Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1914-01-15

oppression, of revolt and heroism.
Som had been in mine disasters be-
fore, and told of their narrow escapes.
There was one whose face Stanialaus
knew to be horribly eaten by flame
a key of powder had exploded in his
face. An old Welshman related how
he had started to work in the mines
of Wales when he was six years old
The entries there were so low that he
and other little boys had to crawl on
hands and knees and push the cars
Of coal with the tops of t-N,ir heads
They worked stark-naked on account
Of the heat, and because it. was easier
to get around that way. In the morn
ing and in the evening they had to
push the miners, who would lie down
full length in the coal cars, to and
from their rooms They received
their reward in kicks and curses. The
old Welshman made Stanislaus feel
a round callous spot on top Of his
head, from which the hair was torn
off. That, he said, had been caused
by pushing the coal Cars. 1t used to
get fearfully sore at times, as did also
lis knees. Every little boy in the lit
tie Welsh Village had just such a
round bald spot. And when they sa.
together in Sunday School, they look
ed like congregation of little monks
Stanislaus listened and heard much
that was new to him, and made hin.
think that after all his own lot and
that Of his brother had not been 8
very hard one. -
The long. weary hours wore on. The
men slept and woke. They became
sullen and morose. They told no more
stories, and their hearts were too
heavy to allow them to sing. Then
Stanislaus began to play on his flute,
and their anxiety and disbursement
melted into tears. They wept for
their loved ones, whom they probably
would never see again.
They slept and they woke, they
slept and they woke, and still no hep
from above! With their parched
tongues they licked the damp walls
of their prison. Stanislaus could no
more play. Then one became insane
They had to hold him and tie him.
He raved and laughed, making the
air hideous with his cries. At least
he subsidede into incoherent numb
lings, grew still, and died. ].
Tfen it was found that several
oilers were dead.
Sanislaus, became very weak, he
fei that he, too, was going to die. "A
sickening faintness crept through hitn
like slow poison, palsying his limbs
Leaning his head against Tobias
shoulder whispered family, Goodbye,
Tobias"
Bat Tobias would not let him die,
his little brother, his playmate. his
child! Gashing his forearm open with
his knife, he allowed the blood to
trickle between Stanislaus' half-open-
ed lips, refreshing the young life at
the cost of his own.
$50 it happened that when all the
others were dead, when Toias lay
stark and still, Stanislaus still liveo
Sitting there alone among the corpses,
Stanislaus suddenly saw something
very wonderful take place. i
He saw silver sun revolving in a
coal-black sky. A myriad stars ap- J
peared and began to tall. They fell,
faster and faster, while StanlsIaus
played the ute.
The stars vanished
He found himself in a silver boat,
Dating down a. coai-black river. while
coal-black mountains rose on either
hand. Tobias sat at the other end
of fithe boat, and they f1oated down
the river to the rhythmic notes of the
flute. The river emptied into a great
black sea. Over the sea hung a fog. |
through which Jshone the silver sun.
When they entered the fog. the noun
tains suddenly collapsed, the piping
of the flute grew faint, and ceased
The men engaged in the rescue
work heard medly of songs and
waltzes, sad and merry, from behind
the wall of coal. but when at last they
penetrated into the black prison, Stan
islaus was dead, with the ute clutch
ed tightly in his hand.
Yet to this day, some superstitious
miners, when they enter certain pas
sages of the mine, cross themselves
and say that they can hear the piping
of Stanislaus' ute.
. 4. -
The conmon people now naye l mint.
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