the ear of the astonished
miner, and from them he began to comprehend that his son Paul had done
something wonderful, and had thereby become a famous character in the
village. At length, after much effort, for they would not believe but
that he knew the whole story, he learned of his boy's brave deed of the
night before. Instead of going down the slope the miner hurried home,
where he found Paul, looking very pale and languid, just sitting down to
his breakfast.

Picking up the frail boy, and holding him in his strong arms as he used
to when he was a baby, the delighted father exclaimed,

"Paul, lad, forgie me this time, and I'll never speak thee rough again.
Thee's made me, I think, the proudest man in the state this day.
Crippled and all, thee's proved thyself worth a score of straight lads,
and to thy fayther thee's worth all the lads in the world. Mither, our
Paul's done that any man in t' mine might be proud of, an' he's the talk
of the colliery."

Thus was Paul more than repaid for all his suffering of the night
before, and as he hobbled to his work in the new breaker that morning he
was once more happy and light-hearted.

The evening before, Job Taskar had called Monk Tooley from his house,
and as they walked away together he said, in a low but significant tone,

"That Sterling lad's not down in the mine, Monk."

"He must be dere, fer de Sleepers left him where he'd be safe, an' I
know he's not come up de slope since."

"He's not there, I tell you; for I just now saw him going into Jones's
house, and heard him say he had something important to tell him."

"If yer saw him and heerd him of course he must be up; but I don't see
how he did it. If he's told de boss anything it must be a blab on de
Sleepers, fer he can't know anything else."

"Whatever it is, he's dangerous to have round, and we must look out for
him."

"All right! just leave him to me. I'll have de Sleepers fix him. Dey'll
do anything my boy Bill tells 'em; he's got 'em under his thumb."

"Look sharp about it, then."

"Ay, ay, mate, I'll give Bill de word to-night soon as he comes in."

Then the two separated, and Monk Tooley went home, thinking over a plan
by which the Young Sleepers, under his son Bill's direction, could
effectually drive Derrick Sterling from the mine. As he opened his own
door he called out in his loud, rough voice,

"Bill come in yet?"

Stepping into the front room, he stood still in amazement. The wife of a
n