The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-10-16
THE MINER.
Written for the Advocate
THE FOAL COMPANY,s AGENT.
CHAPTER VIII.
YOU OBEY ORDERS.

IOu ObkH OkDkkS.
Next hing Of Importance that taxes place
in conndttion with your interest and the
companH is this discharging Of Crooks,
which VIE have already alluded 10. Before
this haT 0ened, all the CrOOkes' movements
bad beee watched and duly reported. Ii
Mrs. CROOKS INDUCED in the purchase Of "a
new dreks, a piece Of carpet or an article OF
\ furnituAe, Mrs. Striving got to know all
about il If there was prospect OF Crooks
/ being blessed with an increese of family, 1t
was promptly reported to your lady. When
people these blacklegs, | suspect-buried
themselves with Crooks dOmostic concerns,
We DO Hot wonder at their attending to bis
busineA at the mines. You we're put In
dosst ss{On of all proceedings at the works.
/ What should have been done, and was not
done, Was carefully pointed out to you; as
was altk what was done that should not
! nave bJ In done. You and your lady began
to thin4 not SO much Of Crooks, as you had
done. Brooks salary at this time was
three thousand dollars per annum. The
salary br your immense responsibility Sn'0
uI diuaE services had been advance to slA
thousaIsd dollars. Your clever Secretary
receiv1i but one half Of this. Tb!s salary
! Of YOU Secretary just about kept up the
fast hdkses she had lately added to her es-
1 tablIsle nent. She loved to drive out, you
know y not so much in your company,
though; you had no time to waste IN this
manna. Besides, YOU had no taste to drive
like lHe wind about the mountains. Fools
often freak their necks by doing so. l was
I speak hg Of your respective salaries. Use
was v lued by your company at One-half
The ste that they placed on ornament
The Aervces you performed, could have
been Sought for fifteen hundred dollars per
year. All the real good you did, you saved
The bmpany a clerk by doing q clerks
woIkt your wife was not over well paid BY
the three thousand she received 10 her own
name and right, although she only gave you
half In hours advice and instructions per
day. To do this much, though, occupied
little IF her time, but much Of her thought.
She Vas useful to the company; her ambi.
bitiot and want Of womanly feeling is all
we cdo find fault with. The possession Of
the fist quality and want of the second
wrorkh much mischief.
CRoks was discharged on their account,
NOR a than on account of his raising the
minds wages in one particular part of the
minds, where the miners encountered great
er dIhiculties than they did in others. This
was his alleged offence. The real offence
waskhat this business was transacted with
; out khe previous sanction of your wife,
Mr.. Fish had been allowed to bring the in.
formation concerning the increased wages
of those miners to the lady's ears. This
ecrtked her, and she stamped her feminine
fooq6n the company's Office floor, and or
derA you to discharge crooks at once. You
know YOU looked aghast at her then your
ever became transfxed with horror, as il
VERT the order frig htened you; you knew
the order must be carried out you could
not keason or protest against it: all you
could do was to stare. You were frightened
as r.Iuch by this order Of your wife's, as you
bad been indignant with the committeemer
, whR we're now abroad spreading your fame
, in kother districts. Your great name wal
already gong the rounds of the press, al
, hoHor you had never before dreamed of
buf inn ortance, Ike genius, will burst ou
, thu ugh the shell Of obscurlty. From til,
obkcurity of the leather business and tn,
biAh of a garrett, a star of great magnitud,
bal risen, and was blazing forth through th,
; coll regions, and was shining along thu
: Atlant tic coast Where anthracite was burn
Striving was blessed. We will omit wha
St&ving was at the mines, among the hare
wc1king, half paid miners. StirVing's pol
. icl would make cheap coal in the market
lo{ wages and much misery in the noun
tai y homes of the coal miners.
But this is net getting ahead with Crooks
Y1u oyercame the emotion-Whlch did MOI
re- tuIre any prodiglOus offort-and wrote
c koks' discharge, and sent him a chequt
pl ing him off to the end of the present
yekr (1e60). Crooks astOnishment on re-
celying this official document can better b.
iuhgined than described. (This expI essior
is made use Of by novel writer's Ahen they
ark at a loss to describe peoples EN- otiOns
lave taken the liberty Of using it for th,
sakne reason; | cannot describe the emotions
, Cfooks in this instance. You must imagine
t3m.
Crooks brought bis books to your Office
. add delivered them into your bands, with 1
!. true and lofty dignity such that astOnisbed
ylur clever wife. She never had seen 81
mich in any man as she saw in Crooks al
that moment. Pc was the personi6cation o.
manhood. He stood not in oils muddy boots
Mt in his dirty mining clothes. His face
Wks not smutty, bis hat was not greasy, OF
there was no lamp banging in the front Of
tt Instead be stood in the garD of gentle
MIN. Could your lady but have undOne neI
wkrk lust then, she Aould have given years
stGarY to have done so. Never since sue
bid put poor Ford into bis cold crave, had
bid she been burdened with 50 much regret
VI. should say sorrow and dot be in error.
kThe few secC nds be stood in the Office YOU
hid been compared to him, in appearance
vks this turnover in the earth, had beer
cAmpared to your greatness by your OWL
lAlv Mr.. STRIVING. She glanced from bis
f&c head and calm handsome features, tc
ykur round head and immobile features !;
ten from his noble frame, well knit together
" strong muscles, to } our chubby one. held
held together more by flesh than by sinews
Ills cloth was as clean as yours. if not of the
dime texture, and fitted well to his hand.
aome person. You compared very unfavor.
Oily on the lady's eye; be literally took the
1ut Of you be looked the head Of the work.
hen; you, th e fsgend Of respectabIlitv. A
deduction Of pride attended with an apology
hight have repaired much, injury then.
llr Crooks after delivering Vou the books be
ad had in charge, walked out of the Office
kithout asking a word Of explanation. You
3arted thus Mr.. STRIVING with the man that
lad been the means Of making your fortune,
and your reputation. You have ano Their
han in his place now Mr.. STRIVING but be
kill not be a Crooks to the company, by a
sew thousands per year. There are more
gays of dosing money In the hazardous
business Of working coal mines, than by
Saying it away in advanced wages You
Mill find such to be the case at the end Of
lear.
We are glad to record that Crooks has re.
keived an appointmentunder a rival company
with an advance in salary of one thousand
hollars, over and above what you had paid
bin. He is also provided with competent
ASSISTANTS, tina. relieve him from the most
laborious parts Of bis duties. When Crooks
left YOU, there was a commOtion-th that was
likely to end 10 a strike-amOng the work
fnen but Crooks went among them and ad-
fsised them not to strike on bis account. A
Subscription was raised among them and
kui able present made to Mr.. Crooks as q