Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-12-22

BRING US SUMFIN TO EAT ANYWAY"
| Mr.. Andrews came from behind the
screen with tears in his eyes and in his
hand a wad of bank notes. which he
| silently poked into the little stocking
and then, sitting down again, sank into
reverie. Mr.. Brattle did not disturb
him. Silence reigned, broken only by
| the mournful howls of the wind, which
rose after midnight At length the two
men whispered anxiously about Hugh's
| protracted absence. Something they
feared must have happened to him. He
came with the dawn, looking so worn
and haggard that his appearance
startled them. They didn't know it
but he had gone through over twenty
hours of almost continuous exertion
without morsel of food, and that as the
elimination of weeks of starvation. He
reported:
| "One of the men, the most important
| had gone to Laurel Run, and went over
| after him."
"Fourteen miles, there and back, over
an exceptionally abominable mountain
road" Mr.. Brattle explained. sotto voce
to his companion.
He will be here" continued Hugh
before s o'clock. | thought Miss Brat
tie might be anxious, so stopped on the
way back to tell her you were safe, sir.
| 'Thank you, Hugh. That was good,
kind thing to do, and not little one, for
it took you a good half mile out of your
way, and you must have been very tired
"Oh, that's nothing, sir. I'm glad
went"
"Did you see Mary herself?"
"The minute after | knocked. She
was so anxious she had not gone to bed
but when left her mind was easy. She
told me to wish you merry Christmas
| SIR"
'My Godr' exploded Mr. Andrews
"The idea of a merry Christmas herer
sit depends on you," responded Mr.
Brattle to him in a low tone
Presently Mr.. Corrigan, tousled, testy
and surprised, emerged from his bed
room. All the hospitality at his com
mand he extended to his vistors-he put
more coal in the stove. Then he took
down the woman's gown from the
| clotheshorse and handed it into the bed
room that Mrs. Corrigan might dress
| herself When she came out she brought
| the coarse gray blanket from her bed
| and laid it over the sleeping child in
| place of the jacket, which Mr.. Corrigan
| then put on.
Mary Brattle came over ON horseback
at very early hour, bringing with her
big basket full of bacon, bread and
coffee.
81 knew you had guests this morn
ing" she said to Mrs. Corrigan, whom
it is my duty to take care of, so hope
you will not be offended at my helping
| you to entertain them" Her tone was
so frank and friendly that it won the
matron's good will at once, and no re
bellious pride prejudiced her against the
| prospect of good breakfast In few
minutes the bacon was sizzling in pan
and for the first time in many months
the aroma of coffee amazed the atmos.
| phere of the miners home. Alice
awoke and shifted it. With scramble
and plunge she was out of bed and in
| the middle of the family room, staring
with wonder dilated eyes at the prep
arations for breakfast and quite OBJ
livious of the presence of strangers
Throwing up her hands, with shrill
scream of ecstatic joy, she cried:
"Oh, gran'ma, Sanity Taus did tump
The strikers committee appeared on
time, and the superintendent formally
introduced to them his companion, MIR
George Andrews, the new president of
the Black Eagle Coal Mining company"
"Men, said Mr.. Andrews to them, 81
have only recently been elected to the
directorate and made president of this
comrany. Until now | have never been
in the anthracite country, knew nothing
OF the conditions of existence here and
would have been powerless to change |
the company's policy if | had known
ALI that is changed. We have new
management. | know the facts-thanks
to Mr.. Brattle-and am happy to say
that l have power to act as my judgment
dictates. Work will be resumed in the
colliery tomorrow at old rates; shut
downs will be rare in the future, and
all the old hands are invited to take
their places again-eXcept the Slavs |
and Hungarians; we will have no more |
of them"
The happy news flew abroad as light |
spreads when the sun rises; joyous hur-
rahs everywhere welcomed the ending
of the strike, and merry Christmas"
was heard on all sides from lips which
certainly would not have uttered the
words that day-except perhaps in, bit
ter irony-but for the unexpected ending
of their misery. And Mr.. Andrews |
helped to make the day merry one by |
ordering the opening of the company's |
store and distribution of such liberal
largesse of provisions as banished hunger
and carried comfort into every honest
hnma in tho co,,n,rnit,r