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tnyfgetme,« nom tenner, wita rasa,
no man ever a ya ‘Slug/ And that Is
why 1 am glad >*Le sang last week. It
will be good® for her and good for
them."
“Why doea a ie stay?* I asked.
“Mayor’s pedplo wanted her to go to
them," be replied.
“They have^money—she told me
about it—but laSyftrt Is in the grave
np there nndeStnf pines, and, besides,
she hopes to djo something for the min
ers, and she will not leave them."
I am afraldil snorted a little Impa
tiently as I said: “Nonsense! Why,
with her facej and manner and voice
she could be; anything she liked In
Edinburgh or to London/*
“And why Edinburgh or London?**
be naked coolly.
“Why?" I repeated a little hotly.
“You think this is better?**
“Nazareth was good enough for tbs
Lord of Glory," he answered, with a
smile none too bright, but It drew my
heart to him, ,and my heat was gone.
“How long will she stay?* I asked.
“Till her wqric Is done/* be replied.
“And whenpvill that be?* I asked
impatiently.
“When God chooses/* he answered
gravely. "Abd don’t you ever think
but that It is worth while. One value
of work is not that crowds stare at It
Bead history,-* man!” _
He rose abruptly and began to walk
about
“And don't miss the whole meaning
of the life that lies at the foundation
of yonr religion. Yea/' he added to
himself, "the work la worth doing,
worth even her doing."
I could not think so then, but the
light of the after years proved him
wiser than 1. A man to see far must
climb to some height, and I was too
much upon the plain in thoie days to
catch even a glimpse of distant sunlit
uplands of ' triumphant achievement
that lie beyond the valley of self sac
rifice.
CHAPTER V.
THE MAKING OF THE LEAGUE.
HURSDAY morning found
Craig anxious, even gloomy,
but with fight In every line of
his face. I tried to cheer him
|55j
i
r.&m
%8
BLACK
ROCK
f
llljir.* ROCK!
rdumTTor~sbme place in which To lay
the baby, when in .came the mother
saying in her own aweet, frank tfay:
*QJi, Mr. Ricketts'—she didn't find out
till afterward his name was Shaw—
'would you mind keeping her just a lit
tle longer? I shall be back in a few
minutes.* And Old Ricketts guessed
he could wait.
“But In six montha mother and baby
between them transformed Old Rick
etts Into Mr. Shaw, fire boss of the
mines, and then, In the evenings, when
she would be singing her baby to
sleep, the little shop would be full of
miners, listening In dead silence to the
baby songs and the English songs and
the Scotch songs she poured forth
without stint, for she sang more for
them than for her baby. No wonder
they adored her. She was so bright,
so gay, that she brought light with her
when she went into the camp, Into the
pits, for she went down to see the men
work, or into a sick miner's shack,
and many a man, lonely and sick for . . ,,
home or wife or baby or mother, found j u r *
In that back room cheer and comfort * 1 next
and courage, and to many a poor
broken wretch that room became, as
one miner put it 'the anteroom to
heaven.’ *’
Mr. Craig paused, and I waited.
Then he went on slowly:
“For a year and a half that was the
happiest borne In all the world till one
day”—
He put hla face in hla hands and
shuddered.
“I don’t think I can ever forget the
awful horror of that bright fali after
noon, when Old Ricketts came breath
less to me and gasped, 'Come, for the
dear Lord’s sake!’ and I rushed after
him. At the mouth of the shaft lay
three men dead. One was Lewis Ma
yor. He had gone down to superintend
the running of a new drift The t^o
men, half drunk with Slavln’s whisky,
•et off a shot prematurely, to their
own and Mavor’s destruction. They
were badly burned, but bis face was
untouched. A miner was sponging off
the bloody froth oozing from his lips.
The others were standing about wait
ing for me to speak, but I could find
no word, for my heart was sick, think
ing, as they were, of the young moth
er and hey baby waiting at home. So
I stood, looking stupidly from one to
the other, trying to find some reason,
coward that I was, why another should’
bear the news rather than I, and while
wa stood there, looking at one another
fri fear, thefe 3nE« us the sound
of A _yQl£e .mounting high above cue
blrcn tops, magma.
" •Will ye no’ come back again?
Will ye no’ come back again?
Better io'ed ye canna be.
Will ye no* come back again?
“A strange terror seized us. Instinc
tively the men closed up in front of the
body and stood in silence. Nearer and
nearer came the clear, sweet voice,
ringing like a silver bell up the steep:
“ ‘8weet the lav'rock'a note and lang.
Liltin' wildly up the glen,
But ay tae me he sings ae sang.
Will ye no' corns back again?
“Before the verse was finished Old
Ricketts had dropped on his knees,
sobbing out brokenly, ‘O God, O God,
have pity, have pity, have pity!’ and
every man took off bis hat And still
the voice came nearer, singing so
brightly the refrain:
“ ‘Will ye no’ come back again?
“It becaino unbearable. Old Ricketts
sprang suddenly to his feet and, grip
ping me by the arm, said piteously:
“ ‘Oh, go to her! For heaven's sake,
remember standing iu her
path and seeing her holding out her
hands full of red lilies, crying out:
“ ‘Are they not lovely'/ Lewis is so
fond of them!'
“With the promise of much finer ones
I turned her down a path toward the
river, talking I know not what folly
till her great eyes grew grave, then
anxious, and my tongue stammered
and became silent Then, laying her
hand upon my arm, she said, with gen
tle sweetness:
“‘Tell me your trouble, Mr. Craig/
and I knew my agony bad come, and I
burst out:
“ ‘Oh, if it were only mine!’
“She turned quite white, and, with
her deep eyes—you’ve noticed her eyes
—drawing the truth out of mine, she
said*.
“'Is it mine, Mr. Craig, and my ba
by’s? *
“I waited, thinking with what words
to begin. She put one band to her
heart and with the other caught a little
poplar tree that shivered under her
grasp and said, with white lips, but
even more gently:
“ ‘Tell me/
“I wondered at my voice being so
.steady ns, I said:
\ “ ‘Mrs. flavor, God will help you and
r your baby. There has been au acci
dent, and it Is all over/
“She was a miner’s wife, and there
was no need for more. I could see the
pattern of the sunlight falling through
th£_tcega.upfls~thfi cra«L l couldJvasr
me murmur «r the'river inffTBe cry of
the catbird iu tho bushes, but we seem
ed to be in a strange and unreal world.
Suddenly she stretched out her hands
to sue and with a little moan said:
“ Take me to him.'
“ ‘Sit down for a moment or two,' I
entreated.
“ ‘No, no; I am quite ready. See/ she
added quietly; ‘I am quite strong.'
“I set off by a short cut leading to
her home, hoping the men would be
there ahead of us; but, passing me, she
walked swiftly through the trees, and
I followed In fear. As we came near
the main path I beard the sound of
feet, and I tried to stop her, but she,
too, bad heard and knew.
“ 'Ob, let me go!' she said piteously.
‘You need not fear/
“And I had not the heart to stop her.
In a little opening among the pines we
met the bearers. When the men saw
her, they laid their burden gently down
upon the carpet of yellow pine needles,
and then, for they had the hearts of
true men in them, they went away Into
the bushes and left her alone with the
dead. She went swiftly to bis side,
making no cry; but, kneeling beside
him, she stroked his race and hands
and touched his curls with her fingers,
murmurlug all the time soft words of
love.
“ ‘Oh, my darling, my bonny, bonny
darling, speak to me! Will you not
speak to me just oue little word? Oh,
my love, my love, my heart’s lore!
Listen, my darling!’
“And she put her Ups to his ear,
whispering, and then the awful still
ness. Suddenly she lifted her head
and scanned his face, and then, glanc
ing round with a wild surprise in her
eyes, she cried:
“ ‘He will not speak to me! Oh, he
will not speak to me I*
“I signed to the men, and as they
came forward I went to her and took
her hands.
“ ‘Oh/ she said, with a wail in her
voice, ‘ho will not speak to me!’
“The men were sobbing aloud. She
looked at them with wide open eyes
of wonder.
“'Why are they weeping? Will he
never speak to me again? Tell me/
she insisted gently.
“The words were running through
my head,
“There's a land that Is fairer than day.
and I said them over to her, boMlng
her hands firmly in mine. Sb& gazed
at me as if iu a dream, and the light
slowly faded from her eyes as she
said, tearing ber bands from mine and
waving them toward the mountains
and tne woods:
" ‘But never more here! Never more
here!’
“I believe In heaven and the other
life, but I confess that for a moment It
all seemed shadowy beside the reality
of this warm, bright world, full of life
and love. She was very ill for two
nights, and when the coffin was closed
a new baby lay in tho father’s arms.
“She slowly came back to life, but
there were no more songs. The miners
8till come about ber shop and talk to
ber baby and bring ber their sorrows
and. trppbjesi. bpt though she
in my clumsy way by chaffing him
about his league, but be did not blaze
up, as he often did. It was a thing too
near his heart for that He only ahrank
a little from my stupid chaff and said:
(To be continued)
Bargains in Shoes!
WE OFFER FOR A FEW DAYS
On Table No. I—Women, and Childirn < x -
fords and Sandals, all sizes ninth $1.25
to <2.00 ot
Oil Table No. 2—Worn ns Dongola Shoes
worth $2 mi at
On Tsble No. 3 -Mena Sln ea worth
from $2.00 to $3.00 at
75c pr.
$1.00 pr.
$1 25 pr.
Johnson Shoe .,Co
231 Broad Street, Athens. Q-a.
The Only Exclusive Shoe Dealeis on Broad Street
Exclusive Agents for GAINESVILLE SHOES.
Sampson's Guaranteed Shoes.
THE GEORGIA NATIONAL BANK OF ATHENS
CAPITA!. SIOO.OOO.
Receives accounts of Banks, Corporations, Firms and Individuals, and offer*
to depositors every accomodation, their business, balances and responsibility
warrants.
Directors: Thus. P. Vincent, Jos. N Webb, A.S. Erwin, Billups Phinizy.
Jos'. H. Fleming, Jno. J. Wilkins.
THE UNIVERSITY SAVINGS BANK,
CAPITAL 40,000
Receives saving* accounts, on which interest is paid. Save your m»uer
deposit it with us and see it grow.
Directors: Billups I'hinizy, A. S. Erwin. Jos. N. Webb.J. H Fleming, Tlu
I*. Vincent. Jno. J. Wilkins.
THINGS YOU NEED.
Every lady desires to beautify
her home and the best
place to g**t the loveliest
of all things is at
MISS ROSA VONDERLEITH'S,
Qn College iroaao.
Such tilings ss The Georgia Sofa
Pillow, ILuhographed Sofa PH-
l<\w*-2&ted Table Covers, Hem-
stltchecTsquares, etc., have just
been received. Call and ex*
anlne.
Miss Rosa Vonderleith.
;„«»♦♦♦♦
The Athens Savings Bank.
Does a Regular BankinS Busin -ss. Pays Interest on
Sivings Deposits.
G. A. MELL. Cashier, MYER STERN. Pres.
M. G. MKHAEL, Vicr-Presu'ent.
Athens Electric RailwayCompany,
«■ LIGHTS AND POWER,
CorO-*U9?3 A.V31H3 ani Clayton Streer,
C. D. FLANIGEN, Mngr.
GOOD -- VALUES
FOR - QUICK - BUYERS
Svch as These are Only Found in Our Stores.
too beautiful Japaned Waiters, in bright
colors, decorated in beautiful designs of
Primrose and Wild Roses, with a light
* background, worth 50 to 75 cents at . 35c
Terra Cotta Churns, all sizes.
12 doz. beautiful pictures in gilt frames toe
Beautiful Wall Pockets 25c to 65c
A splendid Whisk Broom • . 10c
Boys Pants • ■ • *5 C 59 c
This line of Boys Pants are fine.
Neck and Fan Chains . toe to 25c
Beautiful line Neck Ties . . 25c
Counterpanes . • 5 0C 10 $t-35
Little white hen covered Dishes 10c
Diamond Dyes . • .8c
Mens 4-ply Linen Collars . 5 C
A full line of Pad Locks. See our special 14c
Best Elastic per yard
5 to 9c
Carpenter Pencils
4 for sc
Sponges
. tc
Nice Line Glass Lamps
20c to 73c
Palmetto Fans
IC
We can save you money on Men’s pants
Give them a look
50c to $3.00
Ladies Undervests, pink, blue and white 5c
Ladies Undervests extra
9c
Good Salmon, per can
. 8c
Don’t fail to see our line of Mens Pants.
Lantern Globes
. 8c
7 inch D. E. Handsaw Files
Sc
Nice box writing paper, 24
envelopes
24 sheets
SC
Ladies 4-ply Linen Collars 5c
I yard wide Bleaching • • 5 C
Lace Pillow Shams, per pair • *4 C
Tanglefoot Fly Paper, per sheet K
Wood Slate Pencils, each Ic
Best Oil Cloth per yard *9*
Extract, all flavors . 5 C - 7c and 9c
Boys 'Washable .Suits, from 29c to . 59c
EmbroideredT Cape Collars in fancy open
work designs . 45- 5° an “ 59 c
Full line Trunks, from 28c to . $3-95
The best Whisk Broom in town . toe
Our line of Cups and Saucers are very fine.
The “Ideal” Food Chopper not only grinds
meat, but vegetables. Every home should
have one only. • • -*•*”
Imxes for 5c
10c
10c
Headquarters for Fans.
Starch,
Nice line stick pins
Basting Thread per spool
Ladies’ Watch Cord with slide
Nice line Corsets.
Beautiful bronze Svrup Pitchers. 25c
Mens Suits . ' $2.49 to $9.00
Full line Straw Hats 10c to $1.25
Large bottle Bay Rum 10c
Glass Dippers ... 10o
See our now line Suspenders.
Others ask 60c for this pisee of Embroidery
14 inches wide ... 29c
Gilt Frames with brass corners to hold 8
S hotos. worth 50c . . 80e
leu’s Pants, Men's Pants. See them.
Full line enauielware, blue' white and gray.
Beautiful line cream pitchers.
NICHOLES’
Cut Price Stores-
THE GLOBE RACKET STORE.