The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-09-10
THE BERRY PICKERS.

] Killarney Ann, strengthening her pack
and wiping her face woarily with her
apron.
The ragged woman beside her chuckled
drily.
Killarney knows" said she, showing
her black gums in a satirical grin. docs
there be strawberries there too, killar-
ney'"
yen be there soon enough, Kate Cas-
sidy," retorted Killarney Ann. IAN it's
the nice Guild strawberry they ii have Oh,
God What time IL is, | wondherf"
Its about L. said the third woman of
the little squatting group. An do the
pair o We now bould yer whisht There's
the masther wit his eye on ye
The sun broiled down scorchingly from
the blue July sky, making the long six acre
field, with It's row upon row OF strawberry
plants. as hot as HI, as Killarney said.
/ There was no shade unless you crept right
/ into the bitches at the sides, and even
there il was too hot for comfort. At the
( top corner of the field beside the gate
! stood the leaflng house, a small hut, in
which from eight to dozen girls sat sort
! ing the strawberries into long, shallow,
! tall handled baskets, which, when filled
I and covered clearly with a white cloth.
were carefully loaded on the van TO be taken
| TO market The misthress, a fine woman,
| with red face and a large white apron,
| superintendent the labor of the girls with
jealous eye keeping also keen lookout
on as much Of the field as fell TO her view,
lest some of the women should pause In
their work. or maybe moisten their baked
lips with the tempting fruit. The "mas-
ther' walked about the place, not copfn-
ing himself to any particular field, but APP
pearing at odd moments to look after the
men in the van or to tramp through the
lines of women, shouting angry words
good humoredly as he went There were
from 80 TO 40 women dotted about, some
in groups, others singly, their backs bent
continually over their work and their hats
or handkerchiefs tied under their sun
withered chins. Their ages ran from 40
TO over 90. They were all very ragged and
untidy. Two or three little girls and
boy or two, with floats" wicker baskets)
under their arms, went about from wom-
an to woman, relieving each of the fruit
she had meantime picked in a little tin
pannikin. These "young vans" received
for their days work sixpence-tbat is, a
halfpenny an hour, the regular wage for
the women being penny.
Killarney Ann Strengthened herself
again stealthily as soon as the "masther"
had withdrawn his attention from her
part of the field.
'What time Is it at all now, won
dher?" said she, with that agonized feel
ing of irritation at the long minutes which
procaims utter WEAKNESS.
Kate Cassidy had moved two or three
yards away, and the other woman took no
heed of the hopeless question.
Killarney had felt the sun in her head
for some time, and now her face turned
a peculiar sickly brown and her breath
came in gasps A toothless, drink sodden
woman at some distance heard the noise,
and, turning, mumbled leeringly, "Are
ye crawsick, Killarney" This was joke.
The moments dragged themselves out.
At last IL grew cooler, and a breeze
sprang up and touched, like "A benediction,
the heads of the patient laborers
1T must be getting on for s." Killar-
ney mumhled to herself with parched lips.
The row on which she was working
was now despoiled of all the berries ripe
enough for picking, so she stood up with
a Rrunt and stumbled to whore Kate was
sitting huddled into heap. Kate was
singing long come all ye" recording the
who lived in the town of Ross, but the
tune died on her lips at Killarney's face
and staggering walk.
"My Godl" said she. Whats an yer"
The other women looked up in surprise
killarney's drunk" said one, with
hoarse chuckle, and the others grinned
sympathetically
kate, Kate, am sick. Oh, what will
/ do now at alp
"Ah, it'll go aft vel" said Kate reassur-
ingly, resuming her work and her wailing
song;
"An she coorted highland souldyer
An his name 1t was johnny
"Minja. she does LUX badl' whispered
woman. Killarney" she called out,
Eye ought TO go ax the misthress to let ye
do lafln instead o. pickin.
NO." said Killarney, rocking herself
to and fro, 1.-THE misthress and is not in.
She ga me wan and pinny to get my
shawl out, and it's mad with me she is,
for spint it.
Musha, how bad she isl'' said Kate.
Killarney's breath camein great gulp
and her eyes rolled.
My Godl" she gasped, with her hands
clawing her pinned overbodicc lam dy-
ing-l am dyingl"
she screamed in "a choked way and grow
eled on the ground
The women leaned to look at her with
fear and compassion in their faces. There
was look upon Killarney not to be mis-.
taken, and they sent the young wan"
crying and stumbling over the ground to
tell the misthress.
"Ah, y are always up to yer antics!'
that lady shouted wrathfully as she clamp.
ed hurriedly to where the crowd of women
supported Killarney Ann.
Say your prayers, darlin Make an
ack, Cassidy was saying TREMENDOUSLY,
the crushed fruit on her apron shining
| like blood stains.
Run for the priest wan o. yep mutter-
| ed another.
Sure, there's nothin an her at all only
| the SUM" said third
What are ye up to now, Killarney
Get up out o. that an don't be gaumactin
| out o. vel Dye hear meg'
oh, she's dyin, ma'aml' whimpered
| Cassidy.
| Cassidy and Killarney shared the same
tltby bed in the howell reserved for the
women's use in the strawberr season.
They both got drunk on porter together