Preface

I am now past 90 years of age.  Seventy-two years of my life have been working underground, coal mining.  There have been three short publications of my life given by newspapers.  My relatives and friends asked me to write my full life.  Having had only a few months of schooling in a village school when a young lad, the story of my life will be crude.  It would be too difficult for me, as I would have to rely on my memory for things that have passed away long ago.  My memory still retains scenes that transpired more than 75 years ago.  We may wander away and mingle with the world's fierce strife and form new associations and friendships and fancy we have almost forgotten the land of our birth, but at some evening hour, as we listen, perchance to autumn winds, the remembrance of other days comes over the soul and fancy bears us back to childhood scenes.  We roam again the old familiar haunts and press the hands of companions long ago since passed on and we listen to the voices that we shall hear on earth no more.  It is then that a feeling of melancholy steals over us which, like music is pleasant, though mournful and sad.

After life's rush is over, may you retain memories that are pleasant.