Year: 1878

No one knew willy the tiny woman who lived near the great coal mine was called Aunt Nudge, although every one knew inc instant she came into view why she was called little, for very small she was, not much larger than a child.

 This Little Aunt Mudgo had heart so large that it could not live in her, but came out through kind words from her lips and loving tides in her eyes, uEtil it fell all about her. enveloping her little person so completely that she was all heart, and when you looked at her you could not see anything else; aLd you thought she was as large as any one, until another person chanced 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 woman!

 When you were on your way to visit Aunt Nudge, and saw the browncst little nutshell of house in the world, stand close to the mouth of the great coal mine, you tho't, 70, that is nut which ripened years ago, on one of tie giant trees that grew to make the coal beds, and it has been getting browner and browner every century since the trees forgot how to grow, and know it must be very hard to crack" And so you would go up to it, and put out your hand in all it's strength, and give knock on the place where the shell looked the thinnest; and just when you were ex- pecting to hear a great cracking noise, the docr of the shell would open, so gently, that before you were aware the kernel would be before you, and you would be drawn into the nut by a friend ly hand; and when the door was closed, the nut would seem to be singing about all tho suns that had shown upon and the winds that had blown over the great tree on which it grew.

 Once upon @ time somebody whispered that Little Aunt Nudge had made great discovery which she was keeping pro- foundly secret-that she had certainly found the fountain of perpetual youth, for there grew not wrinkle more on her loving face this year than the last, and the winters passed and "left no sign"

 The miners who went below always stopped to say goodbye, and for theiI coming up Aunt Nudge watched with a strange wistful look that never seemed to tire. It was this that kept her young the miners coming up from tho mine. Her wistful look could not be diverted at the magical hour, and no in1ucement could tempt her to stay from home fol even one day.

 During the months of one summer, ar owner of the great mine removed with his family to small house midway between the village and the house oi Little Aunt Nudge. His name was Owen Vail. He had two sons, Paul and Arthur, boys just emerging from childhood into that relentless transition state that furnished 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 restrained from going down, notwithstanding prohibition and warn. ing.

 There were strange gases and mys- terious gusts of dampness far down, hundreds of feet below the surface signs which made the miners give the lips at home farewells with strong i'm. pulses elinging in them, born of the feal , that they might be forever-signs which caused Little Aunt Nudge to watch the blackened features as they came up, with something very much like tears in heI eyes.

 I One moning-it was hours after the last man had disappeared within the shaft for the day-Aunt Nudge. openir g the door of her brown little nut. aw Paul and Arthur manipulating in a suspicious manrer the apparatus at inc mine,

 While she watcle !, Paul sp7ang into the bucket. and before the little woman could reach | Q spot he had commenced the fearful descent. Arthur acting as his conductor.

 "HOld. hold iast!T cried Aunt Nudge.