Year: 1866

NJ OtlG hHS" WY tue Tiny NOuan WIG


lived near the great coal mine was called


Aunt Nudge, although every one knew the


instant she came IN view why she was


called little, for very small she was, not


much larce- than a child.


This little Aunt Nudge had heart SC


large that it could net live in her, but


came out through kind words from her


lips and loving tides III her eyes, until il


fell all about hers enyeloping her little
person so completely that she was all


heart, and when you looked st her you
could not see anything else; and you


thought she was as large as any one, until
/ another person chances to come and place
five or SIX feet of human growth beside
her mite of being, and then you could
not help exclaiming, . What a little wo-


man !"


When you were on your way to visit
Aunt Nudge and saw the brownest little
nut shell Of house in the world, stand
ing close to the mouth Of the great coal
mine, you thought, oh, that is nut
which ripened years ago, on one of the
| giant trees that grew to make the coal
/ beds, and it has been getting br0wner and
/ brU~ner every century since the trees
/ forgot how to grow, and | know it must
/ be very hard to crack" And so YOU
would 90 up to it, and put out your hand
/ in all It's strength, and give knock on
+ the place where the she'll looked the thin
/ est; and just when you were expecting to
hear a great cracking noise the door Of
the she'll would open, So gently that, be-
/ fore you were aware, the kernel would be
T before you, and ycu would be drawn into
/ the nut by Il friendly hand aad when the
door was closed the nut would seem to be
singing about all the suns that had shone
upon, and the winds that had blown over
the great tree on which it grew.
Once upon a time somebody whispered
that Little Aunt Nudge had made q great
discovery which she was keeping pros
I ioundIy secret-that she had certainly
fonnd the fountain of perpetual youth, for
there crew not a wrinkle more on her low
Ing face this year, than the last, and the
winters passed and left no sign"
The miners who went below always
stopped to say good-by, and for their
! coming up Aunt Nudge watched with
strunge, wistful look that never seemed
to tire 1t was this that kept her young
tho miners coming up from the mine
{ Her wistlul look could not be diverted at
the magical hour, and no inducement
could tempt her to stay from home even
for one day.


During the months of one spring, an
owner Of t. great mine removed with his
family to small house midway between
the village and the house of Little Aunt
Nudge. lis name was Owen Vail, He
had two sons, Paul and Arthur, boys just
emerging from childhood into that rest
less. transition state that furnishes SO
much material for ship owners.
Day after day the two boys wandered
about the mountains, lingering long at the
entrance TO the mine, and scarcely re-
strained from going down, notwithstand-
ing prohibition az warming


There were strange gasses and mvstc-
rieus gusts OF dampnass far down, hum
dreds Of lccs below the sur!ace-sigus
which made The miners give tic lips AT
home fare wells with strong impulses
clinging IN them born Of the fear that
they might be forever = signs which
caused Little Aunt Nudge to watch the
blackenel features as they came up, with
/ something very much like tears in her
( eyes.


I One morning - it was hours after the
/ last man had disappeared within the shaft
for the day Aunt Nudge, opening the
+ door of her brown little nut saw Paul
I and Arthur manipulating in a suspicious
manner the apparatus at the mine.


While she watched Paul sprang into
the bucket. and, before the little woman
could reach the spot, he had commenced
the fearful descent Arthur acting as his
conductor.


Hold, hold fast f. cried Aunt Nudge,
ere her hand went out TO arrest the un-
winding of the rope; but Arthur who had
+ been watching long for just that opportu-
njtv, when there should be no men 10 op-
pose at the mouth Of the mine had no
thought Of being stopped by a woman, and
he uuvOuud faster aud faster, until a firm
grasp was fixed upon his hand and the
speed arrested.


Gently, gently" gasped the woman,
i" if YOU will save Your brothers life"


At the words Arthur turned white with
fear, and let 90, leaving all that fearful
strain upon the small hands that could
Just but hold in their grasp the crank Of
the windlass and the rope was 50 old


that it might give way soon, and Nigh;
at any second - it had not been used for


months


Aunt Nudge seized the crank with both


hands. and cried, Help helpl help


Arthur caught it just in time; It was


slipping from her grasp, and the two


gently ie.Sened the motion until the buck


ct stood still


Paul had jumped ln very bravelv, an


ticipating a fine time' and terrible sur


prise 70 the miners below. when he should


suddenly drop into the midst. but even


as the blue SKY was shut from his sight


he gasped with an emotion very like fear


When the rays Of light disappeared one
by one he began to trcmtle and cGn-


fast to the sides Of the tub, that was 0nIy
large enough q hold him. 1t was rerfcc


Ilackness IN the shaft and the AIR thai
rushed up as be felt himself TO be rush


inE down. was not ike the brave, swcc


air ibat he had Lreathcd under the blu,
of the sky it made him think Of SutIo


cation. and the darkness was So dens,
that he thought il was buryin- him alive
he felt is weight driving down upon hi
head


In that momout Paul VAL would hay'
given everything he possessed to be safely
out Of the coal region.


Suddenly he felt himself to be no lgn-e


going downward, the motion had change;
, 10 n swift circlinr course that would bav
: made his brain dizzy but for the feaTfu
7 darkness The rope was u1t7isted. bu
, he knew il not-one strand had parted.
He shouted aloud. and from the depth
! his own voice Numbered back t. him
. The thought was whispered 10 him, " May
g De Arthur cannot hold the crank any long
: eg, and the fearful sequences came; =
/ What ii he lets co.