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

great store by Lies girl, not havin'
no daughter of his own
1T was lies as done it, boys" said
Macpherson. GAS for whose lies.
why that amt neither here nor there,
now-an' she as did the mischiefs
dead and buried-and before she died
she told me all about it. That was
last winter-of the grippe-and I tell
you, I've felt bad about Sarah ever
since. An to think the little lads
mine! Boys, but amt he beauty?"
And Sandy's face began to beam with
satisfaction at the thought.
By this time all the hands looked
gratified at the turn affairs were. to
them, so plainly taking. Every one
returned to work, the foreman re-
marking aside to a chum, II reckon
Sarah S all right" And in a minute
or two the saws were once more
shrieking their way through the logs
and slabs and deals.
On the following morning, as Lille
Vandine tended his vicious little cir
cular, he found it's teeth needed re-
setting. They had been tried by a
lot of knotty timber. He unshipped
the saw and took it to the foreman.
While he was waiting for the latter
to get him another saw, Sandy Mac
Pherson came up. With a strong eff.
fort Vandine restrained himself from
holding out his hand in grateful greet.
ing. There was lull in the uproar,
the men forgetting to feed their saws
as they watched the interview.
Sandy's voice was heard all over
the MILL
Lie Vandine, I saved the little
lads life, an that counts for some.
thing; but 1 know right well amt
got no right to expect you or Sarah
ever to say kind word to me. But
1 swear, so help me God, 7 hadn't
no sort of idee what I was dom. My
wife died las winter, over on the
Kennebec, an afore she died she told
me everything-as I'd take it kindly
eff you'd let me tell you, more par.
ticular, another time An as I was
wantin' to say now, I'd take it kind ef
you ID let me go up along to your
place this evenin', and maybe Sarah d
let me jest talk to the boy little. Ell
so be ez I could persuade her by-and.
by to forget an forgive-and you d
trust me after what I'd done-Pd lay
out to marry her the minute she d
say the word, fur there amt no other
woman I've ever set such store by as
l do now by her. An then Their s
Stevie-"
"Stevie and the lass hez both got
a good home" interrupted Vandine,
roughly.
can 1 wouldn't want a better for
en-" exclaimed Macpherson, eagerly,
catching the train of the old mans
thought. What I'd want would be,
eff maybe you'd let me come in along
with them and you"
BY this time Vandine had got his
new saw, and he turned away with
out replying. Sandy followed him a
few PAGES, and then turned back de-
jectedly to attend his own circular
he having been moved into the mill
that morning. All the hands looked
at him in sympathy, and many were
the ingenious backwoods oaths which
were muttered after Vandine for his
ugliness. The old man paid little
heed, however, to the tide of unpopu.
larity that was rising about him.
Probably, absorbed in his own
thoughts, he was utterly unaware Of
it. All the morning long he swung
and fed his circular, and when the
horn blew for IL his mind was made
up. In the sudden stiffness he strobe
over to the place where Macpherson
worked, and said in a voice of affect
ed carelessness:
'You better come along an have a
bite O. dinner with us, Sandy. You IL
be kinder expected, reckon, for
Stevie's powerful anxious to see you"
Sandy grabbed his eoat and went
along.