Year: 1874

in him. Ben's in Philadelphy now; but
he's coming on next week and II! fetch
him over There's a something I've got
on my mind and then he kind o
chuckled, and we hoped it was apromo-
ton coming for father.


The next week, sure enough, over came
MIR. Shackles with his nephew--the hand
soonest, straightest young fellow ever
saw To be sure ne was little bashiul,
but that wore of in time, and almost be
fore we knew it be was giving lessons to
Marcy on the guitar and teaching her
short hand and lots OF things.


The neighbors got pretty Jealous ofus
and sometimes called as +" Them stuck
up Freebornes /" 1t was a fact teat We
got all the improvements to our mouse
that we ever wanted, and that the agent
and his nephew were over there good
ish part of the time, but it was all on ac-
count OF mI beautiful sister


Il pose they'll. have the incest house
there is here, sometime, We heard that
they said, but didn't sense what they
meant For the agents house was the
handsomest one, and stood facing the
most beautiful prospect you ever looked
upon. and had ten rooms with marble
mantles and all the modern convenences


Well, we didn't think it had gone so
far when mother told us that little Mar
gy was asked, and that his uncle was just
wild about it, he was so delighted. l
suppose it did make us little proud, for
thought it over in church, and began
to see that was lifted up bit to think
so much of havn' Ben for brother-in-
law. AS for Marcy, she was as happy
aud as beautiful as an angel. Shed
learned to play lovely on the guitar; beat
Ben all to pieces The weddin' day was
set; the weddin was to take place in the
agents house, he was sot on that


=" Don't you give yourself no trouble
about it, he said to mother. "Ill have
everything up from Philadelphy, and all
you folks is got to do is to dress Up and
come over in reasonable time.


SO as he took matters into his own
hands. we didn't worry. He give the
loveliest white silk to Marcy, and areal
veil and everything of the best and finest.
Marcy was SO sweet and lovely. not abit
set up at her good fortune, but modest
and quiet as ever.


Well. the time had all but come; the
weddin' was to he at five in the afternoon,
and all the men that could be spared were
to have a half-holiday. and there was to
be a supper on the green after the we'd
din, for everybody We had just got
Marcy nicely dressed wnen there came a
sou~A ike a thousand thunders, and al,
Of asudden the air was quite black Then
we heard an awful screaming, somebody
came running to The house, shouting out


There's been an explosion, aud Ben
is killed"


Well. well such time may never
see again Marcy didn't faint but she
set down with her eyes staring and as
white as sheet. Not once did she move
even finger, or speak, though we shout
ed to her. and mother got down on her
knees and begged and prayed her not to
look so. The miners crowded round, all
in their best clothes, but poor fellows,
they'd been helping at the mine, and
their hands and faces were as black as
your hat There wasn't many hands
down there, but what there was was killed


We couldn't find out rightly about
Ben. One man said he saw him going
TO the pit, another that he heard him say
he must go down minute, and there
was a terrible confusion.


The old agent was here, there and ev.
erywhere. Somebody said the loss OF
Ben had turned him crazy, o, it was
dreadful what with the sobs and moans
of some poor creatures that had los,
their all, and Marcy sitting there 50 still
and white, and mother sobbing, and
father on his knees in the back room, and
we all breaking our hearts over the trou
BILE,


was just looking at the clock, which
was on the stroke OF five, when suddenly
there was a louder voice than ever, ant
Marcy threw up her hands and gave th,
straUgest cry ever heard in my life
Then she began to sob like child.


Where is she: Tell her I'm safe anc
sound. did go down, but 1 only stayct
moment; don't hinder me, boys.
took Danny and went over to Blockley
thought | should be back sooner, bu
Dandy went lame 0 Marcy, Marcy
my little girl! God be thanked He
uas spared me, and--well you may
guess how matters went on after that.
To see the tears making great white
sire ks down the black faces, to hear thu
hurrahs that went up, even from SOM
poor fellows who had lost their own
was something that don't happen bu
once in an ordinary lifetime.


Yes, the weddin took place. Marg,
said no but the agent would have IT, liz
was very solemn, and 50 was everybody
but you see he had given up Ben. Before
that he had been rough sort Of man
fond of his joke and apt TO say whatcve
came into his head in the way Of swear
ing, but you never heard an oath out o
his lips after that. and he seemed another
person like. Every Sunday he was as
regularly to church as the minister. anc
he was so soft spoken to his men, thai
they didn know at first how to take 1t


1t seems that Ben had found that somt
little matter of business hadn't been at
tended to in the press OF matters. and h'
hadn't minute to spare so he told boy
to run over to the house and say he hac
gone but the boy delayed, and the dread
iul accident happened-poor little Joe
never came up out of the mine.


That's forty years ago. Marcy anc
Ben are both in heaven, ! hope, long
~ father and mother, and there hasn