INDUSTRIAL SKETCHES AND STORIES.

Star (Christchurch), 20 December 1907, Page 4

INDUSTRIAL SKETCHES AND STORIES.

■ ■■■. « No. V. JOSH NEWSOME'S ENEMY. (By E. a"KENTON.) Author of " Black Diamonds," etc. :.....' [Aii Rights Reserved.] "There's one man I couldn't over firing myself to, marry, Jos-h," isaid £ssie, the colour coming into her dimpled cheeks and her blue eyes brimming over with tears as she looked up at Mm. " And he is?" said Josh Newsome, questioningly. '-•"The man who caused my brothers death by opening his lamp down in the mine," said Essie, very gravely. Josh' 8 face grew almost ashen in its hue, as he stood with downcast eyea^ seeing nothing for a few minutes, bat hearing' a loud humming sound in his ears, for it so happened that no one Knew who had been tl^e cause of the Accident except Joshua and another man named Mike Thomas, and no one else knew that they knew. The young miner's whole heart had "jjone out to young Essie Newsom© in 'SftK trouble, for she was tenderly atto her elder brother, and ever since that sad day when Josh assisted ta carry the body of her brother home, lie had felt a chivalrous desire to shield and help her, which speedily changed jto love, the whole-hearted sincere love of a good man's heart. ■)■■ vEasie reciprocated the feeling. They walked <*ut sometimes together. They Bad just been for a walk now, across the fields, aWay from the more blackened and dingy neighbourhood of the colliery, to where the grass was green and the wild roses and honeysuckle Wei* in the hedgerows, and the sweet fbent mingled with the fresh, country air. They were returning home now, md' <were lingering a little in the »h*dW of a- battered old elm tree, whose half-dead and wholly blackened branches stood out spectre-like against <fb.9 evening eky. - ■ '•■'. A few moments before Jcsn had been on the point of asking Essie 4rt> marry him in the autumn, but now/ Stt'a't once he felt as if the ground were cut away beneath his feet. A shadow had fallen across hie soul at Essie's words. „ ' " I hope you will never believe folks if-i-if they speak evil of me," he stammered. ' • . " I couldn't," the girl replied, stoutly. Then Bhe added, "Why should they speak evil of you, Josh?" "They might." he rejoined, evasively. " Essie, if it were my word against another's, which would you believeP" ' "Yours," she answered, v without a doubt. "Good : mght, Josh," and she tripped away, with a light heart. ■V . . - • • , "Essie, child, I love you. Will you ' be my wife?" . . . "Mr Thomas!" Essie exclaimed, in great embarrassment. It was Sunday evening, and she had jurt left the little chapel, where Mike Thomas had been preaching with great fervour. He had left the chapel, too, as soon as, he could, and had followed ■fcer to the cemetery half a mile away, ■where she always went on Sunday evening to visit her brother's grave. She was kneeling by- the grave now, pntting two .or three great Glory rcees upon it, and Mike, looking down upon fcer, was admiring her beauty and the winsomeneee of th^ act. _ "I am a lonely man, Essie, and I love you " "Oh, Mr Thomae," faltered Eseie, "please don't talk like that. You an» so far above me, and— and — so much older." ' " r "I am only thirty-five," he rejoined, j "And I'm only twenty," she falter- ' "fed. almost tearfully. " A man should be older than a wornjan, Essie." j " Bu&, Mr Thomas, I can't— l— l— ' don't We you," -faltered Essie, tears filling; (her €gres, and dropping doxyn , upon the grave. "That does not matter, my girl. I lore von, and I will make you my '^r%t«,^ he saidj in a rather autocratic manner. V: But Essie shook her head. " No, please, I cannot," she declared. >; _He became startled and a little " Then theoe must be someone 9>|se," he eaid.. . v N ■ Essie was silent. \ "I see, that's it. AVho is he, Essie?" The girl did not answer. Furtively she looked on this side and od that, bui no one came to her relief, and so •Jie arose, ready for flight if needs be. ■ ■.'•.'.' "Is it Josh' Newsome?" asked Mike suddenly. Essie blushed and cast down her eyes. -fine could not deny it. "I see I am right," said the man, frowning. For a moment he fought with: a temptation; then, surrendering to it, he added, roughly, " Well, then, you've no business to be here, tending your brother's grave. Go. # Leave that iwdrk to those who love his memory." "What do you mean?" dried the ghrl, in amazement. ■ .'-• "What I say. You do not love your laieibiother, or his memory, if, he stooped to whisper in her ear, " you love the man who killed him." . "What?" The girl's face was blanched now. " What are you saying?" ... -He paused. Again there was a faint atoTigde in- hie breast. The devil conquered; and he said, in a hissing whisper,* " I saw Josh Newsome open his Tamp, in order to light his pipe, on that Wful night of the explosion when poor Dick was killeS." Then Mike went away. ' He could not stay and make love to Essie just then. Before doing anything more in th»t way he must leave her to get over her trouble, for she looked like one who had received a grievous blow. ■'■' It was not only his assertion that. Josh was the guilty man which had ''wo upset her, but the memory of th*> awful pallor at»d the look of wretchedfcees ■which had come into Josh ; 6 facp>. when she told him that the man she could never marry was he who caused her brother's death. '■ "Ho did it," she said to herself misembly, »nd then and there, kneeling down by poor Dick's grave she Save up all thoughts of ever being osh*6 wife. „■,.■, After that evening she avoided, the

young miner, and was_ so changed in her manner towards him that ne, of course, demanded an explanation. In giving it Essie was too heedless of aught else but her trouble to tako care to lower her voice so that others near them might not hear. In oonsequoace there were those present who heard the impassioned charge against the young miner. Of course Josh denied having opened his lamp in the mine, but in vain. No one, not even Essie, believed him, and, though her heart was breaking, the girl declared that she would never have anything more to do. with him. It was in vain that Josh appealed to Mike. The elder man boldly mainI tamed, the lie 3 which it seemed as if | he had almost come to believe himself by that time. At length, maddened by Mike's, attitude, and all the trouble he had brought upon him, Josh was heard us/ing threatening language against his traducer, whom the younger man, madly it seemed to others, accused of ing himself caused the explosion. Essie did not believe thisj she thought Mike, as a class leader and local preacher, was above reproach; but all the same she could not tolerate the idea of being his wife, and never swerved in her denial of his suit. After all he had not gained anything by his slander, and, having still a conscience, it gave him no peace night or day. People said Mike Thomas was ageing prematurely, and . some blamed Essie for her heartlessness. Things were in this state when, one day, while both men were down in the mine, another explosion occurred. The miners rushed to'the bottom ot the fchaft, calling to each other to look sharp. Only Josh saw Mike Thomas stagger and fall heavily to the ground, overcome by the noxious fumes which were fast following them. The man lay like a log, immovable and unconscious. To leave him there would have been almost a venial sin of omission, just then, when every moment was of such freat consequence in the saving ot osh's own life. No one would blame him. No one but he had seen Mike Thomas fall. No one would ever know he 6aw him lying' there. i . Josh stood still. It was all very well for him to threaten Mike when they were both well and above ground, but h 6 could not leave him to die likfe aflog in that foul mine. " I'm not made that way," he said to himself. _ Though much younger than Mike, he was bigger and stronger, and instantly he took the unconscious miner in his arms and bore him onward. Necessarily his progress was slowtr than that of the other miners aad when he reached the bottom of m& shaft, it was to find that they had all gone up in the last cage, leaving him behind. „ A feeling _of despair came over the young man. He knew not what might happen before the cage returned. Would he die there with his enemy P Would he never see Essie's sweet fac© «-g ain r Would she -always believe that he had killed her brother, and then been base enough to deny it? J . '_ It seemed hours, instead of minutes, before the two miners were hauled up and stepped out of the cage, terribly black but wholly uninjured. Mike had recovered consciousness as they approached the purer air of the pit brow. He seemed excited, and now, waving his hand, called out that he wished to say a few words to his fellow miners. , " " Silence!" cried someone. " He's going to say a word in season." Mike began in Ms loudest preachiag tones " I have erred and strayed from the right way. Men and brethren, J told a lie about Josh Newsome. He did not open his lamp in the mine, seven years ago; it was I who did i£T Yes. List-en. It was I. And, to-day, he, Josh, stayed behind m the mine, to save my life at the risk of his own. I shall preach no more. , You may learn of Josh Newsome; he's preached enough to-day to last all of us fofr a life-time." . There was such an uproar, amongst the crowd, who heard these words, that for some time Essie could not get near Josh, but at lust they found each other! " Forgive me/ she whispered. " Poor Essie," he returned. " I have felt for you, dear. You must have been so unhappy." " I was," she sobbed. "It's ended now," he said, pressing