man? Had he not walked to the
| church with her, and might he not
also sing.
| II saw the branches OF the trees
| Bend down thy touch to meet;
| The clover blossoms in the grass,
! Rise up to kiss thy feet?"
| Had not he also thought of his Edith
| throughout the service, and through
| out the sermon, and was he not now
standing by her SIDE in the old church
yard, that to him was the corner OF
| the earth to be held most dear; and
| that to all was n spot famous for It's
| loneliness? Many an artist in searching
| for a scene of happy peace had come
to Lanfair parish, and none had gone
| away in disappointment.
| Edith looked round her with soft
| eyes filled with expectation, and ex-
claimed with delight at what she saw.
| There were the white cottages with
their becoming matched roofs, that
must have witnessed the passing OF at
least 500 years; there were the or
chards with the pink and white bios
SONS that form coloring that may
not be painted or described; the river,
"all in It's midday gold and glimmer
ing" murmured tn esongs of May;
whilst in the distance could be clearly
distinguished on that bright day the
far off hills of Dartmoor, that bound
SO many OF Devon's fairest views.
ooh Rupert, it is Paradise" she
cried at last.
He smiled In eager sympathy: ~
thought you would like it"
Like IT. What poor expression,
Why L adore it--But what Is that
strange fence?" and she pointed with
her hand to a high wooden wall that
stood in the shape OF circle in
field that ran down to the river
He answered: TT is the Black Pit"
and in his voice there was touch OF
gloom.
H.
Now the Black Pit was manganese
mine. old, flooded and disused. which
Sir Wilfred Oxton had sunk more than
a hundred years ago. 1t lay In what
was now an enclosed meadow, but the
land had formerly been common land,
and it's enclosure had been bitterly re-
scented. though little cared Sir Wilfred
for the anger that he reused. And this
was the lengend of the pit as Edith
heard 1t from the lips of Dame Hell
mont, wisest and most venerable of the
women OF Lonfair.
II was on the shortest day of the
year, and n black miserable day II
was, as l have heard my father tell,
that Sir Wilfred Oxton ordained that
the sinking of the Black Pit should be
started. He intended to give the first
stroke with the pick himself, but my
father vowed to be beforehand with
him. There had been much talk in the
village about robbing the poor. about
mines, about manganese, and about a
new source of wealth. which most of
the people looked on as wickedness.
But my father, who had neither cattle
nor sheep to pasture. was on Sir WIZ
freds side. If there was something
under the ground that could be dug
up and turned into money, why it
would be pure folly to leave ii lying
useless. And my father believed that
valuable manganese would be found.
What his reasons were l never knew
but sure / am that he hazarded no
mere empty guess, for he was ever a
man of prudence and consideration.
Well, holding this belief he was re-
solved to take a hand In the opening
of the mine. and he got himself en-
gagged as one of the workmen. Then
he thought he would be bringing his
luck towards him If he could be the
first to drive pick into the soil, but
he must do 1t secretly, or else Sir Will
fred would be sorely dlspleased. So
before the daylight came on the 21st
of December he left his cottage, never
needing the wind that howled and the
rain thta streamed down. and set off
to the meadows where the Black Pitt
was to be. He had near mile to
walk. and never one living creature
did he see or hear until he came to
the place of his destination. He had
marked the exact spot that he would
strike with his pick, and had lifted his
arm to deliver the blow, when from
the surrounding darkness there came
a voice, What dost thou here John
Clatworthy?" my father trembled ex-
ceedingly and let his pick drop from
his hands. Then the voice went on.
Thou are come to give the first stroke,
been one before thee sir Wilfred?"
freds lord, and thy lord, and the lord
and my fathers terror grew. 81 will
not strike" he said. Thou hast
struck" were the dread words that
next he heard. Where thy pick now
lies, shall be the very centre of the
accursed pit, whose doom is upon
thee; and my father tainted away.
"What was the yOiccoD slScd