Omaha daily bee., 1885-09-26
CRIMINAL,
Or, the Story of a Great Miners
Strike.
Translated from the EeHeh.
BY EMILE zoLA.
SUMMARY of rnrcrplNe CHAPTERS.

of PRECEDING CHAPTERS.
Anton Lantier, a young mechanic out o.
work, reaches the coal mines of Monston
France, cold, hungry aud %penniless. Tn,
death Of miner makes a vacancy and he &C.
cures employment in the Vulture mine, Ma
hon, one Of the miners, and his daughter
Catherine, explain the work to him and as
sist him the first day, He hears the motter-
ings of the miners against the company an q
threats of o strike. The exsctions OF the gu,
perintendent aud che small wages received
goad the workmen to the verge of despera-
tion and paved tie way TO the coming struR-
gle. Mahon again befriends Anton, and Sc
cures lodgings for him at Rassaueur's, q tip
| plinR house near the mine, Anton's determi'
nation to leave is overcoms by the kindness oil
the struggling miners, and he decides 20 battle
with them. The owners Of the mines revel in
luxury, and turn q deaf ear to the appeals of
the starving families Of the workmen, who. in
debt for food obtained during a strike thr ee
years previous, are barely able to secure
sufficient food to sustain life.
CHAPTER X.
When Mahon entered the house, after
having left Anton at Rarssneur's, he
found CAtharlne, Z,chafie and johnnie
at the table, tiniahing their soup. On
| returning from the mine, they were al
ways SO hungry that they sat down to eat
In their damp clothing without even
washing their faces; the table remained
set from morning TIL night, and there
was constantly some n there swallow
Ing his portion, at the risk of the exigen-
ctes of labor.
From the door Mahon perceived the
provisions. He slid nothing, but his
anxious face cleared up. All the morn.
Ing, the empty cupboard, the house with
out coffee, or bread, had worried him. A
sad thought came to him as he worked
| the vein In his drift; how would the wife
make out2 and what would become of
them if she returned home with empty
hande2 Here he found everything. She
would explain 1t to him later, and, while
| waiting, he smiled contentedly.
Catherine and Johnnie had already
risen, drinking their coffee standing,
while Zaohsrie, his hunger only half az
peased by his soup, cut for himself a
large slice of bread, which he covered
with butter. He noticed the hogs.head
cheese which Alzire had put upons plate,
but he did not touch II, knowing that
VIXEN there was only enough meat for
one, It was intended for his father. All
washed down their soup with a glass of
fresh water, the good clear drink which
they were fosced to fall back upon a few
days before pay day,
"There Is no besr," said Mrs. Mahon,
as the father sat down to the tatle. II
wanted to keep a little money.
But If you want 1t, the little one can
run and get a pint"
He looked at her in astonishment.
How was that2 She had money, too.
"No, no." said he. "I've juis drunk
o mug, that's enough" And Mahon
slowly swallowed a great bowlful of
soup, made of bran, potatoes, leeks and
sorrel. His wife, with Estelle still In
her arms, assisted Attire In waiting on
him, handing the butter and meat and
putting the coffee back on the fire to
keep 1t warm.
In the meantime, near the cupboard,
the bathing had commenced In q tub
made from the half of q cask. Catherine,
after emptying the warm water into 1t,
TRANQUILITY undresEed ana with face to the
wall and back to the fire, rubbed herself
vigorously with the soft soap. No one
paid the slightest attention TO her; when
clean, she jumped from the tub and ran
up stairs, leaving her wet clothing In q
heap on the floor. A quarrel broke out
between the two brothers. Johnny had
hpstened to get In the tub under the pre-
tense that Zachsrie was stiil eating; and
the latter threw him out head over heels,
claiming his turn, saying, though he WAS
polite enough to Let Catherine wash first,
he didn't want boys leavings, even II the
water was black enough to fill all the ink
stands In the neighborhood. The y ended
by getting into the tub together, washing
each others backs; then, like their Sis
ter. entirely nude, they disappeared In
the stairway.
"What a slop they've made!" said Mrs.
Mahon, taking the clothing from the
floor and hanging 1t to dry. "AlzIre,
wipe up a bit, will you'll"
But q voice on the other side of the
wall cut short her words. Osths were
heard, mingled with the Screams of a
while now and then heavy
blows resounded, as though some one
being struck with a tin pail.
"Levaque's beginning again," said Ma
hon quietly, a. he Etrummed on the
bowl with his spoon. "That's strange;
Bout .loup said the soup was ready"
''Rsady," said his wife; 81 saw the
vegetables on the table not even peeled"
The cries grew louder; there was q ter.
-ibls push which shook the wall;
hen all became silent. The
miner, swallowing a Last spoonful, con.
with the calm air of Justice:
"She deserved 1t, If the soup wasn't
After drinking q glass of water, he cut
|, square piece off of the hogs-head
eatiag 1t with some bread. No
spoke while the father was eating,
He was thinking that IL did not taste
Ike the meat which came from Maigrats;
t must have been bought somewhere else;
,ut he did not question his wife only to
isk if the old man was still asleep up
itsiru. No, the grandfather had gone
mt for his accustomed walk, and then
Hence again fell.
Henry and Lenors, playing In the
water which had been spilled on tho
loor, seeing the meat, went and stood at
heir fathers knee, Watching each piece
IS 1t was lifted from the plate, their eyes
It first full of hope, which was grad
tally succeeded by q look of consterns-
Ion as 1t was lost to sight In his
"Havsn't the children had anyl" he In