The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-09-10
TIE MINER.
SKETCHES FROM THE COAL MINES
rr rsos. q. wiLros, AsHLASp, "a.
SUCCEED, solsTRoUs But INTRODUCTORY


leave you to enjoy it," Saying this Mr..
Patrick Finn, evidently a boy Of We cen,
scrambles up the coal dirt and leaves Biddy
to clean her teeth as best she may while
the imp seems to have not the least inten-
non Of lessting from It's impish occupation
q burying Biddy alive, Biddy at last sue
cecds in making an air holo through the
barrier sticking in her mouth, nd c
splutters out-yery hoarsely though-the
following address, directed 70 the imp in
terms both strong and emphatic.
Ye little ugly impish divil but the
limbs will be torn off yer when Just get
hould Of yccs Won't ye quit " witches
bastard ye?'
AS the act Of quitting seems not to have
entered the impish design, Bidiy starts off
up towards him, when with impish dispatch,
be carries of his imnish person, b quarters
to where the curaged Biddy docs not think
it prudent TO follow
Then Biddy begins 10 pick her remains
up, and She calls out to Pat Finn to bring
back her sun bonnet, a call that Pat does
not obey with aiacrity Then again Biddy
picks up from one place Pat Fhnns dilapi-
dated straw hat and from another Pat
Films dirty short clay pipe; and with these
items she races down the dirt bank, and
with a sweet smile On Der very pretty, but
smutty face, begs you 70 accommodate her
with a luciter match, which YOU DO With a
good grace, lighting it as you present il,
seeing that the pipe Is already charged
Blddy draws a few Whiffs, and while
the smoke curls in the air calls out up the
bank to her late tormeutor:
Pat!' n Pat vi " Patti"
Pat, with Biddy's sun bonnet "a lis
head, now looks over the brink Of tue dirt
bank, and down to Blddy standing at the
bottom with bis Old hat On her head, and
bis own swate pipe in her mouth, and in a
tone Of mOckery and dersion BidIy pro
pounds lie following query:
" An how aye loike me now wild pipe
stuck in ny jaw
" Arrah darlint, Jut its swate yc are, an
faith the taste " that kiss II he in my
mouth fox the mkt half CENTURY that it
will a'cusha."
" Clear OF to your work ye diyil ye, an
iet me get home with the coal | am ahher
picking Pat. Iii kape this Elegant bon
net for your sake !" But Pat was gone
and Biddy's sun bonnet with him, and
Blddy went too, with keg of coal that she
had gathered from the coal dirt in each
hand, and Pats Id hat on her head, and
his swatc dirty pipe in her mouth, looking
both pretty and oomlcal and happy.
But this is not the first dust, by any
means, that has taken place between Pat
Finn and pretty Biddy Flanagan; they
understand each other perfectly, that they
10 Pat is a rollickiDg young lad, and
Buddy is pretty young lass. You leave
them to themselves and their dusts among
the coal banks
Passing on round the base of the dirt
bank you come in view Of a large Goa
breaker, and now you hear the Earring OF
cOgged wheels, the crashing Of Jumps Of
coak as these are put through The rollers,
and the laundering of coal as it shoots
down the dumping schutes, after having
been emptied from the mine Wagons.
The building is now before you and you
see hat the bins in which the coal il stock
ed, possesses frontage on the railway that
winds in through the trees, Of about enc
hundred and fifty feet This but ding is
enclosed and rooted and you mount fight
q steps that leads up one side Of it. Inside
you hear strange noises, resembling to a GER
tain extent the rattle Of musketry in a sharp
and continuous engagement. At the head
Of the steps door leads thror e parti-
ton and into the inside of th yer part
Of the buildings. As you step over the
threshold, you find yourself confronting
little impish looking figures, ranged pretty
regularly throughout the entire length Of q
system ofrevolying screens. 0fcOurse the
little rascals you see are not imps you
only thing them to be such, not being &C
customed to them daily. The lads With the
ragged cloths and smu;ty, nay black faces,
are merely slate pickers but what assists
you to form such an erroneous opinion as
you have done is the nature of SEINE Of their
engagements Just at the moment YOU POP
your precious self through the door way
A little old man dressed in a comcal
manner, stands looking through window in
front Of him with his back towards the imps.
This old gentleman, begrimed and covered
with the coal dust, which the air in bis
locality is charged very extensively with, is
evidently engaged with something that re-
quires the whole Of his attention, but with
which, it is thought by one of the impish
young gentlemen, he has nothing to do, and
this impish youth takes upon himself
the weighty responsibility Of reminding Of
his duty in this very peculiar manner /:
First be selects for bis use piece Of stove
coal, stands up on plank that il laid across
the stove coal telegraph, adjust himself, and
takes accurate aim and fires at the venerable
stove pipe hat Of the venerable old man.
, aud then, as # certain Of the result, squats
down to the telegraph, and begins to pick
pieces of slate OUT from amongst the stove
coal with innocent unconcern. At the same
he pulls the pipe from his mouth which he
is smoking, and is in the act of making
some careless remark to an impish compan-
ion on the opposite side Of tie telegraph,
when the old man turns round and utters
fearful yell Of rage, The imps all turn and
regard the old man with well feigned impsh
surprise, although not scamp Of the thirty
odd but knows perfectly well the cause.
The old man eonfronts tho thirty odd, and
hurls very vile adjectives at them at the
same tire he puts his hand On the top of
bis head, and brings it into such position
as to be in command Of bis optical qualifca-
tions, which are, unfortunately for him,
poor fellow Pone oft the Lest, begins to swear
anew fOg' Ne discovers bis hands tasmear-
cd witAshis own red blood. The imp who
threw the piece Of coal now approaches him
with drink of water and great deal oil
mock sympathy, aud the. little rascal has TIE
audaclty 70 saggest a plaster Of chewed /
white BEAD, which he contends is The best
kind Of plaster for new cut. The old