s com
by Muckleroy Deterding
kind, had worked such wonders for him that he
felt quite ready to enter the mine again, and face whatever new
trials it might have in store for him.
After dinner the mine boss came to see him, and was amazed to find
him looking so well and cheerful. "You seem to come up smiling after
every knock down, Derrick," he said. "I
shouldn't wonder if you
would even be ready to go down into the mine again to-morrow."
"Indeed I think I must, sir," said Derrick, earnestly. "I don't
believe any one else can get along with Harry Mule as well as I can."
"Let me see. How many years have you been driving him?" asked Mr.
Jones, gravely. "Only one day, sir," replied Derrick laughing, "but I
think he's very fond of me, and I know I am of
him." "All right; if you insist
upon it, you shall go down again to-morrow to your bumping-mule. Now
I want to talk to you seriously." The conversation that
followed was long and earnest, and it was ended by Mr. Jones saying,
just before he left, "I must manage somehow or other to be there on
the 27th,
and I want you to go with
me, for I don't know anybody else whom I dare trust. It only remains
for us to
discover a way." CHAPTER VIII DERRICK STERLING'S SPLENDID REVENGE The
new breaker, in which Paul Evert now worked as a slate-picker, was in
general appearance very much like the old one, but its interior
arrangement was different, and of such a nature as to make life much
easier for those who worked in it. The greatest improvement was the
introduction of a set of machines called "jigs." The coal from the
mine, after being drawn to the very top of the breaker, first
passed between great spiked rollers, or "crushers;" then through a
series of "screens," provided with holes of different sizes, that
separated it into several grades
of egg, stove, nut
13 years, 2 months