he same. When his day's work was ended,
he could lift his burden on his head, and journey homeward with a light
heart; the only weight he felt was upon his head; many a day he came
over the ground singing, certainly _under a difficulty_, but no matter,
he did sing. Abe was an alto singer in the chapel choir, but in these
homeward songs one would almost fancy he would have to take another
part, as the lump on his head would render it rather inconvenient for
him to reach the higher notes; ground-bass would be more in keeping
with his circumstances, and probably he himself was more inclined to
sink than soar; be that as it may, he sang and trudged along home, and
any one that met him, might know he was happy as a king, aye, and
happier than many.

CHAPTER VIII.

The Clouds begin to Break.

Abe had not long laboured in the coal-pit before all about him began to
feel he was a good man. He did not hide his light from anyone, masters
or men, and though they may not have followed his godly example and
Christian counsel, they all respected him for his pious and consistent
life among them.

It so turned out that one day the foreman ordered all the men to stay
and work overtime at night, in order to complete some important matter
which they had in hand. This was a terrible blow to Abe, for it was
his class-night, and he had never yet missed that means of grace, nor
would he, if he could by any possibility get there; but now, what was
he to do? He felt it was his duty to obey his master, and take his
share of the extra work if required; on the other hand, his heart
yearned for the fellowship of saints: how dear that little classroom
seemed to him then. All the day his mind dwelt upon the subject; he
fancied his own accustomed seat empty, and his leader and classmates
wondering why he was not there; he prayed earnestly for deliverance
from this snare, and yet saw no way of escape. Evening came, and the
usual hour for leaving work, but no bell rang the men out; on they all
went at their task, and Abe along with the rest, yet all the time he
was groaning in spirit; half an hour passed away, when the foreman came
in. He was a hard, resolute man, that seemed to have neither fear of
God nor devil before his eyes. "Abe Lockwood," said he, "isn't this
thy class noight?" Abe looked up in an instant, and replied, "It is."
"Drop thee wark this minute and go then; if I'm going to hell, I won't
hinder another man from tryin