Evening star., 1923-10-03
Escaped.

a certain evening Va S'
spring, just about the time
when the last glimmer OF
twilight was about to fade
into the final delicate shades OF ousA'
a woman opened the door OF q loheiy
cottage which stood in the midst OF
a belt of fir trees high above a deep
valley, and, standing on the door
. st.n looked at the lights which had
already begun to twinkle far below.
From force of habit. concentrated
long before and practiced through
many wears, she shaded her eyes with
her right hand although the sun
had then been down good halt nouF'
An observer would have thought she
was peering anxiously through the
eloom-in reality she was listening
for the sound of a footstep on the
rocky path which came upward lroLli
the stream at the foot or the oank.
1t was her custom to listen for TINS
footstep every night, and because the
sun shone directly on the place In
spring and summer at that hour sne
had contracted the custom OF shielo
ing her eyes
The familiar aspects OF the lana-
scape were still plainly visible TO TINS
solitary watcher. On the Opposite
side of the valley she saw the an
Client castle in which saxon KING
had kept his state, and near 1t the ola
church. square-towered. gray,wa,.-
ed, scarcely less ancient: the plctur.
esoue inn, with its thatched ROOF ana
timbered gables; an old farmsteao or
two: cottages whose ages We're reck-
oned by generations instead OF by
years. =.
Nearby was a complete contrast in
a little town of red brick cottages,
built on regular and mathematicai
lines. not one brick of which had
been there in her childhood-no' nor
for years after she was wire ana
mother. There was always Some re
sentiment in her as she looked at
these evidences of modernity; she re-
membered that where the new village
now lay there were fields which were
famous for their mushrooms, ana
coppices celebrated for their nuts ana
trees under which she and her COM
panions had played. And between
this new hive of industry and the
river rose the outward evidence ..
The underground force which haa
made this change between oio anu
new-the outer works OF coal mine,
the gigantic shaftings, the mighty
scaffoldings, the great wheels, the
sheds. engine houses, pumping houses,
machinery houses, the mountainous
bank of slag-an of which had
when a scientific man.. with a long
nose and blue spectacles. who was
stopping at the castle told Sir Robert
Mannersley that his ancient estate
lay over a coal seam which might prove
to he worth millions.
Margaret Britten turned from this
scene full of a wistful longing. She
had the instinct of folk who are
born and bred on the soil, and change
was hard TO bear. She had first seen
hoe oh IN
man had lived in 1t when her own
father and mother were dead; there
she had borne her own children. All
connected with her had earned their
living on the land in the old-fash-
toned ways-as laborers, gamekeep-
ers, woodsmen Now there was only
one man of her family left-her son
Jim-and instead of following the
plow over the broad uplands behind
the cottage, or assuming the Keeper
by King Coal and earned his money
good money, as she knew-as
check.weighman at the colliery.
AS she turned to glance within the
cottage doorway Margaret heard
Jim's step on the rock-strewn path
way far beneath. and then his ia
miliar whistle. She ran within and
opened the door of the oven few
inches, and took peep at something
which was undergoing some process
odor to escape which reached the
nostrils of Mr.. James Britten twenty
yards away.
That smells good. mother" he ex-
claimed minute later, as he came
busting into the cottage, and seiz-
ing Margaret by her ample waist
kissed both her cheeks. You could
smell that over at Mannersley! What
is it this timer"
It's liver and bacon. with an onion
Il hot n
stand a spoon in, my lad" replied
Margaret, as she began to hustle
about. so get your cleaning-up done
and fall to while it's hot"
NO second invitation needed.
mother" responded Jim, with alacrity.
cottage, where he was presently making
great noise with soap and water, and
whence he quickly emerged with shin
ing face and damp hair.
mother he remarked, as he drew
chair to the table and looked ap-
provingly at the smoking dish which
Margaret set before him.
Then lay knife aboard, lad" coun-
seled his mother.
Now that her immediate duties
were done she sat down in her easy
chair by the hearth and watched her
son eat, smile of placid enjoyment
overspreading her broad good-hu-
those old-fashioned women who de-
light in seeing their menfolk do full
justice to their victuals, and who be-
Iieve-and rightly-that a vigorous
and hearty appetite is the surest
sign of sound health. Margaret
Britten, in short, was happfest when
she beheld Jim at the close of his
days labors proving himself mighty
trencherman, and 1t was her great
pride to study his appetite and to
tickle his palate.
And he was worth it. she said to her
self as she sat watching him-a fine.
handsome lad of five-and- twenty.
straight as willow wand. with clear
gray eyes and direct look, and q head
of thick brown hair which still curled
as obstinately as when he was baby
in arms No better young man in all
that countryside. thought Margaret;
nor one, other folk might have said.
that was more modest, considering
that he was all that was left to n
mother who had consequently done
her best to spoil him.
Amy news today, Jim?" asked Mar
garet. when the young man had taken
off the final edge of his appetite.
"Aught happened%'
We'll, / have heard some news.
mother" replied Jim, thoughtfully
regarding the inroads which he had
made on his supper dish, and then
helping himself again. ITS little
more than a rumor, but / believe