Homely Tragedy. 255 



gained his confidence, he will take down an old 

 gunpowder canister and reveal to you the sub- 

 stance of his faith. 



" Them there shares, as was give to me by 



Lord L hissel', is worth a matter o' ^2,000 



o' solid gold if ever them mines should yield. 

 That's the valley on 'em, as is writ in black and 

 white inside. Two hundred shares at 10 

 apiece is ^2,000. I've reckoned it times and 

 again. Me lord gev' em to me wi' 'is own 'ands, 

 and he says, says he, ( Mould' some day, maybe, 

 ye'll become a rich man." 



But Mould never did become rich ; and this is 

 how it came about. 



For months we had been under the un- 

 broken dominion of ice and snow. Many of 

 those who had attained to a garrulous old age 

 lamented the cessation of what they called 

 " old-fashioned " winters for the last time. 

 The snow fell thickly, and as it came through 

 a thin, biting air it was frozen ere it reached 

 the ground. Neither man nor beast nor bird 

 could break through the hard, glistening crust. 

 As many of the stone fences as were not 

 completely buried, were scalloped and fluted 

 in most fantastic fashion. Everywhere was one 

 wide, white expanse ; and a silence that might 

 be felt covered the land. The hill districts were 

 terrible in their loneliness ; and every frost 

 seemed to deepen the desolation. But at the 



