Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-05-16
SYMPATHY STRIKE.
M ANNIE HAMILTON noSxELr..

To-day" Timothy said, firmly. There
was no hint Of relenting in his voice. II
guess we're not gosn to wait Till Cynthy
sta-arves, are We, Thaddeus KEITH Do
you know what sac had Tor dinAer toaiayt''
Mullins, murmured little Tad, shame
facedly. Dry. 'Thont any better On.
Two" added Timothy, briefly. You
wouldn't like two dry, 'thost-any .butter
mullins for your dinner, wosdd yeus
''No-oh, no' mnrmured little Tad.
Then there was silence. Beth boys were
remembering their own lunch. Tad
smackcd his "mine lips" over the crisp
brown hermits and tile little round saucer
pie-there was almost always saucer pie
in little Tad's lunch basket. Timothy had
great, beautiful wedges Of pie IN his, and
you could see the plums along the edges OF
the wedge. Then Timmie's donghnuts.
Tad's mouth--his mind mouth '--watered
at the thought OF them. His doughnuts
were good, but Jimmie s.-Timmle and he
played swap games at dinner and ate each
others lunches sometimes.
she ate 'em both up while was settin
my table," whispered little Tad solemniy,
remembering Cynthy's quick, hungry bites.
He was glad he had slipped two OF his her
mits into her pail when she wasn't look
ing. and Jimmie had dropped in dough-
nut Cynthy had never found out yet
where her little "windfalls" came from
She looked upon them with grave thank
fulness, as mamma out of heaven.
Timothy had explained sympathy
strike" TO Tad You don't strike cause
you're abused yourself, you know, but cause
somebody else is You do it out O. SYM
pity. Somebody else don't get wages
enough-Cynthy don't get dinner enough
and you strike till they-tiA she does.
Then YOU 90 TO work again same as ever
All tho time you re a-strikin' you re a&ayin =
''Tisn't us. We have dinner enough in our
dinner baskets. But Cynthy hasn mercy.
mol You've got TO give Cynthy more DIM
ner with butter on, or else we don work
for you We've struck, me and Tad. Tad
won't bring your mail and ] won't bring
yoa.r milk But Just the minute You prom
ise to put plenty Of butter on Cynthy DIM
ner and plenty Of dinner, then Wen 60 to
work like everything That's all you've
got to do" explained Timothy. That's
ymp'thy strike"
Cynthy was just Cynthy. She may have
bad another name, back in her dreary little
past, when she lived in the almshouse, but
not since she came to live with Mrs. Flint.
She was a grave, unchildish, lean little
thing Of ten. but she might have been ~.
All the good times she could remember
were the times when the mamma" had
fallen out OF heaven into her dinner pail.
She never romped or laughed, like little
child. Out of school she always worked.
Mrs. Flint lived in an out-of-the- way place,
"halr way between everything, she COM
planned. She hired little Tad for ten cents
a week to bring her mail, and Timothy for
quarter to bring her milk and chop her
kindlings. The only reason she did not let
Cynthy do both things and save the 35 cents
a week was because Cynthy was always do
ing something else. Timothy and Tad were
all The "hired help" she emf eyed.
AT four o'clock, with a whoop and a whis-
tie, the little Webster district school was
"crt." Jimmie and Tad waited behind till
everybody else had gone home, then they
walked slowly down the sun-mottled road.
Even Jimmie looked a little pale, but his
resolute little jaw was set etifiiy. There
was to be no turning back now.
keep thinkin' about those mullins, Tad
die" he said, encourigingly. Keep sayin'
10 yourself how dry they loofed and how
they didn't have speck O butter on. II
you ever ate dry ones, 'thout any butter
on. you'll know how to strike a symp'thy
strike all right"
But never" murmurcd little Tad, mo,
! never. Jimmie, honest"
"Well, | have. | ate one a-purpose. !
know how il feels" Timothy said.
Ms Flint was waiting at the door. Her
crisp. sharp voice came down the lane to
meet them.
''You got letter for me to-day, didn't
you Thaddeus?" she called. "I'm expecting
one. wish you'd hurry little faster and
bring IL up here to me. / can't pay little
BOYS for crawling"
Timothy put his hand on little Tad's arm
and pushed him along. "Go on and tell her
you've struck, can't youg" he whispered.
Then, at sight Of the terrified little freckled
face, he took away his hand and stepped
forward himself
"No'm, he hasn't got any letter Maybe
there's one, but he hasn't got il. He's
struck, and so have l. We've both struck.
We aren't goin TO work again till you give
Cynthy more dinner"
with butter on" quavered little Tad
eagerly
The hard face in the doorway regarded
both their pale little faces in utter amaze
dark little hall Cvnthy's wondering face APP
peared as out Of mist.
''You see its IA symp'thy strike" ex-
planned Timothy hurriedly. His knees were
shaking under their frayed little corduroys.
"You know what a simplify strike is, don't
you, ma ann Well, anyway. it's one you
strike out Of symp'thy for folks-Cynthy,
you know, when she doesn't have dinner
enough to eat. We're sorry for Cynthy and
we've struck. 'Tsn't us-we've got our
wages We haven't got much, but we don't
feel bad enough TO strike count O. that.
What we want is Cynthy TO have sandwiches
and cookies and pieces o pie and"
Butter on"
yes, same as other folks. Wen 60 TO
work again, honest Injun. the minute you
promise 10 give 'em 70 her, ma'am. Tad1l
get your letter all a-flyin', and I'll chop the
kindlings. The minute. It's symp'thy
strike, that's all"
Cynthy's small, pale face disappeared in
the gloom. She had found out where the