The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1908-01-10

SANDY MacPnerSOn was new mana
S.ily that morning had he Joined the
Iorce at the Aspohegan sawmill; and
every now and then he would pause,
remove his battered soft felt from his
whitis1a yellow curls, mop his red
forehead and gaze with a hearty ap-
probation at the fair landscape spread
out beyond the mill. With himself and
with the world in general he felt on
fairly good terms-an easy frame OF
mind which would have been Jared
had he been conscious of the fact that
from a corner in the upper story OF
the mill his every movement was
watched with vindictive and omi-
nous interest.
In that corner, close by the head of
one of the main slides, stood a table
whose presiding genius was a little
swinging circular. The circular was
tended by powerful, somber-visaged
old mill-hand called Lille Vandine,
whose office it was to trim square the
ragged ends of the STUFF before 1t
went down the slide. At the very
back of the table hummed the saw,
like a great hornet; and whenever
Vandine got two or three deals in
place before him he would grasp a
lever above his head, and forward
through it's narrow slit in the table
would dart the little saw, and scream
its way in a second through the tough
white spruce. Every time he let the
saw swing back, Vandine would drop
his eyes to the blue-shirted figure be-
low, and his harsh features would
work with concentrated fury. These
seven years he had been waiting for
the day when he should meet Sandy
Macpherson face to face.
Seven years before, 'Lige Vandine
had been working in one of the mills
near St. John, New Brunswick, while
his only daughter, Sarah, was living
out at service in the city. At this time
Sandy Macpherson was employed on
the city wharves, and an acquaintance
which he formed with the pretty
housemaid resulted in a promise of
marriage between the two. Vandine
and his wife were satisfied with the
girls account of her lover, and the
months slipped by swiftly without
their making his acquaintance.
classes, however, it not seldom hap
pens that betrothal brings with it
rather more intimate privileges than
propriety could sanction, whence it
came to pass that one evening Sarah
returned to her parents Unexpectedly,
having been dismissed from her stu
alton in disgrace. Vandine, though
ignorant, was a far-seeing man, who
understood his own class thoroughly;
and after his first outburst of wound
ed indignation he had forgiven and
comforted his daughter no less ten
derby than her mother had done. He
knew perfectly that the girl was no
wanton. He went at once into the
city, with the intention of fetching
Sandy out and covering up the dis
grace by an immediate marriage. He
visited the wharves, but the young
man was not there. With growing ap-
prehension he fastened to his board
ing house, only to learn that MacPher.
son had left the place and was de-
parting for the States by the next
train, having been married the pre-
vious evening. The mans pain and
fury at this revelation almost choked
him, but he mastered himself suffi-
GENTLY to ask boy of the house to
accompany him to the station and
point out the betrayer. If the train
had not gone, he would be in time
to avenge his poor girl. The boy,
however, took alarm at something in
Vandine's face, and led him by a
roundabout way, so that just as he
drew near the station the Western
Express rolled out with increasing
speed. On the rear platform stood