Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-03

"And I say" cried Dick excitedly, "no
one ever thinks anything about us. They
are always bothering about somebody
| rights, but they don't care rap whether
boys have any or not. We are walked over
by our parents just as Sam says
''That's so," grumbled Tommy Davis.
''Here they've taken away our air-guns
cause we don't know how to handle them,
and I'd like to know how we can learn with
out them.
"Sam says the only way to escape from
this thraldom is to bind ourselves together
and be knights of Labor. They are men
who have professions with torches and
badges, and they say, Give us our rightsp
and then they get them and do just as they
want to forever after"
"HurrayI" shouted Jack Elliott. ''Let's
be it.
Who'll tell us how?" queried Joe Har-
ris
'I might get Sam," suggested Dick.
ffFather's given him weeks warning with
out character, and he's in the garden
working it out now. Father says he drinks,
but Sam saws he doesn't, and that father
ought to take his word for it. He's mad
enough, and says fathers no gentleman.
OD, ne u ntlp L III ouiC-
So ten minutes later Sam was seated In
the clubroom, listening with a suppressed
smile on his crafty face, to the agitated
words of his colleagues.
"The first thing We wants is dlnnlmlte,
he said, emphatically, san next, trans
parencies-them' u show 'em the state of yer
feelin's. 1t takes the money, though.
How much have yez?"
Dick brought the bank, and Its contents
was counted out into Sans large hands.
$40 in all.
s'You see, this morning" explained
Jack, "when they took away our guns, our
fathers gave us 81 apiece
"That's alluz the way" interrupted the
mentor. ''What's a paltry 81 to a capi-
talist? Snap your fingers at 'em an tell
'em We won't take it. Hold on, though,
veil want it for the expenses. Who's
triseror?"
"Joe has been" began Dick, "but there
wasn't anything in the bank till this morn
7sThin it's him must get the implimints
O. defiance an all the supplies of the
brotherhood.
"Oh," groaned Joe, 81 can't. Won't you
be treasurer, Sam?"
"Yes,'' said Sam, graciously, 'T willie
obleege ye. But first, ye must all take
oath of illigence, which means ye must
niver mintion the order or its doin's to out
side parties"
So the members of the newly organized
l1auge took solemn oath never to divulge
a word that was said at the meetings
"Hope we may die if we do," cried the 20
knights in one voice after the last boy was
sworn, and then the meeting adjourned.
Dick was unusually serious the next
week, but then he was always serious at
home, so no one took any notice of it. His
mother and father were gay young people
who could never spare time from their
social duties to inquire into the moods of
the solitary child. So Dick, unnoticed,
brooded over his lonely life after his mother
and father had driven paily away without
so much as a 'goodby" to him, his childish
heart filled with bitterness, and ehurried
away from the gloomy house to the rooms
of tie brotherhood. As he approached the
old barn Tommy hailed him from the open
door.
"H-i-i, Dick; I was just going for you;
Sans come with the implements Of de-
fance."
Dick quickened his pace and in a moment
he had Joined the group of excited boys who
were gathering about Sam in the empty hay
loft. Sam was uncoverlng the trst trans
parency.
1--WE VIII Qely Tile LyIluG IatucIJ lcdu
Tommy, in an awe-struck tone.
"Wheu!:' calculated Joe, "isn't that
rather strong?"
SIT ought to be strong" said Dick, ,sternly.
"What's the next one, Sam?"
sDown with opprishin," was painted in
crooked, black letters on the second trans
parency.
81 CONSTRUCTED thin misilf," explained
SAM ''to save expinse, an this, holding
up the third ''That's the best of the lot,
said Dick, admiringly." Shall our parints
rule us no. 'That shows just what we
mean"
This other" continued Sam. fI borrid
from a frind: Higher wuges-shorter
hours"
'Idon't see why we should have that, "
objected Joe. 'None of us get wages, and
hat does shorter hours mean?"
"Oh professions aluz carries that motto"
Sam assured them with a superior smile.
'Tt looks fine when it's lit"
The torches and badges were produced |
and then Sam said impressively:
''Sit still now, an don't move so much as
yer finger whilst gets the dinimite. It's |
-.