The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1894-12-07
A STORY OF THE TIMES

striker, there were no signs Of the festivi-
ties and feasting that seem SYNONYMOUS
| with the day.
Inc Benton cottage stood just i'll the
edge of the hourishing young city, ane one
year before had presented a picture of
| quiet. peace and moderate plenty, but
! now there was no wood in the shed, no
coal in the bin, no -four in the box, no
| meat - no nothing edible save few
pounds of cornmeal in the pantry and Il
few potatoes in the cellar
|. halt-starved COW rOamed restlessly
the length of the tether on the bit of un-
fenced common just beyond, vainly try
| ing to get a breakfast from the few re-
| naming frost-bitten weeds
In the once pleasant kitchen, over II
s!moidering fire of cobs. begged by the
ch'ldren from the mill across the town
cr9uched Il mother and four children.
Una, the eldest. Il girl Of Is, wus speak
ing:
20. mother. why cy,'t father see to
what he is bringing us? Why won't he
| 90 back to work.
You know. Tina that he belongs to the
union and dare not go back if he weul,l,"
was the weary reply.
>. put why Mlong? persisted the girl, as
| If the subject had not already been dis
| cuSsed many times.
Well, he thought he was doing for the
pest Ill Joining: You know l have never
favored it. but it can't be helped now
IL - SIN months or more since they
were ordered out Tina went on, musins-
| ". AND what Il change it has made.
suppose we will starve before long"
put in Bert. the 13-year-old boy, hopeless
HIS mother laid Il thin, trembling hand
on his arm. but said nothing. Bert was
| a delicate lad and perhaps felt the priya-
| tions more than the others.
G""dneSS!: broke out Carl. ,thc family
,Stand-by, who was strong and CHEEKY
| dinner last Thanksgiving! Turkey-such
1uncer.mince pie. cranberry sass,
Don't. Carl. it makes me 80 hungry"
interrupted Tina.
1T makes me faint ut the pit of the
stomach" said Bert. pitifully. pressing
with his right hand in that region
II thought it might he tilen to talk it
over" laughed Carl
.. lit don't fill me-" said G-ycar-od Glare.
1t was the common story in the strik-
ers home. and the sufferihss of the Ben
ton family; were only counterpMrts of those
borne IN thousands Of such homes.
L say. broke out Tina again, "a man
has no business to belong to any union
or society when it can compel him to let
his family starve. 1t is cruel. cruelr'
At this Clare began to cry, and Mrs.
Benton's hands shook worse than ever.
1es, just see how you shake. nanny,
you are starving. starving, right before
my eyes; and Bert never could live only
| as he had something nice fixed to tempt his
| appetite. and these children-' Here
| the frenzy of TinaS grief overcame her
| and she walked the floor sobbing hysteri-
cally:
Nov don't. TiG,r' Carl expostulated.
I'll go right out and find something to do
nd bring i'll a fine dinner; see if L DON'T
even in the face of failure. Often before
he had thus hopefully gone ont, to return
with nothing or only il few pennies. There
was not much that Il 1O-year-old boy could
dc. and then the town people We're gener~
ally against the strikers, and considered
| that i'll any way aiding the families was
encouraging the strike.
Hastily Carlftied OH his ragged muffler,
drew on his cap and left the house, both
bare hands thrust into the pockets of his
threadbare coat. Bravely he puckered his
lips for whistle, but the sound was rath-
err faint. No wonder! One potato and a
two-inch square Of bread made by wetting
up cornmeal with water is hardly calcu-
lated to put much courage into Il growing
boy.
Poor little soul!' murmured the moth
er, Wtyingly. as she watched him out of
When worn out with her grieving Tina
bathed her face. put on Il shawl and hood
and babe Bert come for cobs." With
an old clothes basket between them they
trudged off. When they were gone Mrs.
Benton wrapped Glare up and gave her
permission to run out doors little
while;" then she threw herself OH her
knees and prayed as only mother whose
children were dying by inches could pray.
Great tears fell on the chair before her,
and her hands clutched it's sides with the
frenzed grasp of despair.
Give them bread give them bread"
she plead over and over again. And,
for their SakeS save my reason: and, oh
Father. make the employer to do as he
would be done by. and forever dissolve
the unions that compel men to let their
loved ones starve"
And then, when the wild, agonizcd ap-
peal was done. she arose strengthened
for one more effort. 1t seemed that the
mother love must triumph over every
for her children.
Taking up tin cup she sought the
poor cows side, hoping to secure little
milk, although already she had drained
the last drop, it seemed. Less than pint
Of the precious fluid rewarded her eff
forts but she paused to pat the creatures
ernaciated side and say: Poor Bess.
to see you SO hungry" And then she
went sadly toward the house. murmur-
ing: "A strange. dreadful Thanksgiving
day: How little ever dreamed of com
ing to this"
Clare had followed her and now came
i'll begging for drink Of milk: "just Il
teenty drop, nanny. cause Use so tired"
Little Clare called all bad feelings tired
ness, nor even guessed that it was lack of
food that allied her. but her mother knew,
and looking into the large. wistful eyes.
she took Il desperate resolution. an do 1t;
I'll do it!'' she cried defiantly, apparently
addressing some imaginary opponent.
When Tina and Bert returned, Juggling
their baskets of cobs, the former noticed
a subdued excitement about her mother
and was much surprised when the latter
made herself as neat as possible and an
nounced that she was "going down town."
but she did not see the tiny box that she
had tightly claspel in under her shawl.
The Bentons had little money ahead
paid three months in advance: to meet the
demands for the last three months. and
keep them from actual starvation. almost
everything in the house had been sold.
They were trying to find a buyer for Bess
in the hope of keeping roof over them
through the winter, but so far no where
near her value had been offered. and she
was daily becoming more unmarketable.
james Benton himself was on the tramp
Goaded into u sullen madness by the sight
of the family's' sufferings, he had started
out. ostensibly to find work; but nothing
had been heard from him now for two
weeks.
Hurrying on her way. glancing neither
to right nor left, Mrs. Benton sought the
one Dawnbroker's establishment that the
town contained, only to find the door locked
and a card outside saying: ''Out of the
city for today"
ooh" was the word that escaped her
white lips, and everything grew suddenly
dark around her.
1t so occurred that two men passing saw