fields he remembered playing in when he was a
little boy, and he ofttimes sighed for them; but his parents wanted him
to work in the mines, and so it was his duty to stay on where he was.
At last he was made a putter, and had, with two other boys, to push and
pull along the rolleys. He had been about a week at the work, when one
day, as he was going ahead of a laden rolley, he slipped, and before
those behind saw what had happened, the rolley went over his foot. He
shrieked out, for the pain was very great, and it seemed as if his foot
was smashed to pieces. "I shall be a cripple all my life, like poor
Lawry; oh dear, oh dear!" was his first thought.

His companions put him on the rolley and took him to the foot of the
shaft. He was soon drawn up to the pit's mouth, when the banksman got
two men to carry him home on a stretcher, and sent for the doctor.

"Oh, Dick, Dick, what is the matter? Another of my boys a cripple!"
cried poor Mrs Kempson, when the men brought him in and placed him on
his bed.

Dick could scarcely speak for the pain.

"Don't know, mother. Hope not," he could just murmur out.

"Was there ever so unfortunate a woman as I am? my poor boy! my poor
boy!" she cried, trying to cut off Dick's boot and stocking, which was
covered with blood.

The doctor came at last, and said that he was afraid it would be a long
time before Dick could use his foot; but that, if he took care, he might
recover entirely.

Samuel, who had been hewing at the end of a long gallery far away from
the foot of the shaft, only heard of the accident to his boy on his way
home. Once he would have grumbled very much. Now he only thought of
poor Dick's pain, and not at all of the loss of his wages, and the
additional mouth he would have to feed. Dick was more sorry for his
father and mother than for himself. David came, whenever he could, to
see him, and he amused himself by cutting-out models, as he did when he
was ill before. He could now also read well, but he and David had read
through and through all their books and the tracts which the missionary
had left them. They were therefore very thankful when he came again;
and hearing how much Dick wanted books, left them several nice
magazines. Some had beautiful pictures. Neither Dick nor David had
ever seen anything which they thought so fine. When Dick heard from the
missionary that the pictures were made from carvings on blocks of wood,
he said that he should li