In The Maberly Mine

John Wallace!" called the mine uperintendent through the speakmg niDe " "some visitors are coming down Inthecage. Youwfflbe kind enough to show them through the tunnels. "Visitors!" [ ïepeated to myself. l must be a lacl.e.% too as well as a drudge. It is ouv another straw to tho. loul I am carryiug. i breaks my back so much the bettor. I shan De oom. W1Thetworld has littlo respect for those whose code of honor leads theni aside from the broad highway of commonPlWhen, at my f ather's death finding bis estáte heavily encumbered, I liad decmed it mv duty to place it at the disposal o. his creditors, I found myself, sociall.peaking, in icewater. Those who had known me in my happier days knew me no lono-er, and houses where I had once been a'welcome guest were now as mpenetrable as the owner's ignorancc of mv existence. . ï could have borne this well euough had only one home remained open to me -the home of Eve Guión. In the days when her werlthy father lookcd with favor upon the intercourso nf bis dauffhter with the landowner s son, I had sonie wild hopes about ner. She w:is a beautiful girl- young, and, as I had believed, synvpathetic. 1 hacl believed, too, íhat I had seen ghmpses of somethins in her face that proved my hopes not to be so wíld as they seemed. .. But that, too, was over. A polita note from her f ather infonncd me that tus daurhtcr could henceforth dispenso with mv attentions; and, as I received no mtimátion to the contrary from Eve herself I concluded she, too, liad declared mv'ostracism. After this I lost hope, and made no attempt to better my worldly condition. I left the village, and after two years of wandering, of ten in desütiition, I stranded myself on the Maberly eoalmine as gt ng-master in the pits. Our mine had a doubtful reputation, having been the scène oí several distressiag; accidenta. Consequently, we were seldom troubled by risitors from the upper earth. tu This was a Godsend to me. I coulcl manage to enduro the life I was leading onlv on oondition of not beingtobfreqUently rcminded of the life from which I had been cxiled. Theideaof eu?onntering persons whoni I had kown m better times was a constant terror to me. It mav be im.cgined, thcefore, with what feèlings I awaited the descent ot the visitera who had been signaled from above. . . , As the cage stopped upon the level where I stooa with my lamp in my hand and the passengers alighteü, I recogniz;od them with feèlings of downnght misery. I saw before me the two por" gons whom of all humanity I had least wished to meet- Eve Guion and her filtllGl. Had they heard of my wliereabouts and come to witnessmy degradation ? No As cold and worldly as I believed Eve to be, I could not imagine hercapaki nf simh mean malice. Who could identify the name , master John Wallace with Wallaee Grover, ci-devant ,( ïtlemen? Besides, I remembered that Mr. üuion was a shareholdcr in the Maberly mine. It was merely a sight-seeing tour, after Two years of hardship andthegrowth of a heavy beard had changed my appearance so that I was sureneither father nor daughter could possibly recogmze With strict control of niyself, I could show them thvough the mine and dismiss them none the wiser. Now that they had come, too, Í was glad of the opportunity of seeing the woman 1 had loved- still loved once more. I stepped confidently forward, therefore, and introdueed mysciiastheguidc, John Wallace. Eve lookcd at me closely but, 1 thought, only with an expressión of curiosity as to the looks of a man whose lif e was spent under ground. Mv head swam and my heart beat thickand loud as I stood before hermor e beautiful because more Mcnous and womanly thau whcn wc had been intímate two yeara bef ore. I noticod lliat her face was a little paler, and there was a look of sadness in it that was uew to me. The season I had spent in wretchedness, then, had not been wholly free from sorrow for hor. Not, of oourse, on my account; such a notion never enteved my head. "Have yovi been here many years? she asked, as we were preparing to ascend into the gallones. "Years enough, madame, to know the mine tkoroughly," I answered, evasiyely. . . . , Mr Guion looked at me ïnquinnoï y. "You speak like aman of cducation' my good f ello w," he said. "Do they put men of your stamp in such positions as yours?" . "Men of my stamp have few claims which the world is bound to respect, I answered, gruffly. "You are here to see the mine, lie Kina enougu lu iuilow mi1." , "My fatlier will have more tnan enough to do to guide his own steps," said Eve, coming to my side and quietlyplacing her hand on my arm. "1 must trust to your gallantry, Mr. Wallace." , . ... I made no reply, l)t wondering u, woman as she was, she liad no faraway hint of the cause of that sledgeliammer beating of my hcrt under her round arm. We remained In the galleries two ,,„„,. „!mrc tluin twic a lorigas was aecSürytotheirthoroughtopectíon. The old man was growing prt. bul the o-loomv pits and chambers uationforEveGuion. She loitered, on one pret at and aaother.nntülbegantoïearlmust hare betrayedmyidentítytoherquiokeye. face had gro n strangely sad and Sous I saw, too that when she oucrht bewelf anobsewöd she watched vkccintently. Had she detected m nd was she BeeMng for an opportum make her discovery known without etraying me to her latnei r I deteñnined that sbo should not acon-plish her design, 1 "& I ,, .at' Bhould I lose niyself-control al lof my love, bitterness rud despftir uould nïrst out iu artorrent. . I thereíoi... was careful to avoid being lonè with her for a moment. And 1 oon saw that I had gucssed áright She ras-endeavoringto separate me Irom er father, thrt sho might speak to me. But I íoiled her quietly but skiltulij, nd after the galleries had been explord nvice over, and there was no Ipngei he shadow of a pretcxt fot remaimng, ; o finally prepared to depart. As.WO entored the upper level we passed'lhe dark opening of a a disused cliamber vvhich I had cerned r.nsafe te be visited. Eve's eyo eaught sight ol it. ) f 'Here is a chamber we have not seen, she said. T . "N, madame," I intcrposed. lt is no longer worked. The water has brokeainto it twicc, and ït is considered dang-erous." „ , linean toseeit at all cvents, she replied. "Father, wait ior us here. Mr. Wallace will not refuse to guide me I un sure." , . , She cast a strangc, insigmfacant look at me, which said almost as plainly w Wi knowyou, Wallace Grover, and I mean to speak to you in spite of your caution." , , Thpn she entercd the chnmbev. But she liad miscalculated my tact. 1 turned to her father and requested lnrn to enter with me, in order do dissuade her from her rash adventure, and we followed her together. Shc gave me a reproaehful look as we entered, and 1 heard her sigh. . The moment I put my toot in tüe ehaniber. my senses, trained by long experienee to note the varymg phenomenaofthe under world, detectert a hint of the coming danger. There was a faint rumbling in the bowels of the earth. The air was close, and had a taint cl clectncity m ir, similar to that which precedes a thunder storm. There was sttrely peril m the mine, but Low or whence it wouldcome I coul'1 not gucss. . Aa i turned to urge my vieitors to a hastvrelreal.Icaught sight of some fragmenta ( - wet earth dropping trom the wa.ll near at hand, followed by a jet of water. Then I knew what . was coming. , . , "Out! Out foryourhves!.1 I cned, springing toward the wall. -'The water is bursting into the mine. Kmg lo the cage and give the alarm'1 The oíd man needed no second war ing. With a cry oi terror ne sprau out of the chamber, and the next m - ment I heard Mm give the alarm. 11t', followed the shouts and trampüng the eaping men. I knew if I co hold the water in check for ten mir I could save the life of every one _ them. As for my own- well, one lite, and that a useless one, .-.eemed a good exc ïanee for a himdred fathers of lies. When I first saw it the jet was no bigger than a man's finger, but m a moment it had enlarged to the size ot mv arm, and a heavy stream of water began to pour into the chamber. There was no apparatus at hand, ncither clap nc .- sand-bags to check it, as I weli knew. A happy inspiration carne to me. With a Titanio effort, I managed to thrust my arm into the fissure, and for the time-beíng I succeeded in cheeking the leak. Then, with my arm m the wall, 1 temed half around to the opening in the chamber, and there, to my honor still stood Eva Guion. I saw that het face was very pale, but fiiin and selfpossessed. . „..,.. "What are you doing hereí í enea. "This place will be ful! of water in five minutes." What are you doing here? she asked, quietly: 'Myduty," I replied, "I am trying to hold this stream iu check until the men escape." "Then you will be drowned, she exclaimed. "Whatofthat? Better one than a hundred. But go," I entreated, ' - tell you you have only a bare chanco to get nnt as it is. The water is pressing er every moment. It will soon be too much for my strength." "Then I will stay and help you, Wallace," she said, in a strange, gentle voice. "Ah, you know me, I cned. "I havo known you from the moment I entered the mine. I came here to see you." "To taunt me with my poverty, 1 cried. "When your father turned me away ironi your uooi, wu - ui. outcast and wretched, I thought I had the right to hide my misfortune from your eyea." "It i's because my father used you so cruelly that I am here," she said. "I was not to blame, Wallace. I knew nothing of it until you were gone. Sineo then I have triecl to learn of your whereabouts in order to let you understand mv feelings. It was only yesterday that I heard of John Wallace in the Maberlv mine, and on the, bare chance of identifying him with Wallace Grover I influenced my father to bring me here." "Wcll, said I, sorrowfully, 'Tt is too late to think of the past now. Go, Evo. Go, and keep poor John Wallace's secret. It will soon be over with him." "You persist in reniaining here?. sne asked. "I must," I said. "I should be a coward and a wretch to desert my post now." _ "Then," sho replied, vevy qmetly, L will stay with you." "Whv," I asked amazedly. "Ave yon jesting with me? "Can I jest with death, Wallaco, or - love?" , , ïhen, beforo I could comprehcnd the words, ehe camo to my sido, as 1 lood with nr wrist iu the wall, and p ting her arm around my neck drew my I ieek down upon lu-rs. "ít ifl hard lo die so young. Wallaco, ' she said, sweetly, "but it woiüd bc harder to live without yon. ín thc honr oL death, my dear, we ca dispense wilh f alse del icacy. I kn that you have loved mè'many years, d I returned yovir love. If w ;ave met again only to die, death al leas! cannot separtae us." With death staring me in thc face- not live minutes off- I have never known a happier moment in my Ufe. As I stood there with my arm in the fissure, and the blood surging into my head, and all my muscles strainmg to keep my position, I knew nothing more than that I feit tho heart ol ttae woman Ilove k?eating asaünst my own, her wurm young cheek touehing my cold om; in the embrace of love and death. Tho consciousness of her position rushed upon me again. "No no,"Icried. "You must not die. (io, live, my darling- live until it comes your time to meet me, in the other world, where I shall be before you. Go, and bolieve no man ever met den Ui aa gloriously as I shall." "We go together, or we die together," shisaid firmly. "Speak of ït no 1 1 tl'i.' Then B solemn silenoe feil upon us. Tlie men musí have nearly all escaped, as I oould teil by their di&tant shouts. The earth was breaking away arounil mv arm, and tlio water was already nearly two feet deep upon the floor ot the chamber. I could hear the subterranean stream roaring more threateningly n the bowels of the mine. An„t?„,. ,,,„f] af nressure and I should be ilung clown, and the chamber woulcl Then carne a great desire for my life. low could I beur to have my newouml joy so sudilcnly smothercd in the CTonnd? . , , The sounds of the escaping men nací ceasetl. If we coum gei ine cagu wr, ■ onco more in time wo might perhaps escape after all. I explained my hopes to Eve. T "But," saiil I, "ring for the cage. 1 will hold on hert a moment longer. ■ li wc can reach it we are safe." Eve looked at me sharply for an instant- she feared I meant to deceive her iuto escaping while I rcmained behind but she devined my intention. _ With a quick movement she seied the ïieht, lifted her skirts and ran throuS the water out of the chamber. The next tnirty seconds seemed like hours. I desperately held niy own agamsi the waters while every vein seemed bursting witb tbe strain. I heard the bell ring for tiie cage, heard ít slowly descerní; Uien the water overéame me. I was flung down asby agiant ílttd. There was a roar and a rush as of JNia2-ara, and with a whirl oí hghts and faces, a chaos of confusión and terror, 1 knew no more. , When 1 slowly struggled back to lite, after many days, I was íar f rom the Maberlv mine. I was no longer John Wallacè, gangmaster, but was Waüaco Grover, gentleman. I was in my father' fi house. . My oíd servants were arouncl me, and, liko a fairy who had worked a wonderful transformaron, sweet r-e Guión was the predominan angel o tho scène. , n ... Mv affairs had been settled with my reditors very rauch more to my benefit than I had imagined could be possible. llv ancestral home and ft modest competency were stül lelt to This, too, was the workof EveGuion. whose 'love and faith in me had never falteredin all my wretchedness and exile and wliose strong will had drawn comfort and happiuess for me out oí the depths of sorrow. If Mr Guion objected to the turn affairs were taking, he had the sense to offer no fruitless opposition to nis daughter's inclination.